Gem of the Valley Doula Project is building a community-based doula collective and referral network to provide 24/7 On-Call Birth Doula Support for families delivering at Rancho Springs Hospital in Murrieta. The Doula Project will launch this Fall. 

As local maternity care shifts, including the planned elimination of hospitalist midwife coverage at Rancho Springs, our mission is to help bridge the gap by expanding access to continuous, evidence-based labor support when families need it most.

Through provider referrals, and community collaboration, The Doula Project will work to improve birth outcomes, increase informed decision-making, and ensure birthing families—especially underserved and Medi-Cal families—have access to compassionate, empowering support throughout pregnancy, labor, and early postpartum.

Provider referrals, community partnerships, and client enrollment including 24/7 birth doula support at Rancho Springs, will begin Fall 2026.

As hospital staffing models evolve and access to midwifery care shifts, The Doula Project seeks to preserve individualized advocacy, informed consent, and patient-centered birth support through:

• A 24/7 on-call doula presence serving families delivering at Rancho Springs Medical Center 

• A sustainable Medi-Cal and managed-care billing model that removes financial barriers

• A 16-hour self-guided training program that prepares doulas to meet California Medi-Cal and PAVE requirements

• A local workforce development pipeline that increases access to qualified, hospital-ready doulas

• Collaborative partnerships with healthcare providers to strengthen, not replace, medical care

We believe doulas are a stabilizing force within hospital birth settings, supporting communication, reducing unnecessary interventions, improving patient satisfaction, and protecting the dignity and autonomy of birthing families.

Long term, our hope is that birthing families don't need to make use of our On-Call Doula for births, and instead, families learn about the doula care available to them much earlier on in their pregnancy. Families can then tailor their doula experience for their unique needs, utilizing the services and offerings of one (or many) of the doulas in our collective.

For our local workforce, we hope our accessible doula training program will offer new pathways for anyone interested in supporting mothers and families during one of life's greatest and most sacred experiences. Our goal is to create a sustainable opportunity for birthworkers to find joy in caring hands-on for birthing mothers, while earning a livable wage, and be able to pick their own on-call schedule, working as little or much as desired.

Lastly, our vision is to be a valuable and active resource for our community relating to pregnancy, birth, and all things family. Through our collective networking, community partnerships, and genuine love for this community, we hope to support women and families through the fourth trimester and beyond. Our goal is to nurture the vulnerable, empower families, support opportunities to connect, and restore the health and well-being of the families in our community.

By expanding education, strengthening advocacy, and embedding accessible doula support within our local hospital ecosystem, The Doula Project works to transform birth from an isolated medical event into a supported, empowered, and connected community experience.