Instructors Jenna Johnson (bottom left) and Akeisha Cherry (bottom right) with Healthy Start New Orleans employees who completed the Doula training course.
In July 2023, Goodwill Technical College (GTC) partnered with Healthy Start New Orleans (HSNO) to develop and facilitate a doula training program. Healthy Start New Orleans is a community-based program that helps individuals navigate prenatal/postnatal care, enroll in community assistance programs, and receive parental education. The overall goal of HSNO is to improve maternal and child health outcomes in communities with high rates of infant mortality and low birth weight.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Louisiana had the nation’s fourth-highest maternal mortality rate (60.9 deaths per 100,000 births). Increased access to doula care is one tool to help improve birth outcomes. Research studies and data from government programs have shown that receiving continuous support from a trained doula had a positive impact on health outcomes for mothers and infants including shorter labor, reduction in preterm births, and reduced Caesarean sections.
Goodwill Technical College has developed an in-person, instructor led doula training program designed to prepare individuals to become birth doulas who provide non-medical support in pregnancy, birth, and postpartum in the form of emotional, mental, physical, and informational support. Emphasis is placed on addressing racial disparities in maternal and infant health and cultural competency.
Select employees from Healthy Start New Orleans have completed the initial doula training course and now it is being piloted to the public. The pilot doula training course will be offered in-person at Goodwill Technical College March 11 – 22, 2024. The cost for the pilot doula training program is $99. Apply online at www.gwtech.edu.