Training and Strengthening the Medi-Cal Doula Workforce in California

The California Maternal Health Task Force (MHTF), in partnership with MOMS Orange County as a fiscal intermediary, is offering funding through Enhancement Awards for California doula organizations that serve Medi-Cal birthing communities with high-quality, respectful, and trauma-informed care.

Enhancement Awards will support community-based organizations (CBOs), doula hubs, and doula organizations in training, recruiting, and/or supporting doulas, and/or with introducing and connecting doulas to public health programs, healthcare providers, and maternal health CBOs/agencies.

 

Goals of the Enhancement Awards

  • Increase the number of doulas in Medi-Cal birthing communities
  • Expand the doula workforce in California areas with little-to-no doula service, and/or expand the number of doulas supporting families in different languages with high-quality, respectful, and trauma-informed care
  • Support existing organizations that enable Medi-Cal doula care
  • Expand existing doula organizations that unite public health, healthcare, providers, and communities to improve risk assessments and referrals for Medi-Cal members during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum

Training the Medi-Cal Doula Workforce:
Northern California

Training the Medi-Cal Doula Workforce:
Central Valley and Bay Area

Training the Medi-Cal Doula Workforce:
Southern California

Training the Medi-Cal Doula Workforce:
Across California

 

Award Amounts

The California MHTF's fiscal intermediary, MOMS Orange County, distributed 11 awards totaling $371,495 and designated $10,505 for technical assistance to support the awarded organizations, for a total of $382,000 in funding.

  • The technical assistance will enable activities such as HRSA reporting or developing grant submissions for future funding to sustain current efforts.
  • Each applicant organization requested a one-time grant of between $25,000 - $35,000, with the exact amount at the organization's discretion based on their specific needs.

 

Selection Criteria

During the selection process, the California MHTF prioritized applicant organizations that demonstrated:

  • Success in training new doulas and/or enrolling existing doulas in Medi-Cal;
  • Recruitment, training, convening, and/or providing ongoing support of multiple doulas;
  • Conducted or co-facilitated trainings to improve doula capacity to enroll in Medi-Cal, contract with Medi-Cal managed care plans, and bill Medi-Cal for doula services;
  • Active engagement with community and an understanding of public health programs and community services; and
  • Experience with navigating and billing Medi-Cal for doula services.

It was not necessary for an applicant organization to be engaged in all of these activities. However, strong applications demonstrated high engagement with one or more activities.

 

Funding Acknowledgement

The California Maternal Health Innovation Program and California Maternal Health Task Force are a partnership of California Department of Public Health—Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Division, Office of the California Surgeon General, California Department of Health Care Services, and California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative, and are supported by the U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration through a five-year, $10 million State MHI award.