CVS Health Foundation
Expanding equitable access to and utilization of doula services
Today in the U.S., millions of women don’t have access to quality maternity care during and after pregnancy, which can lead to health risks and complications for mom and baby. To address this issue, March of Dimes and the CVS Health Foundation teamed up in 2023 to launch a five-year initiative to elevate the role of doulas in maternity care.
Doulas are trained professionals who enhance the clinical care pregnant patients receive by providing physical, emotional, and informational support to pregnant, birthing, and postpartum families throughout their journey.
Specifically, the CVS Health Foundation awarded $4 million to support March of Dimes’ work over five years to expand doula care regionally, diversify the doula workforce, and provide educational materials to consumers and healthcare providers that highlight the benefits of doula care.
There are numerous documented benefits of doula support on improving maternal health outcomes—including for patients at higher risk of adverse outcomes, Medicaid-covered patients, and Black and brown families.
Through a multi-phase strategic plan, March of Dimes and the CVS Health Foundation aim to increase awareness of and access to doula services while growing and supporting the doula workforce and bolstering the doula profession and infrastructure within the healthcare system.
In June 2023, we produced this video to jumpstart our collaboration with the CVS Health Foundation and help educate families on the support doulas provide.
Together, we’re committed to helping more women have healthy pregnancies and births by increasing access to doula services in the U.S.
Gain equitable access to doula services
This is a multi-year Action Learning Community (ALC) initiative with a first of two planned cohorts of Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) and their collaborating maternity care hospitals.
Sorry, applications for the Equitable Access to Doula Care Project are now closed. Please check back in Spring 2025 for the second Cohort. For more information about doulas, visit marchofdimes.org/doulas.