2021 News
-
McKee signs doula bill to improve maternal health for women of color
by Courtney Carter, WPRI Aug 11, 2021
Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee held a ceremonial bill-signing on Wednesday for a new law that makes doula services eligible for reimbursement through private insurance plans.
“I am proud to sign legislation that will improve labor and delivery outcomes, particularly for women of color in Rhode Island,” McKee said. “Doula services have time and again demonstrated their ability to save lives and provide the level of care mothers and their babies need.”
“It probably should have been passed a long time ago,” he continued. “Women of color have been disadvantaged in this place and the data shows it, so I never shy away from facts. And what we are going to see now is progress in terms of the health of our families.”
-
For advocates, RI doula bill is about saving lives
by Linda Borg Providence Journal, August 11 2021
PROVIDENCE — For state Rep. Marcia Ranglin-Vassell, the doula bill is personal.
Ranglin-Vassell, who championed the bill’s passage for three years, almost died shortly after the birth of her twin boys. Although the delivery went smoothly, she developed a crippling headache later.
After a couple of days, she told her sister, “Take me to Women & Infants today because if you don’t, you won’t have me tomorrow.”
Ranglin-Vassell was suffering from a brain aneurysm. She spent at least five days in the hospital recovering.
That spurred her to spend the next two decades researching Black maternal health.
-
Coalition pushes for Medicaid, private insurance reimbursements for doula services
By Antonia Ayers Brown, The Publics Radio, March 25, 2021
Doulas are trained professionals who offer care and emotional support to families before, during, and after childbirth. Pregnant people who use doulas have been shown to have better birth outcomes, including lower rates of cesarean delivery and preterm births.
“There’s this saying which is not mine, although I use it all the time, which is that — If doulas were a medication, as a physician it would be unethical for me to not prescribe it to every single patient I encountered,” said Ashley Lakin, a family medicine doctor in Woonsocket.
Stories from 2020 and earlier:
Doulas Help Rhode Island Moms RIght from the Start.
December 16, 2020
Racial discrimination and implicit bias result in unequal treatment of black women in the medical system. In Rhode Island, black women are 42% more likely to experience a severe complication at delivery than white women and the infant mortality rate for black infants is three times that of white infants. That’s unacceptable. A key strategy to address this issue is making doula services eligible for reimbursement through Medicaid and private insurance and investing in building, supporting, and sustaining Rhode Island’s doula workforce and infrastructure.
Watch this powerful video about how community-based doulas are empowering Rhode Island moms RIght from the Start.
Senate committee hears testimony on doula bill.
February 5, 2020 By Steve Ahlquist
“There is no question that this bill will save lives and be good for women of color in Rhode Island,” said Senator Ana Quezada, “but it also makes strong economic sense. Women who use doulas often require fewer expensive medical interventions during childbirth, which will save them, the hospitals, and the insurance companies money and make the childbirth process much easier for all involved.”
Birth doulas face heightened barriers to supporting families of color during pandemic.
The Publics Radio, December 22, 2020 By Antonia Ayres Brown
Birth and perinatal doulas — trained professionals who support new families during and after pregnancy — play an important role in addressing racial disparities in maternal and infant health. But many doulas say the pandemic is making it harder for families to access their services, at a time when they need them even more.
Senate panel to study bill requiring coverage of doula expenses.
Providence Journal, Feb 4 2020, By Madeline List
The bill would require that private insurance providers as well as Medicaid cover at least $850 in services per pregnancy and make coverage available through one year postpartum. It would also establish a statewide registry of certified doulas.
Making childbirth a healthy passage, not a deadly risk.
Convergence RI, 3/16/20 by Sarah Moore
PROVIDENCE – In 2018, the United States reported that 658 women died during pregnancy, birth, or 42 days after delivery. Our maternal mortality rate puts the U.S. last among similarly wealthy countries and, to make matters worse, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Vital Statistics System, black women are more than two times more likely to die during childbirth than their white counterparts.
Ranglin-Vassell, Quezada to reintroduce bill to require insurance, Medicaid coverage for doula services.
August 24, 2019 By Steve Ahlquist
Representative Marcia Ranglin-Vassell (Democrat, District 5, Providence) and Senator Ana Quezada (Democrat, District 2, Providence) have announced that they will be reintroducing their bill in the next session to make doula services eligible for reimbursement through private insurance and Medicaid programs.