Missouri Medicaid UPDATE
The Doula Foundation – Advocating with the state of Missouri to provide Medicaid reimbursement for community-based doulas to improve Maternal Health Outcomes
The Doula Foundation has been serving the Missouri Medicaid population for the past 24 years as certified community-based birth and postpartum doulas based out of Springfield, Missouri and serving a 7-county region in Southwest Missouri. The Doula Foundation was the first nonprofit community-based doula program in the state of Missouri and has been on the forefront of improving maternal health outcomes across Southwest Missouri and providing professional birth and postpartum doula training and credentialing.
In the past several years, The Doula Foundation has been advocating for Missouri Medicaid reimbursement for community-based doula services to support families in need with pregnancy, childbirth and early parenthood education and support.
Missouri’s maternal mortality rate is nearly twice the national average (CDC, 2022). According to the Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review (PAMR) published in 2022 by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Missouri is ranked 44th of 50 states in maternal mortality rates including key findings such as; 1) The ratio of pregnancy-associated deaths for women on Medicaid in Missouri was more than 10 times greater than the ratio for those with private insurance, 2)Eighty percent of pregnancy-related deaths were determined to be preventable, and 3) The situation is even more precarious for Black parents, who die from pregnancy-related complications four times more often than white parents (CDC, 2020).
According to the Journal of Perinatal Education, studies show that mothers living in underserved communities who are paired with a community-based doula have better birth outcomes. Doula-assisted mothers are four times less likely to have a low-birth-weight baby, two times less likely to experience birth complications, and significantly more likely to initiate breastfeeding. Research also indicates doula-assisted mothers have lower healthcare costs, reduced cesarean sections and fewer preterm births.
“Families in southwest Missouri are facing multiple challenges and rural health disparities that contribute to poor maternal health outcomes and extreme trauma. The Doula Foundation has been working with this population and community for over 24 years to provide vital support throughout pregnancy, childbirth, and early parenthood in order to improve maternal health outcomes and help build healthier families and a healthier community,” Kimberly Costello, CEO The Doula Foundation.
Over 8,500 families have been provided free classes, home visitation, case management, pregnancy and childbirth education, prenatal and postpartum yoga, support groups, resource navigation for food, housing, transportation, and over 350,000 essential maternal health consultations. 97% of Doula Foundation clients have experienced full term births, avoiding low birth weight and preterm deliveries, 95% initiated breastfeeding, and 98% have received education, community resource referrals, and appropriate prenatal care which is well above state and national averages, thus improving maternal health outcomes in Missouri.
The Doula Foundation Academy has been credentialed with the state of Missouri to certify and credential birth and postpartum doulas as well as Perinatal Community Health Workers to ensure they meet the core competencies required to be Medicaid eligible. Kimberly Costello, CEO of The Doula Foundation is currently serving on the Missouri Hospital Association Perinatal Quality Collaborative and Post Partum Task Force providing expertise and guidance in the community-based doula sector as policies are being formed for state programs to support maternal health efforts.
For more information regarding these services, contact The Doula Foundation at 417-832-9222 or visit www.DoulaFoundation.org.
