Understanding The Community Doula Program: What it means for Moms on Medicaid
The Community Doula Program is a revolutionary initiative made up of doulas who live and work in the very communities they serve. This unique setup gives these doulas an unparalleled advantage: they intimately understand the challenges and needs of their clients because they see them firsthand every day. This deep connection allows community doulas to fill the gaps in care and support that traditional healthcare systems often overlook.
Medicaid Doula Coverage: A Game-Changer for Florida Families
In 2019, Florida took a groundbreaking step by expanding Medicaid coverage to include doula services as an added benefit. **Today, all Medicaid plans in Florida cover doula services** for pregnancy, labor, and postpartum care. However, the amount of support available depends on the specific Medicaid plan:
- **Simply Healthcare and Sunshine Health:** Unlimited doula services are provided at no cost to patients.
- **UnitedHealthcare:** Covers 3 prenatal visits, labor support, and 2 postpartum visits.
- **Humana:** Offers 4 prenatal visits, labor support, and 4 postpartum visits.
This Medicaid-funded support is transformative for low-income families who might otherwise never have access to doula care. Community doulas step into these roles as culturally relatable and compassionate advocates for parents who often feel marginalized or unheard within the healthcare system.
Doula Services: A Critical Need for Black Families
For Black families, doula services aren’t a luxury—they’re a necessity The history of obstetrics in the United States is steeped in the exploitation, experimentation, and dehumanization of Black bodies, and echoes of these practices persist in modern healthcare. Black birthing people have consistently reported feeling dismissed, ignored, and subjected to traumatic or abusive experiences during childbirth.
The statistics are alarming: Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women, and Black infants face significantly higher mortality rates. These outcomes are not due to biological differences but systemic racism and disparities in care.
Doula care offers a powerful solution. **Doulas provide advocacy, emotional support, and practical assistance** that can mean the difference between life and death for Black mothers and their babies. With Medicaid now making doula services accessible, this vital support system is finally within reach for those who need it most.
Community Doulas: Advocates for Dignity and Respect
Community doulas are on the frontlines, ensuring that every birthing person—especially Black birthing people—can experience childbirth with dignity, respect, and autonomy. Whether clients choose a hospital, birth center, or home birth, doulas are there to amplify their voices and advocate for their needs.
Access to doula care through Medicaid helps address the Black maternal and infant mortality crisis by ensuring:
- Culturally competent care:Community doulas often share similar backgrounds and lived experiences with their clients, fostering trust and understanding.
- Advocacy during labor and delivery: Doulas help parents communicate effectively with healthcare providers, ensuring they are heard and respected.
- Postpartum support: By addressing postpartum recovery, newborn care, and even mental health needs, doulas set families up for long-term success.
A Call to Action
The Medicaid-funded Community Doula Program is a gift to underserved communities, but it’s also a necessity. Every birthing person deserves access to the support and advocacy they need to thrive. As we continue the fight against systemic racism in healthcare, we must uplift and expand initiatives like these to ensure no one is left behind.
To Black birthing people: you deserve care that honors your humanity. You deserve to be heard. You deserve to give birth with dignity and respect.Our Community doulas at Soul Sista Birth Services are here to make that a reality, one birth at a time.
-Cherise
