CALL TO ACTION! 

SUPPORT COMMUNITY-BASED DOULAS WHO GO #BEYONDBIRTHWORK

 

Community-based doulas go #BeyondBirthWork to provide holistic, culturally-relevant care to women of color and low-income women who would not otherwise be able to afford care. The community-based doula care model helps women navigate systems to connect to the services and supports they need to be healthy. This model also addresses racial discrimination affecting communities of color and helps reduce racial disparities in maternal health and birth outcomes.

 

We are gathering in community to address the recent passing of Assembly Bill A364B and Senate Bill S3344B. While these bills were created with the intention of expanding doula care and access to marginalized communities, the proposed legislation contradicts these efforts.  

 

Join us and support Black women-led community-based organizations like Ancient Song Doula Services as we demand our concerns to be addressed by politicians and the needs of our communities and families be fully met within this legislation!

 

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Our concerns are as follows:

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• We want to make sure that non-certified doulas can still provide services in New York State if this bill becomes law. It seems that the bill draws a distinction between “certified doula services” and regular doula services, which is good. However, there are a couple of places, noted below, where this could be made more clear.

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• The bill states that “only a person certified under this section shall be authorized to use the title ‘certified doula.’” The term “certified doula” has been in place for a long time and is used by many different certifying organizations. We don’t believe New York State can lay claim to it and suggest that they use the term “NYS-certified doula” or “New York State certified doula.”

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• An examination requirement administered by the state is redundant and a potential barrier for community-based doulas. Proof of certification from a credible organization is evidence of a high level of training and preparation for doula work. Instead of an examination requirement, we believe that the focus should be on requiring skills-building for community-based doula work, including in birth/health equity, racism/implicit bias, case management.

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• The bill states that a requirement for state certification includes being of “good moral character as determined by the department.” We would like to know how “good moral character” will be determined? Is this standard for Medicaid providers? The unknown parameters of this assessment can create a barrier to community-based doula care and support.

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• New York State will require a fee of $40 to the department for application consideration and certification, which can provide a barrier for community-based doulas. We also need clarity on which doulas would be exempt from taking this examination.

 

Sign the campaign to become involved now!

 

Ancient Song Doula Services is a community-based doula organization working to reduce racial disparities and inequities within reproductive healthcare. We have provided approximately over 1200+ of New York City’s parents with personalized, comprehensive, and culturally-relevant care; trained and certified thousands of doulas nationally; demanded justice for Black women and families, and spearheaded the fight against racial disparities in maternal mortality and morbidity since its founding in 2008. Ancient Song is a vital community entity and a leading voice for underserved Black women, pregnant people, women of color, and marginalized communities in New York City. We do this by providing full-spectrum doula services, training & certification, conferences, and educational forums to address maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity, implicit bias, and racism within healthcare systems.

 

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Join us as we go #BeyondBirthWork and take action to achieve Justice for doulas and our communities!

 

1. Sign Ancient Song's advocacy campaign for full recognition of our concerns regarding community-based doula certifications and communities of color under this legislation.

2. Contact your local State Senator and Assembly-person to inform them of these concerns and remind them of the importance of community-based and culturally-relevant organizations leading the fight against Black maternal mortality and morbidity.

3. Donate to Ancient Song Doula Services so that we may continue to provide services and resources, train more doulas, and advocate for marginalized communities!