in the u.s.
Black birthing people have a 53% higher risk of dying in a hospital during childbirth, regardless of income level, insurance type, or any social driver of health.
This is driven by structural racism, bias, uneven quality of care, and underlying health conditions.
Black women have expressed a desire for concordant care providers, yet 11% of OB-GYNs and 6.7% of midwives are Black.
~ Center for Disease Control & Prevention 2023
~ Source: Black Women’s Maternal Health
However…
84% of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable.
And when patients share the same race as their provider, mortality rates for Black newborns are reduced by 58%
Doulas are one piece of ensuring culturally-centered care provided by diverse care teams.
~ Source: Black Women’s Maternal Health
Accompany Doula Care exists to close the gap between the birth that someone has and the birth that they deserve.
Who we are
An independent Massachusetts-based 501c3 organization that was founded by and is currently led by birth doulas. We focus on centering the birthing person’s voice in their needs and desires for culturally, linguistically, racially, and ethnically tailored support. We intentionally work within the healthcare system, where most families receive their care, in order to advocate for the needs of families and our community workforce. Our work aims to eliminate health inequities while achieving Berwick’s Triple Aim, which seeks to:
Improve health outcomes of the patient population.
Reduce the per capita cost of health care.
Improve the patient experience and satisfaction.
Accompany Doula Care exists to seamlessly integrate community doula support within healthcare systems and clinical teams, enhancing the birthing experience and health outcomes by centering the client’s voice in their care. Through culturally responsive and racially, culturally, and primary language concordant care, we strive to eradicate maternal and infant health inequities with a diverse doula workforce that speaks 10 languages. We provide direct services, which include in-person and virtual prenatal and postpartum visits with clients and continuous on-call labor and delivery support. These direct services are complemented by additional interactions (phone, video, or text) outside of formal visits, where doulas deepen the relationship through providing education and building confidence and trust with clients throughout their perinatal journey.
Through partnerships with healthcare institutions (clinics, hospitals, payers, care managers, etc.) and their clinical teams, we establish strong communication between Accompany and our partners. In doing so, we collaborate to meet the unmet social, behavioral, and housing needs of birthing families, all while striving for a positive perinatal experience.
In addition to providing these vital services to birthing families, we believe community doulas should be paid an equitable living wage and have wraparound support so they can best deliver their services with ease. We therefore work collaboratively on the state and national levels to ensure the doula role is supported, sustainable, and impactful.
“To address the racism, ableism, and other structural inequities that undermine Black birthing people’s health, delivering respectful, whole-person care should be a North Star, especially during the vulnerable time of pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum.”
(Source: Black Maternal Health)
What is a doula?
Doulas are trained to provide non-clinical emotional, physical, and informational support for people before, during, and after labor and birth, helping achieve the best possible birth experience.
Community-based doula programs include services tailored to the specific needs of the community they serve at no or very low cost.
~ Definition adapted from DONA International & Postpartum Support International and “Advancing Birth Justice: Community-Based Doula Models as a Standard of Care for Ending Racial Disparities” by Ancient Song Doula Services, Village Birth International, and Every Mother Counts
