Doula Services Within a Healthy Start Program: Increasing Access for an Underserved Population
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Doula Services Within a Healthy Start Program: Increasing Access for an Underserved Population Mary‑Powel Thomas1 · Gabriela Ammann1 · Ellen Brazier2 · Philip Noyes1 · Aletha Maybank1 Published online: 2 December 2017 © The Author(s) 2017. This article is an open access publication
Abstract Purpose Women of color in the United States, particularly in high-poverty neighborhoods, experience high rates of poor birth outcomes, including cesarean section, preterm birth, low birthweight, and infant mortality. Doula care has been linked to improvements in many perinatal outcomes, but women of color and low-income women often face barriers in accessing doula support. Description To address this issue, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Healthy Start Brooklyn introduced the By My Side Birth Support Program in 2010. The goal was to complement other maternal home-visiting programs by providing doula support during labor and birth, along with prenatal and postpartum visits. Between 2010 and 2015, 489 infants were born to women enrolled in the program. Assessment Data indicate that By My Side is a promising model of support for Healthy Start projects nationwide. Compared to the project area, program participants had lower rates of preterm birth (6.3 vs. 12.4%, p
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