Rosalind Osgood advocates new initiative to improve outcomes for mothers and babies

A new pilot program could soon be launched to integrate additional services into maternal care to foster better outcomes for mothers and babies.

Tamarac Democrat Sen. Rosalind Osgood filed the bill (SB 780) to implement the Doula Support for Healthy Births pilot program and improve maternal and infant health outcomes.

A doula is a non-medical professional trained in childbirth who provides emotional, physical, and educational support to expectant mothers in labor or who have recently given birth.

The bill highlights the importance of doulas and aims to address disparities in health across different racial and socioeconomic groups by establishing a pilot program to integrate doula services into existing maternal health initiatives in Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach Counties.

One of the program’s primary goals would be to improve birth outcomes by decreasing preterm birth rates and cesarean deliveries, enhancing access to care, and supporting maternal well-being using evidence-based methods.

According to the bill, preterm births are defined as live births before 37 weeks gestation. They are associated with increased risks of a child developing morbidities or ailments such as cerebral palsy, breathing difficulties, feeding problems, developmental delay, and vision and hearing problems. The earlier a baby is born, the greater the health risks for the baby.

It further adds that Florida’s preterm birth rates have risen annually since 2014 to 10.9% — higher than the national average of 10.5%. Florida also ranks among the highest in the nation for infant mortality, with a rate of 5.9 deaths per 1,000 births — again higher than the national average of 5.4 deaths per 1,000 births.

The Sunshine State has one of the highest cesarean delivery rates in the nation at 37.4%, compared to the national average of 31.8%. The bill notes babies born via cesarean birth have a higher risk of developing respiratory distress, infection, and long-term health complications. Florida further ranks 17th in the nation for maternal mortality, with a rate of 26.3 deaths per 100,000 births, compared to the national average of 23.2 deaths per 100,000 births.

Broward County has a maternal mortality rate of 24.8 deaths per 100,000 births and an infant mortality rate of 5 deaths per 1,000 live births. Miami-Dade has a maternal mortality rate of 20.3 deaths per 100,000 births and an infant mortality rate of 4.8 deaths per 1,000 live births. Palm Beach County has a maternal mortality rate of 33.2 deaths per 100,000 births, with an infant mortality rate of 5.4 deaths per 1,000 live births.

The bill states that continued perinatal support, including those provided by trained doulas, is associated with reduced rates of cesarean delivery and improved birth outcomes.

The Doula Support for Healthy Births pilot program would integrate doula services into existing services. It would target parents who are uninsured, underinsured, or eligible for Medicaid or the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).

The Department of Health would collaborate with health care providers, community organizations, community coalitions, and advocacy groups to integrate doula services while implementing and overseeing the pilot program. Depending on funding, the program would run for 12 or 24 months.

The department may integrate doula services as an expansion of the pilot program. Any pilot program expansion would require annual reporting for the department to evaluate the effectiveness, equity, and quality of integrating doula services.

The pilot program would use appropriations from the Closing the Gap grant program, and the department would collaborate with its Division of Community Health Promotion and the Office of Minority Health and Health Equity to seek additional funds.

The act would take effect upon becoming a law.

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