New Grant Will Expand Community Doula Program In Mercer County

MERCER COUNTY, NJ — A federal grant announced Thursday will enable more mothers in Mercer County to get the benefits of working with community doulas, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) said.

The $631,500 grant, championed by Watson Coleman, will help The Children’s Home Society of New Jersey train community doulas for Spanish-speaking mothers and offer doula training and services to additional diverse populations, including Black/African-American women, Muslim/Arabic-speaking women, and Eastern European women.

The grant will support 24 women from Trenton and Mercer County to participate in doula training in Spanish and English. It also will partially support nine doulas and two doula case managers.

Additionally, CHSofNJ will offer training – including on how to bill Medicaid for doula services – to help doulas manage their businesses and make the profession more sustainable.

“New Jersey's infant and maternal mortality rate has long been a disgrace for our state,” the Congresswoman said.

“The mortality rates for Black and Hispanic mothers in New Jersey are especially shameful and are equivalent to that of many Third World countries. Through the efforts of organizations like the Children's Home Society and the increased focus on this issue by advocates including First Lady Tammy Murphy, improvements have been seen in recent years. While New Jersey has a long way to go, I'm proud to have been able to secure funding for the Children's Home Society's Community Doula Program and their efforts to help make New Jersey the best place in the country to birth and raise a child, no matter one’s background.”

Watson Coleman spoke at a gathering held at CHSofNJ headquarters in Trenton. Over 80 maternal healthcare professionals, hospital administrators, funders, new mothers, and elected officials were present.

In 2018, America’s Health Rankings listed New Jersey as the 47th worst state for maternal mortality. This year, the state moved to 29th.

According to the NJ Department of Health data from 2016 – 2018, a Black mother in the state was almost seven times more likely than a white mother to die from maternity-related complications, and a Black baby was nearly three times more likely than a white baby to die before their first birthday.

For Hispanic mothers, the rate was 3.5 compared with white mothers and for Hispanic babies, the rate was nearly 1.5.

The new funding from the US Department of Health and Human Services will help The Children’s Home Society of New Jersey expand a program that has markedly improved outcomes for mothers and infants since its inception in 2019.

These federal funds build on five years of robust grant support from the Burke Foundation, which launched the AMAR doula program.

Burke was joined in funding AMAR by the Princeton Area Community Foundation’s Fund for Women & Girls and the NJ State Center for Hispanic Policy, Research and Development.

“Community doulas play a crucial role in the fight to end New Jersey’s intolerable racial and ethnic disparities in maternal and infant health,” said Atiya Weiss, executive director of the Burke Foundation.

“Today, we celebrate the work of Children’s Home Society to help pregnant women receive high-quality health care they, want, need, and – maybe most important - deserve.”