It started five years ago in a public library in Henrico with a handful of non-clinical health workers swapping stories and tips.
Now, years later, that modest meeting of doulas and community health workers has evolved into a statewide event, hosted this week in Portsmouth by the Doula Association of Virginia and the Virginia Community Health Worker Association to share ideas, celebrate their work and strengthen partnerships that improve access to care.
This year’s theme focuses on the close connection between doulas and community health workers, two professions that often serve the same populations but at different points of care.
Shanteny Jackson from the Virginia Community Health Worker Association said both roles are non-clinical but vital to improving health outcomes.
“The doulas begin the work, and the community health workers continue to support that work that is established. So that's the main core idea behind unifying,” Jackson said.
The connection between doulas and community health workers is rooted in trust and continuity, Jackson said.
While community health workers often support families after birth and throughout their health journey, doulas guide expectant parents through pregnancy, labor and postpartum recovery.
Jackson, who serves as a doula herself, said her experiences working with Spanish-speaking clients have shown how human connection — and culturally competent care — can make a difference in saving lives.
“It means that we are able to listen to our clients. We are able to empower them to have choices in the way in which they care and also bring about that connectedness in terms of how the care is provided,” Jackson said.
She recalled one client who struggled to communicate through a virtual interpreter during a prenatal appointment. When Jackson helped arrange a bilingual, in-person interpreter, she said the client’s comfort level and health outcomes improved.
Black women in Virginia are more than twice as likely to die from pregnancy-related causes as White women, and rural areas continue to face maternity care shortages.
Nataki Hill, founder and president of the Doula Association of Virginia, said one of her hopes for the conference is that both groups recognize how much they rely on each other.
“I hope the two professions realize that we work really well together,” Hill said. “We collaborate. We need each other to make our work successful.”
Hill said one of the most common misconceptions is that doulas and midwives perform the same duties.
Midwives handle the clinical portion — taking vitals, assisting with birth and catching the baby, Hill said.
“Doulas focus on emotional and physical support. We’re there to comfort, to advocate, and to help people have the birth experience they want,” Hill said.
That support, she said, often begins early in pregnancy and continues long after delivery — from helping parents navigate appointments to easing fears during labor.
“Many of my clients tell me, ‘I don’t want to die. I don’t want my baby to die,’” Hill said. “So when it comes to labor and delivery, we are their champions. We make them feel at home, and evidence shows that just having a doula present improves outcomes.”
The conference also shines a spotlight on recent policy efforts to expand doula access in hospitals and make workforce development programs more inclusive.
Jackson said recent policy changes and new funding are making doula care more accessible and reducing barriers in hospitals.
“The current administration is working hard to make access to a doula a reality, making accommodations as far as entering the clinical hospital setting, so that we don't have any barriers,” Jackson said.
While progress has been made, she said, more collaboration across healthcare policy and hospital systems is still needed to improve access to care.
