Additionally, Governor Hochul encourages eligible New Yorkers to enroll in Medicaid, which will cover doula services starting on January 1, 2024. Typically, the doula-client relationship begins a few months into a pregnancy (with the doula supporting the creation of the birth plan) and spans the pregnancy and post-partum period.
In April 2018, DOH announced the New York State Doula Pilot Program, which provided Medicaid coverage for doula services to pregnant and postpartum people in Erie County, extending these services to many low-income residents for the first time. In this year’s State Budget, Medicaid coverage for doula services was extended statewide, effective January 1, 2024.
Despite national data, New York State has made great strides in decreasing the rate of infant deaths and is currently ranked 4th in the nation for lowest infant mortality rates. However, racial and geographic disparities reflect national trends – with Black infants almost three times as likely to die as White infants. The statewide maternal mortality rate peaked at 24.1 per 100,000 live births from 2008-2010, and in response, DOH created the Maternal Mortality Review Initiative (MMRI) to systematically review all New York State maternal deaths and develop strategies and interventions to decrease the risk of these deaths. As a result of these measures, New York State improved significantly in national rankings.
The FY23 State Budget allocated $4.5 million in annual funding to support the state’s Regional Perinatal Centers (RPCs), which are hospitals that provide the highest level of perinatal and infant care and serve as coordinating entities over their networks of affiliated birthing centers. RPCs provide oversight of their networks to identify areas for improvement, like additional provider training or enhanced protocols. Funding supports RPCs across the state as they convene key stakeholders to foster collaboration and referral and discuss regionally relevant topics of interest.
Today’s legislation, sponsored by Senator Brouk and Assemblymember Solages, will go further to keep pregnant people safe by creating a publicly accessible ‘Doula Database’ which would support the growing number of New York State doulas working with pregnant people and their families. According to the American Pregnancy Association, “studies have shown that having a doula as a member of the birth team decreases the overall cesarean rate by 50 percent, and the length of labor by 25 percent.”