WEEKLY UPDATE: 05/08/25
On Tuesday, May 6, Fairfield County’s Community Foundation (FCCF) hosted its annual gathering of stakeholders to celebrate the continuous work of the foundation’s Fund for Women & Girls (FWG) and honor the philanthropists and advocates who make that work possible.
The event convened a cohort of partners united under the shared goals of the newly formed Black Maternal Health Initiative (BMHI), including the Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA), Health Equity Solutions, and Ministerial Health Fellowship. A cornerstone of the initiative is bolstering the doula workforce and expanding patients’ access to doula services in Fairfield County and beyond.
Selina Osei, CHA’s director of health equity and community engagement, explained that CHA is engaging hospitals and doula organizations across the state to co-create a grand rounds curriculum and resource toolkit to be implemented in birthing hospitals in Fairfield County. The Doula Grand Rounds Project focuses on educating hospital-based perinatal care providers about the role and value of community-based doulas and building a shared understanding that doulas are part of the birth care team.
“How people experience care in a hospital setting is shaped not only by clinical practice but also by culture. Understanding the access points to care, the barriers individuals face, and the fact that where you live influences your health outcomes are critical to delivering equitable care,” Osei said in her remarks. “Our hope is that this helps lay the groundwork for more doula-friendly policies in hospitals across the state.”
In 2023, Connecticut hospitals and health systems adopted a Statewide Strategy To Improve Maternal Health. To drive progress, CHA sought and was awarded a grant from FWG to identify opportunities for increased doula-provider collaboration and create a program to facilitate perinatal care coordination.
Launched in the fall of 2022, BMHI is a program that aims to reduce racial disparities in maternal health outcomes while expanding career opportunities for Black women. The initiative takes a multidisciplinary approach, bringing together health practitioners, policy experts, community leaders, Black mothers, doulas, and academicians from nearly a dozen different Fairfield County organizations to explore holistic ways to address maternal health disparities.
Click here for more information on CHA’s Doula Grand Rounds Project.
