“We have to first and foremost let people know that when you became a doula, you became an entrepreneur.”
— Dr. Michelle Gabriel-Caldwell, CEO, trainer, doula and childbirth educator
Civitas Strategies — a national organization that supports such smaller and lower-visibility businesses as child care providers and doulas — promotes doula business success by providing doula-specific training, resources, business coaching, technical assistance, and evaluation services.
The services doulas provide to birthing mothers are so beneficial that mothers at high risk for adverse birth outcomes who receive care from a doula are two times less likely to experience a birth complication.
Doulas improve health,
but they face serious challenges in their work:
77% of doulas report feeling unwelcome and disrespected when practicing in hospital settings
Among the top reasons for leaving the profession, doulas cite the high level of need and demand among clients and low rates of compensation
In response to doulas facing such obstacles as Medicaid billing problems, burnout and turnover, unwelcoming hospital staff, and lack of full-time opportunities with benefits, Burke funds systems-level projects that examine the feasibility of doulas being employed full-time by a hospital, doula apprenticeships, and business supports for independent doulas.
The project goals are to increase doula compensation, facilitate and improve support for Medicaid reimbursement, and provide a viable career path for doulas by strengthening their business acumen through training, coaching, technical assistance, and evaluation.
