Grounded in Community: Development of a Birth Justice-Focused Volunteer Birth Companion Program

Area of Science:

• Perinatal Care
• Public Health
• Health Equity

Background:

• Continuous labor support, especially from trained doulas, improves birth outcomes.
• Access to doula services is limited for underserved populations, exacerbating health disparities.
• Volunteer birth companion programs offer a community-based model to increase access to labor support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a birth justice-focused volunteer birth companion program.
• To highlight a multistakeholder collaboration in developing the program.
• To share lessons learned for implementing similar initiatives.

Main Methods:

• Developed a volunteer birth companion program through collaboration between community birth workers, reproductive justice organizations, and hospital stakeholders.
• Created a reproductive justice-focused curriculum including diversity, inclusion, and trauma-informed care.
• Focused on community needs and sustainability in program design.

Main Results:

• The program successfully integrated community support into hospital settings.
• The collaborative approach ensured the program was grounded in community needs and values.
• Key takeaways emphasize centering client needs, sustainability, flexibility, and addressing limitations of a volunteer model.

Conclusions:

• Volunteer birth companion programs can enhance continuous labor support access.
• Addressing structural racism and health disparities requires innovative, community-centered approaches.
• Universal insurance coverage for doula services is crucial for equitable access and workforce diversification.