DOULAS WILL soon be able to seek a credential through the state, and health officials are working to ramp up a home visiting program for newborns.
The Department of Public Health is working with MassHealth to implement more than 20 provisions within the 2024 maternal health law designed to bolster access to services and tackle racial disparities in care outcomes.
DPH plans to launch a voluntary certification process this spring for doulas, who are non-medical caregivers that provide emotional and physical support for people giving birth, said Cris Alonso, director of the Division of Pregnancy, Infancy and Early Childhood. Certification will set “minimum standards” surrounding education, training and experience, hewing closely to MassHealth criteria, Alonso said at a Public Health Council meeting.
MassHealth announced coverage for doula services in December 2023 and outlined competencies doulas need to enroll as providers. At DPH, there will be four certification pathways based on experience, training, proof of MassHealth provider status, or proof of certification in New York or Rhode Island, according to Alonso’s presentation.
In its bid to grow the doula workforce and alleviate training costs, DPH has awarded nearly 30 scholarships of up to $750. The department received nearly 290 applicants, representing an “extremely diverse group of people,” Alonso said.
The 2024 law also tasked DPH to establish universal postpartum home visiting services across Massachusetts.
A federally funded program called Welcome Home, which entails a one-time nurse visit within eight weeks of giving birth, is active in seven communities, Alonso said. The nurse checks on the wellbeing of the postpartum parent and baby, and makes referrals to services.
To comply with the scope of the law, DPH is developing qualifications for additional programs to offer home visits and reimbursements for those providers.
“Of course, we need to monitor and assess the effectiveness of the visit and its integration into the larger perinatal health system,” said Alonso, who added DPH plans to promulgate regulations for the expanded program by “late” summer.
DPH has launched two websites for families and providers required by the law, said Elaine Fitzgerald Lewis, director of the Bureau of Family Health & Nutrition. One offers resources on pregnancy loss, while the other is focused on support for people with perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.
DPH will distribute $220,000 to five programs this spring as part of a new grant program to help perinatal individuals dealing with mental health or substance use issues. The department received 35 applications, Lewis said.
Lewis said updated regulations are complete for freestanding birth centers, viewed as an alternative delivery setting for low-risk pregnancies. DPH has also shared guidelines on using donor breast milk. The regulatory process for certified professional midwives and lactation consultants is underway.
Also in the works is the creation of a statewide fetal and infant mortality review committee, which would offer recommendations to boost “family supports” and reduce disparities, Lewis said.
“As a foundational step, we’ve developed a comprehensive data report on fetal deaths in Massachusetts to guide future action, with an anticipated release later this summer,” she said.