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NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens and the Arnhold Institute for Global Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai today launched the HoPE Doula Program for pregnant people. The HoPE Program, or Helping Promote Birth Equity through Community-Based Doula Care, provides community-based doula support, free-of-charge, to any pregnant person seeking care at either Elmhurst or Queens Hospitals. Doula care has been associated with better birth outcomes for parents and babies. Patients at the two hospitals will be matched with a doula for the duration of their pregnancy and post-partum care. The program is an integral part of the public health care system’s response to addressing the disparities in maternal mortality among people of color. The HoPE Doula Program is a collaborative effort led by NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst and Queens, the Arnhold Institute for Global Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Ancient Song Doula Services, Caribbean Women’s Health Association, and the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The work is being funded in part through a $455,000 grant from Robin Hood, New York City’s largest poverty-fighting philanthropy.
“As New York City finally fights to end the disparate rates of maternal mortality among women of color, we know that doulas can play a key role between birthing people, doctors, and nurses,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “Through their training, doulas listen, educate, and guide their clients through the entire amazing experience of childbirth. Doulas do make a difference and can help save lives!”
“I’m so pleased that the HoPE Doula Program will allow both Elmhurst and Queens Hospitals to lead the way in introducing the concept of doulas to the birthing process in our public hospitals,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst CEO Helen Arteaga Landaverde, MPH. “The fact is, there are stark racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare outcomes for pregnant women and their infants in the United States, and these differences are even more pronounced in New York City. Doula care, or trained lay support during childbirth, is an evidence-based strategy designed to improve birth outcomes and result in an overall positive childbirth experience.”
“I am excited to be involved in launching the HoPE Doula Program at both Elmhurst and Queens Hospitals, as it will enable us to transform the birthing experience to one that is more personalized, respectful, and memorable for our parents” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens CEO Neil J. Moore, MBA, MPA, FACHE. “A doula will typically meet with a birthing person, their partners and families during pregnancy to help them prepare for childbirth, build rapport, manage expectations, and provide evidence-based resources. We will also prioritize pairing a pregnant person with a doula from the same ethnic, linguistic, or religious background, which can be essential to improving equity and providing culturally responsive care.”
“No one should have to give birth alone,” said Arnhold Institute for Global Health Director and Chair of the Department of Global Health and Health System Design at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Rachel C. Vreeman, MD, MS. “We know that doula care results in better birthing outcomes—a decreased need for C-section, a decreased risk of premature babies, low birth weight and being sent to the NICU. We are very hopeful that this model will be able to significantly decrease health disparities.”
The doulas affiliated with Elmhurst and Queens Hospitals’ HoPE Program are from two well-established community-based doula organizations: Ancient Song Doula Services and Caribbean Women’s Health Association. There will be 20 Queens-based doulas in the program. These doulas will be matched with patients based on neighborhood, language, and ethnicity. Once matched, that doula will remain engaged with their client through prenatal, birthing, and postpartum care. Patients will be referred for doula services by their clinical providers, including social work providers and the maternal medical home coordinator. Doulas are compensated based on the time they spend with each client.
The HoPE Program was developed to mitigate maternal and infant health disparities, particularly in parents and babies of color. In New York City between 2011 and 2018, the rates of pregnancy-related death were eight times higher for black women than white women; and the rates of pregnancy-related death were two times higher for Hispanic and Asian women than white women. Additionally, in New York City in 2018, the infant mortality rate in high-poverty areas was 1.5 times the infant mortality rate in low-poverty areas. The pandemic worsened the situation, with minority pregnant people in New York City infected at a higher rate than white pregnant people. Nationally, both black and Hispanic pregnant people had higher rates of COVID-19 infection and death.
“In launching the HoPE Program, Elmhurst and Queens Hospitals share the goal of not only improving childbirth outcomes for our patient population, but also increasing engagement in care and providing respectful care across the prenatal-birth-postpartum care continuum, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst Attending Physician and HoPE Faculty Lead Sheela Maru, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Global Health and Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “We envision the HoPE Program will ultimately benefit a population of women that has suffered a high burden of maternal and infant disparities – and now additionally faces a high burden of COVID-19 infection and its social, economic, and healthcare repercussions.”
“Living through the past two years, we’ve learned that the coronavirus pandemic has shed a laser-like focus on childbirth inequities leading to disproportionately negative outcomes among women of color,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens Director of Obstetrics and Gynecology Aleksandr Fuks, MD. “This ongoing situation has created an environment where communities of color may hesitate to see their doctor for fear of getting sick, or because of language barriers, or because they may lack health insurance. These women will more often than not find themselves in a precarious position and would benefit from the comfort and reassurance of a consolidated support system that extends beyond their immediate family, and this is where the participation of a doula can be most valuable.”
The HoPE Program is part of a larger partnership known as the COVID-19 Unit for Research (CURE-19) at Elmhurst and Queens hospitals, a collaboration between Mount Sinai’s Arnhold Institute for Global Health and NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst Global Health Institute that formed in 2020 during the initial peak of the pandemic. CURE-19 translates data, experiences, and lessons from clinicians at the Mount Sinai Health System, NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, and NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens into research to address both the global pandemic and root causes of health disparities in New York City.
NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst worked closely with a specially-convened Community Advisory Board comprised of postpartum women, local community-based organizations, stakeholders from Elmhurst and Queens Hospitals, and from the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, to shape the development, implementation, and evaluation of the HoPE Doula Program. Discussions included taking into consideration the community’s needs, design and evaluation of the HoPE Program, publicizing the program to the community, and accountability systems for the program. The Community Advisory Board will conduct monthly two-hour workshops through the remainder of 2022.
Doula care has been associated with better birth outcomes for parents and babies, such as shorter labor, fewer Cesarean sections, the promotion of breastfeeding, and an overall positive birth experience. Specifically, community-based doula care is even better suited to reduce maternal and infant health disparities by connecting birthing parents with local resources and providing ongoing social and emotional support. Doulas are trained to provide non-clinical emotional, physical and informational support for people before, during, and after labor and birth.
Derived from the Greek word meaning ‘woman servant or caregiver,’ a doula is employed by the parent(s)-to-be as their continuous caregiver during the pregnancy and birth. The role of the doula is to be there the whole time to provide emotional support as well as to inform and empower the parent. Benefits include hands-on comfort measures, the sharing of resources and information, and facilitating communication between expectant parents and their clinicians by helping people articulate their questions, preferences, and values.
For more information about NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, visit their website www.nychealthandhospitals.org/elmhurst. For more information about NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens, visit our website www.nychealthandhospitals.org/queens, or call 1-844-NYC-4NYC for an appointment.
Contact: Atiya Butler, NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, 718-334-1259 Cleon Edwards, NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens, 646-772-5725 Jane Petrik, NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens, 718-883-2129 Stacy A. Anderson, Mount Sinai Health System, 347-346-3390
About NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst
NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, part of the NYC Health + Hospitals health care system, is a major tertiary care provider in the borough of Queens. The 545-bed hospital is a Level 1 Trauma Center, an Emergency Heart Care Station, and a 911-Receiving Hospital. It is a premiere health care organization for several specialties, including surgery, cardiology, women’s health, pediatrics, rehabilitation medicine, renal services, and mental health services. Last year, the hospital received close to 700,000 ambulatory care visits and over 130,000 emergency room visits. The hospital has been nationally ranked by U.S. News and World Report in key areas, including Heart Failure, Kidney Failure, Orthopedics, Pneumonia, and COPD.
About NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens
A member of NYC Health and Hospitals, NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens is a major health care provider in the borough of Queens. Its foremost mission is to provide quality, comprehensive care to all members of the public regardless of their ability to pay. The year 2015 marked its 80th anniversary of serving the communities of central and southeastern Queens, having first opened its doors as Queens General Hospital in 1935. Encompassing 360,000 square feet, it comprises 253 licensed beds, spacious ambulatory care suites featuring both primary and specialty services, and cutting-edge equipment. It also houses four Centers of Excellence: Cancer Care, Diabetes Management, Women’s Health, and Behavioral Health. In November 2019, NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens opened ExpressCare, a high-quality, walk-in urgent care clinic designed to offer faster service to patients facing routine, non-life-threatening conditions. To learn more about NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens, visit http://www.nychealthandhospitals.org/queens.
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest public health care system in the nation. We are a network of 11 hospitals, trauma centers, neighborhood health centers, nursing homes, and post-acute care centers. We are a home care agency and a health plan, MetroPlus. Our health system provides essential services to more than one million New Yorkers every year in more than 70 locations across the city’s five boroughs. Our diverse workforce of more than 42,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. Visit us at www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NYCHealthSystem or Twitter at @NYCHealthSystem.
About the Mount Sinai Health System
The Mount Sinai Health System is New York City’s largest academic medical system, encompassing eight hospitals, a leading medical school, and a vast network of ambulatory practices throughout the greater New York region. Mount Sinai advances medicine and health through unrivaled education and translational research and discovery to deliver care that is the safest, highest-quality, most accessible and equitable, and the best value of any health system in the nation. The Health System includes approximately 7,300 primary and specialty care physicians; 13 joint-venture ambulatory surgery centers; more than 415 ambulatory practices throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and more than 30 affiliated community health centers. The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked on U.S. News & World Report’s “Honor Roll” of the top 20 U.S. hospitals and is top in the nation by specialty: No. 1 in Geriatrics and top 20 in Cardiology/Heart Surgery, Diabetes/Endocrinology, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Neurology/Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Pulmonology/Lung Surgery, Rehabilitation, and Urology. New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked No. 12 in Ophthalmology. Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital is ranked in U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Children’s Hospitals” among the country’s best in four out of 10 pediatric specialties. The Icahn School of Medicine is one of three medical schools that have earned distinction by multiple indicators: ranked in the top 20 by U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Medical Schools,” aligned with a U.S. News & World Report “Honor Roll” Hospital, and No. 14 in the nation for National Institutes of Health funding. Newsweek’s “The World’s Best Smart Hospitals” ranks The Mount Sinai Hospital as No. 1 in New York and in the top five globally, and Mount Sinai Morningside in the top 20 globally.
For more information, visit https://www.mountsinai.org or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Copyright 2022, The City of New York
Copyright 2022, The City of New York