The Los Angeles County Department of Health (DPH), through funding from the state’s Whole Person Care Initiative, is launching a doula pilot designed to address the disproportionately high rates of Black/African American infant and maternal mortality in LA County.

The project aims to increase access to doulas and other perinatal resources known to improve birthing outcomes by providing no-cost doula services to Black/African women over the course of two years.

An effort of the Departments of Public Health, Health Services and Mental Health AAIMM (African American Infant and Maternal Mortality Initiative), the , the pilot will promote access by subsidizing care for low income Black women, enabling doulas to serve women who cannot pay privately. The pilot also seeks to increase awareness of the value of doula support in positive birth outcomes for both Black women and their babies and increase availability of doula care by training women interested in entering the field.

The project will focus on two LA communities with the  largest numbers of Black/African American infant  deaths  LA County. The project will start in South Los Angeles and South Bay, with an expansion to Antelope and San Gabriel Valleys.

Participating moms will receive prenatal and postpartum visits, continuous labor, birth, and immediate postpartum lactation support at no charge. The program is open to all Black/African American women\birthing persons living or delivering a baby(s) in Service Planning Areas 1, 6, and 8 (Antelope Valley, South Los Angeles, and parts of South LA and Long Beach).

Doulas are currently being recruited and will receive ongoing training and stipends for all eligible activities.

Interested families can contact: [email protected]

Interested doulas can contact: [email protected]

DOULA PROGRAM FLIER

DOULA RECRUITMENT FLIER