The Burke Foundation team penned a blog post for Health Affairs on the importance of community doula care. As the pandemic highlights the need to address inequities in maternal care, we aim to elevate the voices of community doulas to advance our mission, along with Nurture NJ initiative, to help NJ become the safest & most equitable place to give birth.
Low-income mothers of color are at the highest risk of poor birth outcomes in the United States. New Jersey ranks among the worst US states for maternal mortality (47th out of 50), with a rate of more than 46 deaths per every 100,000 live births, nearly 50 percent greater than the national average.
Community doulas engage pregnant women by providing tailored services based on individual needs. This includes accompanying them to prenatal appointments, labor, delivery, and postpartum visits as doulas actively work to strengthen the relationship between women and their health care providers. Doulas encourage bonding and attachment between mothers and babies, and they help women achieve their breast-feeding goals. They can also support women in navigating the complex ecosystem of health care coverage and support services by helping women to identify and connect with additional community services that will improve their well-being.
By employing culturally and linguistically appropriate interventions, community doulas create immediate and long-term benefits for families and communities alike: making high-quality care more accessible, improving maternal and child health outcomes, and reducing spending on costly medical procedures that place strain both on mothers and on the health care system.
Read the full blog post here: https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hblog20200826.348190/full/