MISSION:
The Missouri Community Doula Council™ advocates for Missouri's families by ensuring access and coverage to community-based doula services for pregnant, birthing and postpartum women and people. The Missouri Community Doula Council™ advocates for and supports Missouri doulas by providing amplitude on the state discourse on maternal infant health, and by providing credentialing, billing, educational and certification services for the success and well-being of community doula providers.
Research has shown that the use of doulas results in the improvement of perinatal outcomes for all families. Black and under resourced pregnant women need doulas that see, hear, and understand them and that can help them navigate the murky waters of our current health system-making it imperative for Missouri Medicaid and private insurance to cover and reimburse for doula care services.
We understand the tremendous role that lack of access and systemic racism plays in health inequities. As the Missouri Community Doula Council, we understand that restoration and transformation are needed to heal our broken healthcare system.
MCDC's founders Hakima Tafunzi Payne & Okunsola M. Amadou has been on the frontlines since 2016, ensuring that Medicaid reimbursement and private insurance coverage, at an equitable wage, happens swiftly. In September 2024, and after years of hard worked, they finally secured a victory after leading state legislative and department of health efforts. Thanks to the leadership of Payne and Amadou, Missouri now reimburses doulas across the state for full-spectrum care at a livable wage.