Webinar: Doula Pilot Project in Los Angeles County

America is in a crisis of maternal and infant mortality among African Americans, and doulas are increasingly seen as part of the solution.

In this webinar, Nakeisha Robinson from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health (MCAH) Division’s Doula Pilot Project provides an overview of the African-American Infant and Maternal Mortality (AAIMM) Prevention Initiative Doula Pilot Project, including:

• infant and maternal mortality rates in Los Angeles County
• preterm births in Los Angeles County
• the support a doula provides and why doulas are important  
• eligibility requirements for the pilot program
• how to refer clients to the program

This webinar was recorded February 4, 2020, for Registered Nurses in the Welcome Baby program, which is part of the First 5 LA-funded Family Strengthening Network in Los Angeles County. 

(See below for related resources.)

Resources:

• A Pathway to Equity: A Framework to Close the Black-White Gap in Infant Mortality (pdf)
• African American Infant and Maternal Mortality (AAIMM) Prevention Initiative Webinar Slides (PowerPoint)
• Black Infants & Families Los Angeles (website)
• “America has an infant mortality crisis. Meet the black doulas trying to change that” (The Guardian, 11/25/19)
• “Eliminating Racial Disparities in Maternal and Infant Mortality” (report by the Center for American Progress, 5/2/19)