With support from Henrico County, RHPHF is building the next cohort of community-based organizations and Doula agencies to support moms, babies, and young families in the county.
Pregnancy, birth, and postpartum outcomes are a priority in public health. Every family deserves support during pregnancy, a safe and affirming, and a successful start in welcoming and raising a new member of the community. RHPHF will fund programs in Henrico County to ensure more families’ realize positive birth outcomes and set a foundation for a thriving future.
To apply, community-based organizations are encouraged to get all the details (below!) and complete an application.
Improve infant mortality rates among Black birthing individuals living in Henrico County
Increase the availability of Community-based doulas in Henrico County by:
Supporting Doula education and training. Especially to diverse community members.
Increase the number of VCB certified doulas
Increase the number of Medicaid certified doulas
Identify gaps in care, services and education for pregnant individuals and gaps in Medicaid provider Doula capacity.
Support other innovative maternal and child health interventions for Henrico families.
Over the past 3 Years, The County of Henrico and the Richmond Henrico Health District have worked together and partnered with community-based organizations to support healthy pregnancy, birth and post partum outcomes for Henrico residents.
Originally, funded to support Black birthing individuals during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Henrico Doula Program continues to be an important element of promoting the use of community-based doulas as a comprehensive intervention to improve maternal child health outcomes. Our Black birthing population continues to experience adverse maternal, child health outcomes. They have an increased risk of severe illness during pregnancy and preterm birth. The Henrico Doula Program seeks to continue its support of community-based Doulas as an important intervention to promote healthy pregnancies and birth outcomes for Black birthing individuals in Henrico County.
Doulas are trained, community-based, non-medical professionals who provide continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to a pregnant induvial. They support during pregnancy, labor, delivery, and the post partum period. Community-based doulas can provide services up to one year after pregnancy. Doulas serve and represent culturally diverse communities and are an important bridge between birthing individuals and quality maternal, child healthcare. It is important to continue to expand the opportunities for Doula training to other populations that have a need for support during the birthing process. In particular, there is a need for more Doulas that represent diverse cultures such as our Latino and our Newcomer families.
The state of Virginia acknowledges the importance of Community-based Doulas in improving the birth outcomes of pregnant individuals and babies. The Virginia Department of Health (VDH), the Virginia Certification Board (VCB) and the Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) have developed a pathway for Community Based Doulas to become State-Certified which now allows Doulas to become Medicaid Providers and receive reimbursement for their services.
RHPHF is looking for organizations to provide services that can be demonstrated as effective interventions to promote healthy pregnancy and birth outcomes. Funded services may include and should reflect the following scopes of work:
Collect, maintain and report certain information on direct service clients including:
Demographic information (race, ethnicity, zip code, age, education level),
Insurance status,
Income level.
Provide each client with a trained, culturally appropriate Community Doula
Provide clients with childbirth education and support services to include:
Emotional and physical support during prenatal visits (up to 4 visits),
Support during labor and delivery,
Postpartum visits (up to 4 visits).
Administer Community Doula training that is approved under the Virginia Certification Board to prepare students to become Virginia State Certified doulas.
Willingness to accommodate and provide training to diverse communities such as Black, Latino and Newcomer populations.
Provide students with a Certificate of Completion and other appropriate curriculum documentation.
Organizations can apply for other creative and innovative aspects of their programming that support the goals of the Henrico Doula and MCH Program. Examples include but are not limited to:
To apply for this opportunity, organizations should either be:
Organizations that wish to apply for this funding opportunity should be prepared to collect, track and report the following information within 48 hours of enrolling and/or providing services directly to clients:
Additionally, organizations will collect, maintain and provide information for each visit documentation to include:
Organizations working with pregnant families supporting labor and delivery will document and report information to include:
Reporting will need to be completed in appropriate intervals as invoicing is submitted.