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Strengthen the Evidence for Maternal and Child Health Programs

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Items in this list may be obtained from the sources cited. Contact information reflects the most current data about the source that has been provided to the MCH Digital Library.


Displaying records 1 through 10 (10 total).

Patterson S, Williams T, Snyder A . [2023]. Leveraging Medicaid policy to advance doula care . Chapel Hill: Maternal Health Learning and Innovation Center, 6 pp.

Annotation: This issue brief describes the role of the doula; explains how doula support can reduce maternal health disparities and improve birthing outcomes; and provides examples of state Medicaid programs that cover doula care. The brief also addresses policy considerations; funding challenges, barriers to doula coverage, and considerations for states seeking to expand doula care.

Contact: Maternal Health Learning and Innovation Center , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC Web Site: https://maternalhealthlearning.org/

Keywords: Access to care, Doulas, Financing, Health care disparities, Labor companions, Maternal health, Medicaid, Policy, State initiatives

Pedersen S, Downing L, and Younger K . 2023. Advancing perinatal health equity through Medicaid coverage of Doulas. Arlington, VA: American Institutes for Research, 12 pp.

Annotation: This brief reviews findings from the literature on the successes and challenges of Medicaid doula coverage implementation; synthesizes insights on Medicaid doula coverage considerations from interviews with doula certification and advocacy organizations; and identifies strategies and recommendations to improve the implementation of doula coverage.

Contact: American Institutes for Research, 1000 Thomas Jefferson Street, N.W., Suite 400, Washington, DC 20007, Telephone: (202) 944-5400 Secondary Telephone: (877) 334-3499 Fax: (202) 403-5454 E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: http://www.air.org

Keywords: Access to care , Doulas, Financing, Labor companions, Medicaid

Wheeler Y, Eldridge G, Moore JE. 2023. Maternal health equity in Medicaid: Doulas and perinatal community health workers. Washington, DC: Institute for Medicaid Innovation,

Annotation: This issue brief explains how Medicaid coverage for doula and perinatal community health worker services can help address maternal health inequities. It identifies four key policy areas affecting access to these services: workforce issues including certification requirements, payment challenges such as inadequate reimbursement rates, data collection needs, and delivery system reforms through managed care models. The document outlines state examples and policy opportunities to improve Medicaid coverage, with recommendations focused on standardizing training requirements, increasing reimbursement, enhancing data infrastructure, and exploring innovative payment models. The brief serves as background for developing a 5-year national strategic plan to expand access to evidence-based maternal health services through Medicaid.

Contact: Institute for Medicaid Innovation, 1150 18th Street, N.W., Suite 1010, Washington, DC 20036, E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: http://www.medicaidinnovation.org

Keywords: Community health workers, Doulas, Health inequity, Maternal health, Medicaid, Policy

Institute for Medicaid Innovation; Every Mother Counts. 2023. Key learnings from the doula and perinatal community health worker in Medicaid learning series. Washington, DC: Institute for Medicaid Innovation, 24 pp.

Annotation: This report synthesizes key learnings from an 8-session virtual learning series held between December 2022 and July 2023 focused on implementing Medicaid coverage for doula and perinatal community health worker services. It presents findings in four main areas: partnerships between payers and providers, administrative supports, training and certification requirements, and workforce development. The document outlines specific recommendations for state Medicaid agencies and managed care organizations to create sustainable benefits that center community-based perinatal support providers' needs and advance birth equity. The report includes detailed speaker quotes, examples from multiple states' implementation efforts, and links to full session materials and recordings from the learning series.

Contact: Institute for Medicaid Innovation, 1150 18th Street, N.W., Suite 1010, Washington, DC 20036, E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: http://www.medicaidinnovation.org

Keywords: Community health workers, Doulas, Medicaid, Perinatal services, Professional education, State agencies

Smith H, Peterson N, Lagrew D, Main E. 2022. Toolkit to support vaginal birth and reduce primary cesareans: A quality improvement toolkit, addended, part V. Stanford, CA: California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative, 191

Annotation: This toolkit to support vaginal birth and reduce primary cesarean sections includes evidence-based tools and resources to support pregnant patients who transfer to the hospital from a community birth center and to effectively integrate midwifery care and doula support into the hospital setting. The toolkit serves as a “how to” guide to help educate and motivate maternity clinicians to apply best practices to support vaginal birth. Included are strategies to (1) improve the culture of care, awareness, and education for cesarean reduction; (2) support intended Vaginal Birth; (3) manage labor abnormalities and safely reduce cesarean births; and (4) use data to drive reduction in cesareans. Twenty appendices include checklists, guidelines, partograms, performance measures, and assessment tools for healthcare providers.

Contact: California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative, Stanford University Medical School Office Building, 1265 Welch Road, MS 5415, Stanford, CA 94305, Telephone: (650) 725-6108 Fax: (650) 721-5751 E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: http://www.cmqcc.org Available from the website.

Keywords: Birthing Centers, California , Cesarean section, Childbirth, Doulas, Hospitals Quality assurance, Labor, Midwives, Model programs, Pregnant women, Prevention, Vaginal birth

Global Health Workgroup . 2022. Amplifying birthworker models of care: June 2022 global health webinar. Washington, DC: Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs ,

Annotation: This recorded webinar provides background information on the global maternal mortlaity crisis and highlights opportunities for birth workers to intervene and alleviate the crisis. Guest presenters from international maternal and child health organizations give an overview of their practice to support pregnant and birthing people, and prevent maternal deaths. Special guests: Andrew Herrera, MPH, MBA, Executive Director of Curamericas; Mario Rodriguez Valdez Ramirez, Executive Director of Casa Maternas, Guatemala; Juany Valdez, Head Nurse of Casa Maternas, Guatemala; Nick Pearson, Founder and Co-Executive Director of Jacranda Health; Chanel Porchia-Albert, Founder of Ancient Song Doula Services.

Contact: Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs, 1825 K Street, N.W., Suite 250, Washington, DC 20006-1202, Telephone: (202) 775-0436 Fax: (202) 478-5120 E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: http://www.amchp.org Available from the website.

Keywords: Childbirth, Community health workers, Doulas, International health, Maternal mortality, Midwifery, Pregnancy, Prevention, Social support

Bakst C, Moore JE, George KE, Shea K. 2020 . Community-based maternal support services: The role of doulas and community health workers in Medicaid. Washington, DC: Institute for Medicaid Innovation , 23 pp.

Annotation: This report explores how community-based maternal support services provided by community-based doulas and maternity community health workers can improve maternal health outcomes. It also highlights the results of a national environmental scan of organizations that are actively working toward eliminating maternal health disparities and building community connections through the community-based maternal support model. Common barriers to implementing this model are identified, and opportunities for Medicaid stakeholders to provide support and increased access to these services are highlighted.

Contact: Institute for Medicaid Innovation, 1150 18th Street, N.W., Suite 1010, Washington, DC 20036, E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: http://www.medicaidinnovation.org

Keywords: Barriers, Childbirth, Community based services, Community health workers, Doulas , Maternal health, Medicaid, Model programs, Public health, Risk factors, Social support, initiatives

Karp C, Lai Y-H, Garcia S, Grason H, Strobino D, Minkovitz C. 2017. Strengthen the evidence base for maternal and child health programs: NPM 2–Low-risk cesarean deliveries [NPM 2 brief]. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Women's and Children's Health Policy Center, 3 pp.

Annotation: This brief and evidence review summarize the literature on evidence-based and evidence-informed strategies to promote the safety and effectiveness of receiving oral health care during pregnancy. They provide background information on oral health during pregnancy, discuss key research methods and results, and present key findings and implications. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

Contact: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Women's and Children's Health Policy Center, 615 North Wolfe Street, Room E4143, Baltimore, MD 21205, Telephone: (410) 502-5450 Fax: (410) 502-5831 Web Site: http://www.jhsph.edu/wchpc Available from the website.

Keywords: Block grants, Cesarean section, Childbirth, Childbirth education, Doulas, Evidence-based practice, Intervention, Literature reviews, Measures, Model programs, Patient care, Policy development, Program planning, Resources for professionals, State MCH programs, Therapeutics, Title V programs

Karp C, Lai YH, Minkovitz C, Grason H, Garcia S, Payne E, Strobino D. 2017. Strengthen the evidence for maternal and child health programs: National performance measure 2 low-risk cesarean deliveries evidence review. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Women's and Children's Health Policy Center, 42 pp. (brief 3 pp.).

Annotation: This document identifies evidence-informed strategies that state Title V programs might consider implementing to decrease the proportion of cesarean deliveries among low-risk first-time mothers. Contents include an introduction and background; review methods and results, including search results, characteristics of studies reviewed, intervention components, summary of study results, and evidence rating and evidence continuum; and implications of the review. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

Contact: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Women's and Children's Health Policy Center, 615 North Wolfe Street, Room E4143, Baltimore, MD 21205, Telephone: (410) 502-5450 Fax: (410) 502-5831 Web Site: http://www.jhsph.edu/wchpc Available from the website.

Keywords: , Block grants, Cesarean section, Childbirth, Childbirth education, Doulas, Evidence-based practice, Intervention, Literature reviews, Measures, Model programs, Patient care, Policy development, Program planning, Resources for professionals, State MCH programs, Therapeutics, Title V programs

Center for Community Health Alignment . Expanding access to community health workers (EACH) in the perinatal period: A guide for replicating successful models of perinatal community health workers. Columbia, SC: Center for Community Health Alignment , 38 pp.

Annotation: This guide provides instructions for replicating successful perinatal community health worker (PCHW) programs in South Carolina. It details three established models: BirthMatters' doula program in Spartanburg, SC Office of Rural Health's Family Solutions program serving rural counties, and PASOs' Latino community outreach program. The document outlines best practices, evaluation metrics, and implementation requirements for these evidence-based programs, including workforce development, funding needs, data collection systems, and community engagement strategies. This resource is designed to help organizations expand effective PCHW services to improve maternal and infant health outcomes, particularly in underserved communities.

Contact: Center for Community Health Alignment , Arnold School of Public Health , 120 Research Drive, Columbia, SC 29203, Web Site: https://communityhealthalignment.org/

Keywords: Community health workers, Community programs, Doulas, Models, Outreach, Perinatal services, South Carolina, State initiatives

   

The MCH Digital Library is one of six special collections at Geogetown University, the nation's oldest Jesuit institution of higher education. It is supported in part by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under award number U02MC31613, MCH Advanced Education Policy with an award of $700,000/year. The library is also supported through foundation and univerity funding. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.