No. HB 515
Filed under Healthcare.
Doula Support for Healthy Births Pilot Program; Establishes pilot program in Broward, Miami-Dade, & Palm Beach Counties for specified purpose; requires DOH, in collaboration with its maternal & child health section, to implement & oversee pilot program; requires pilot program to target specified populations for enrollment; specifies services that must be provided under pilot program; requires department to collaborate with specified entities to integrate doula services into existing maternal health programs & facilitate outreach & service delivery; authorizes department to integrate doula services into existing maternal & child health programs as expansion of pilot program, subject to certain requirements; creates Doula Certification Task Force within department for specified purpose; requires department to oversee & provide administrative support to task force; requires task force to submit final report of its findings & recommendations to Governor & Legislature by specified date.
Plain English Summary
AI-GENERATEDEstablishes the Doula Support for Healthy Births pilot program in Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach Counties, run by the Department of Health to connect pregnant and postpartum women overcoming substance use disorders with doula support.
The pilot must offer prenatal education, labor support, postpartum help with newborn care, and advocacy inside medical settings, plus ongoing emotional support through pregnancy and after birth.
A new nine-member Doula Certification Task Force, appointed by the Governor and legislative leaders, will study doula practice nationwide and recommend minimum certification standards by January 2028, then dissolve in 2029.
The program runs on existing Closing the Gap grant funds and lasts 12 to 24 months depending on funding, with no guarantee it continues or expands statewide.
AICreates a Department of Health pilot program in Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach Counties that enrolls pregnant and postpartum women who have overcome or are overcoming substance use disorders, aiming to cut preterm births and cesareans.
AIBeyond the three-county pilot, the department may fold doula services into other existing maternal and child health programs statewide, so long as it reports annually on effectiveness, equity, and quality.
AIA nine-member Doula Certification Task Force within the department must study doula scope of practice and recommend minimum certification standards, covering training, supervised hours, background checks, and ethics education.
AIThe pilot must provide prenatal education, labor support, postpartum help with newborn care and household tasks, advocacy in medical settings, and ongoing emotional support across pregnancy and after birth.
AIDoulas the department brings into existing maternal health programs must show specific competencies, including hands-on labor techniques, birth-plan advocacy, and understanding of the reproductive and postpartum process.
AIThe Governor, Senate President, and House Speaker each appoint three task force members; at least two must be health care practitioners and at least one must be a doula or have similar nonmedical support experience.
AIThe pilot draws on appropriations already made for the Closing the Gap grant program rather than new dedicated funding, and can run 12 to 24 months only if that funding is available.