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State Policy Lever Checklist: Community-Based Doulas

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Community-based doulas are trained social service professionals who provide non-clinical emotional, physical, and informational support to birthing people, starting during pregnancy and continuing during the postpartum period.

Rigorous research indicates that community-based doula services are an effective strategy to improve healthy birth outcomes such as reduced rates of preterm birth, low birthweight, and NICU admissions; increase attendance at health appointments; foster nurturing and responsive parenting behaviors; and increase breastfeeding initiation.

This checklist covers the following policy levers states may use to increase access to doulas:

  • Partnership with doulas
  • Insurance coverage
  • Expanding access
  • Workforce supports
  • Funding

State Policy Lever Checklist: Community-Based Doulas

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Effective Early Childhood Governance: Lessons Learned from Governance Change

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Governance change does not happen overnight, and states rarely accomplish it alone. Drawing on case studies of five states that consolidated their early childhood systems, a new brief from the Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center identifies seven lessons learned, from sustained advocacy to strong, collaborative leadership, that can help state leaders pursue governance change reflecting their own early childhood goals.
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New Research on Medicaid Work Requirements Highlights the Importance of State Policy Choices

As states implement new federal work requirements under OBBBA, several policy choices can help minimize unnecessary coverage loss.
As states implement new federal work requirements under OBBBA, several policy choices can help minimize unnecessary coverage loss.