From TMJ4 Milwaukee:
WeRise Community Doula Program sees positive outcomes in pilot year of program
MILWAUKEE — After the first year of the WeRise Community Doula Initiative, the African American Breastfeeding Network (AABN) reports positive birth outcomes for moms and babies.
Doulas are non-medical healthcare professional that provide support during prenatal visits, birth, and postpartum. WeRise provides doula’s to clients free of charge.
In the pilot year, the state-funded program served 90 birthing people in Southeastern Wisconsin by 25 Black doulas. Of those 90 births, 95% of babies were born at full-term and only five babies were admitted to the NICU.
Because of those outcomes, the WeRise program is moving into a new phase, focused on increasing referrals and recruiting even more doulas to help address maternal and child health disparities in Milwaukee.