Health
Cook County Health Announces Program That Connects Pregnant Patients With Free Doula Services
Shalonda Carter, center, a reproductive life planning coach at Cook County Health, speaks during a news conference on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (Courtesy of Cook County Government Livestream)
A newly announced program at Cook County Health will connect pregnant patients with doulas in an effort to address high rates of maternal mortality and birth complications that disproportionately affect Black women.
“For the women who are able to and who choose to bring a child into this world, many are justifiably scared,” Cook County Commissioner Bridget Degnen said during a Tuesday news conference. “Distrust in institutions and care systems is real and something that we must admit and address head on.”
Cook County Health is partnering with Prism Health Care, which has been selected to implement and run the doula program. The county health system will hire 10 doulas and provide the doula services to patients for free.
Patients who are interested in working with a doula will go through a referral process to partner with one, according to Vivian Moreno, maternal child health program manager at Cook County Health who will be overseeing the doula program.
There are currently about 1,000 pregnant people in the Cook County Health system.
“We’re gonna meet the demand as best as we can with the 10 doulas that we have at the beginning of this initiative,” Moreno said. “We’re looking and hoping that it’s a success and we expand.”
Doulas are professionals trained in childbirth who provide emotional, physical and educational support to a patient who is expecting, is experiencing labor or has recently given birth, according to the American Pregnancy Association.
Doula support can include attending prenatal and high-risk appointments, helping patients navigate barriers to care, offering guidance during times of grief and more, according to Shalonda Carter, a reproductive life planning coach at Cook County Health who has a background as a doula.
“When doulas serve a family, we embody the attributes of being diverse, optimistic, unwavering, loyal and an advocate,” Carter said. “Our role is to help women find their voices and use their voices. We do not speak for them. Instead, we support them in their self-advocacy.”
Cook County’s budget allocates $1 million to support the doula program.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, Cook County Health CEO Dr. Erik Mikaitis and County Commissioner Donna Miller, who led efforts to secure funding for the doula program, were also in attendance during Tuesday’s news conference.
The continuous support that doulas can offer to patients at Cook County Health can help reduce health outcome disparities and help save the lives of pregnant patients who might not otherwise have access to quality health care and or who are subject to discrimination and implicit bias, according to officials.
Administrators are also requesting bilingual doulas as part of the program, according to Christina Urbina, director of women and children services at Cook County Health.
A recent study from Northwestern Medicine found an uptick in maternal health issues and birth complications closely linked to chronic health conditions in Illinois with Black women facing more than double the rate of severe complications than White women.
Increasing access to doula support and patient navigator programs, as well as policies that aim to reduce poverty, can help address maternal health issues, according to the study’s authors.
“Cook County Health is enhancing our current model of prenatal care by integrating doula care that respectfully and culturally informs birthing people while preserving their dignity and privacy,” Moreno said.
Contact Eunice Alpasan: @eunicealpasan | 773-509-5362 | [email protected]
