Coinciding With Black Maternal Health Week, CHA and FCCF Announce Their Partnership To Improve Health Outcomes for Mothers and Babies
WALLINGFORD — The Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA) and Fairfield County’s Community Foundation (FCCF) are excited to announce their partnership to develop and implement a doula- and provider-facilitated grand rounds educational program. Through a Doula Grand Rounds Project, Connecticut hospitals and FCCF will advance their shared goal of improving maternal health outcomes and achieving health equity by addressing upstream, root-cause drivers of health disparities, such as racism, discrimination, and economic inequality.
For the first phase of this project, CHA will engage perinatal care providers and doulas across the state to co-create a grand rounds curriculum and resource toolkit to be implemented in birthing hospitals in Fairfield County. The grand rounds program will provide guidance on integrating policies and practices that enhance collaboration between clinical staff and doulas as they work together to care for birthing persons. CHA will also evaluate the impact of the project to inform future efforts, including potential statewide deployment.
“Cultivating a culture of inter-professional collaboration and trust among healthcare providers and community-based doulas is key to raising awareness about the valuable skillset of doulas and how their knowledge can contribute to a positive birthing experience,” said Selina Osei, director of health equity and community engagement, CHA. “Connecticut hospitals are committed to ensuring birthing persons are decision makers in their care and feel heard and supported by their care team. Designing the doula grand rounds program marks another step forward in advancing that goal. CHA is grateful to FCCF for making this project possible.”
“A cornerstone of the Black Maternal Health Initiative is to give Black mothers the best opportunity for a joyful birth, and doulas working hand-in-hand with healthcare providers can make that happen,” said Lutonya Russell-Humes, vice president of grants and programs, Fairfield County’s Community Foundation. “It is crucial that patients are not only educated about the role of doulas but have access to their services. This project is part of ongoing efforts to uplift and grow the perinatal workforce, establish a robust network of community-based doulas, and standardize doula-friendly hospital policies.”
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 FCCF’s Fund For Women & Girls’ Black Maternal Health Initiative (BMHI) to develop a hospital-based doula-provider educational program series of grand rounds and identify opportunities for increased doula-provider collaboration. Doula collaboration is a systemic intervention to reduce maternal health inequities and build a community of practice that acknowledges the deep-rooted impact of structural racism in the delivery of care.
CHA joins a cohort of community partners FCCF has convened under the foundation’s BMHI. The initiative’s mission is to improve maternal health outcomes for Black mothers and Black babies, strengthen the local birthing workforce by training and hiring more doulas, and advocate for health system and legislative changes that will produce better maternal health outcomes.
“Doulas can be a critical asset in the infrastructure that supports equitable maternal care delivery. Coordination between hospitals, clinical providers, and doulas has proven to promote positive patient experiences and improve maternal health outcomes,” said Megan Smith, senior director of community health transformation, CHA. “Opportunities for doulas, doctors, nurses, physician assistants, and other medical professionals to foster strong relationships and learn from one another help break down communication silos and barriers to care. Doula-provider collaboration is integrated, patient-centered care in action.”
The announcement of this partnership and the initiation of the Doula Grand Rounds Project coincides with Black Maternal Health Week. Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white women in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Demonstrated through their quality improvement efforts, such as implementing evidenced-based patient safety bundles, Connecticut hospitals and healthcare providers are committed to addressing the disparities that put Black women at higher risk of perinatal complications.
Doulas are trained birthing professionals who provide physical, emotional, and informational support to a pregnant person before, during, and after birth. They also advocate on behalf of their patients by ensuring providers understand patients’ wishes. CHA continues to advocate for and participate in statewide efforts to address the healthcare workforce shortage and Medicaid underpayment for perinatal providers. To enable patient access to sustained support throughout the postpartum period, doulas must receive sufficient reimbursement for their services.
“The Doula Grand Rounds Project exemplifies how hospitals are forming connections with community-based organizations to advance health equity,” said Osei. “The curriculum designed during this first phase of the project can guide future implementation across the state.”
