EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

National conversations around expanding access to doula care, which include but are not limited to the creation of Medicaid reimbursement for doula care, spurred our program to begin researching the issue in 2016. Since then, we have found that Expanding Access to Doula Care can be done in diverse and powerful ways.

In the process of our research, we have come to understand that every road in this conversation should lead to community-based, healing/trauma-informed and survivor-centered doula care. While we recognize lessons learned from states that have pursued the pathway of Medicaid reimbursement, we feel it is most important to continually advocate for equitable compensation and culturally responsive models of doula care, for any community, organization or state who seeks to improve birth equity by expanding access to doula care.