IRFP No. 902656 Doula Support Services for the Beloved Birth Black Centering Group Prenatal Care Program

Description

Doulas and birth workers play a vital role in providing social and emotional support as well as advocacy, which is often necessary for desired, safe, and healthy perinatal experiences for Black pregnant people. In 2023, there were 1,551 live births reported among Black-identifying birthing individuals in Alameda County. Unfortunately, this group also experienced the highest rates of infant mortality. The support of doulas is a crucial intervention that can help reduce the likelihood of both parental and infant mortality, especially for Black families. Doulas offer holistic care, education, and tools for self-advocacy and perinatal knowledge that Black parents rarely receive from clinical providers during their perinatal journey. Alameda County intends to expand access to this care which can often be cost-prohibitive because doulas themselves require livable wages and means for care by connecting experienced community doulas with clients in the target populations and providing funding for the full spectrum of perinatal experiences.In addition to this initiative’s primary funding source, the Perinatal Equity Initiative (PEI), this effort to increase access to quality and culturally reflective doula care is a component of the ACPHD’s Rising Perinatal and Reproductive Equity work. The following themes are central to this work:Reproductive Equity: ACPHD upholds a standard of care that prioritizes equitable access and quality of services for clients across a variety of reproductive and perinatal experiences. ACPHD centers the voices and experiences of those who tend to face the most systemic marginalization and risk for harm due to racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and other forms of systemic violence. This includes programming that addresses disparities caused by these systems by prioritizing services for those most impacted and ensuring that these services are both healing and culturally reflective—this informs the current