Embedded Files
After years of serving families as a birth doula in our local hospitals, I witnessed a growing gap in maternity care. Families were arriving in labor without consistent support, midwifery care models were shifting, and although insurance coverage for doula services was expanding, few systems existed to make that support seamless, immediate, or sustainable.
I saw mothers navigating one of the most vulnerable and transformative days of their lives without continuous advocacy. I saw partners unsure how to help, nurses stretched thin, and the profound difference it made when a trained doula was present. Families were calmer, more confident, and more empowered. I knew this level of support should not be reserved only for those who can afford to pay privately.
The Doula Project was created to bridge that gap.
We are building:
A 24/7 on-call birth doula presence for families delivering at Rancho Springs Hospital in Murrieta, California, so support is available at any hour, for any kind of birth experience. From carefully planned labors to unexpected changes or last-minute introductions to doula care and insurance-covered benefits, families are met with evidence-based support, tips for comfort, and a hand to hold.
A sustainable billing model that removes financial barriers for mothers while creating livable wages for doulas
A state-aligned training and certification program preparing doulas to confidently serve within hospital settings
A local workforce pipeline that strengthens maternal health in our own community
At its heart, this work is guided by a core belief: integrating continuous doula support into hospital birth settings improves communication, reduces stress, and strengthens outcomes for families and care teams alike.
The Need for The Doula Project in Murrieta
The Need for The Doula Project in Murrieta
Research consistently shows that continuous labor support improves outcomes by reducing cesarean rates, lowering intervention use, and increasing patient satisfaction. But beyond the data, doula care protects something deeper: a family’s dignity, voice, and confidence during birth.
That need has become even more urgent as maternity care options in our community narrow. Rancho Springs Hospital once offered a collaborative hospitalist model pairing one OB-GYN with one Certified Nurse Midwife—a structure that supported evidence-based care while preserving physiologic birth options for low-risk families, including vulnerable mothers who arrived without assigned providers. With the recent decision not to renew the hospitalist midwives’ contracts, that model is ending, leaving a significant gap in supportive, patient-centered care.
While doulas are not medical providers and cannot replace the clinical role of a midwife, The Doula Project seeks to help bridge the gap this loss has created. We exist to complement medical care by strengthening communication, grounding families in informed decision-making, and ensuring no one labors alone or feels unsupported in an overstretched hospital setting.
This is about more than birth support. It is about restoring continuity, rebuilding community-centered care, and ensuring families in Murrieta and the surrounding region feel seen, supported, and empowered from pregnancy through postpartum.
Description: CBS LA Media Coverage on Rancho Springs Hospital
Dozens of people gathered on Tuesday to protest a possible change coming to Rancho Springs Hospital in Murrieta, where officials are considering ending their midwifery program.
The Board of Directors
The Board of Directors
The Board of Directors serves as the governing body of The Doula Project, providing leadership, accountability, and strategic oversight to help advance our mission of improving birth outcomes through education, advocacy, and accessible doula care. Our board is intentionally designed to bring together diverse voices from across the maternal health landscape—bridging community-based support with clinical expertise, systems-level insight, and lived experience in birth work.
Board members are expected to actively contribute through quarterly meetings, committee collaboration, strategic planning, financial stewardship, and community advocacy while upholding the confidentiality and integrity of organizational matters.
Time Commitment
We recognize that our board members are active professionals and community leaders. Service is designed to be meaningful, collaborative, and sustainable.
Estimated time commitment: 4–8 hours per quarter, including:
One quarterly board meeting (approximately 1-2 hours)
Light committee collaboration or email input between meetings (1–3 hours)
Optional participation in events, fundraising, or advocacy initiatives (1–3 hours)
Founding Board Roles
We are currently assembling a founding board of leaders who reflect the full spectrum of maternal health care, systems, and community experience.
Clinical Birth Systems Leader | Midwifery Expertise & Hospital Insight
Clinical Birth Systems Leader | Midwifery Expertise & Hospital Insight
Ideal for a Certified Nurse-Midwife or experienced midwifery leader with deep familiarity working within hospital systems—particularly those with long-standing experience serving families at Rancho Springs and within the regional maternity care landscape.
Provide expert guidance on physiologic birth, midwifery integration, and collaborative care models
Offer insight into hospital systems, clinical workflows, and maternity care standards
Advise on strengthening respectful partnerships between doulas, nurses, and physicians
Help guide the organization’s clinical credibility and systems alignment
Clinical Integration & Medical Advisory
Clinical Integration & Medical Advisory
Ideal for an obstetrician committed to patient-centered care, interdisciplinary collaboration, and improving maternal health outcomes.
Advise on hospital integration and collaborative care models
Support development of physician partnerships and clinical engagement strategies
Provide expertise on patient safety, quality assurance, and maternal health best practices
Serve as a liaison to medical leadership and hospital systems
Managed Care / Health Insurance Professional | Systems Strategy & Access
Managed Care / Health Insurance Professional | Systems Strategy & Access
Ideal for someone with experience in government-funded health insurance programs, managed care, or maternal health policy with expertise in access, reimbursement systems, and population health.
Advise on payer partnerships, policy alignment, and reimbursement strategy
Support sustainable access pathways for doula care through health plans
Identify opportunities for collaboration with managed care organizations
Strengthen systems-level advocacy for equitable maternal health access
Strategic Development | Grants & Organizational Growth
Strategic Development | Grants & Organizational Growth
Ideal for someone with experience in strategy, analytics, or organizational growth who wants to strengthen maternal health systems.
Identify and evaluate grant opportunities aligned with organizational priorities
Support strategic planning through data analysis, trend tracking, and outcome evaluation
Advise on operational systems, organizational development, and process improvement
Help strengthen funding proposals, reporting, and long-term growth strategy
Patient Experience & Operations
Patient Experience & Operations
Ideal for an L&D nurse who brings frontline insight into labor support, patient flow, and the lived realities of hospital birth.
Provide insight on bedside workflows, labor support integration, and patient advocacy
Guide operational development for hospital-based doula programs
Advise on quality improvement and trauma-informed care practices
Strengthen relationships between doulas and nursing teams
Community Doula | Finance, Operations & Organizational Sustainability
Community Doula | Finance, Operations & Organizational Sustainability
Ideal for a detail-oriented doula or community leader with strengths in bookkeeping, scheduling systems, billing support, or fundraising who wants to help build a strong and sustainable foundation for the organization.
Oversee and support financial organization, budgeting, and bookkeeping systems
Lead fundraising strategy, grant development, and donor engagement efforts
Support operational infrastructure including contracting, invoicing, and systems development
Help guide long-term sustainability planning and organizational growth
Serve in a central coordinating leadership capacity supporting board cohesion and execution
Community Doula | Women’s Health & Community Advocacy
Community Doula | Women’s Health & Community Advocacy
Ideal for someone passionate about women’s health, education, and family support, committed to improving the perinatal experience through holistic, whole-person care that includes physical, emotional, and hormonal support during the perinatal period.
Represent community voice and family-centered perspectives in board decision-making
Support doula training program, community outreach, education, and advocacy initiatives
Strengthen referral networks and community partnerships
Help ensure programming remains accessible, inclusive, and grounded in lived experience
Experienced Community Doula | Training & Workforce Development
Experienced Community Doula | Training & Workforce Development
Ideal for an experienced doula passionate about mentorship, workforce development, and strengthening the next generation of birth workers in collaboration with clinical partners.
Lead development of training curriculum and mentorship pathways
Work in collaboration with clinical board members to align community training with hospital realities
Support onboarding, workforce readiness, and professional development systems
Strengthen the pipeline of skilled, confident, and supported doulas
Join Us
Join Us
If you are interested in joining the Board of Directors or volunteering with the organization, please email info@thedoulaproject.org.
If you know someone who may be a good fit, please feel free to share this with them.
Medi-Cal Aligned Doula Training Program
Medi-Cal Aligned Doula Training Program
The Doula Project offers a training and certification program that prepares birth workers to support families while meeting Medi-Cal requirements for provider enrollment. The curriculum is grounded in evidence-based, compassionate care and aligns with California’s Medicaid standards.
This training program meets the Medi‑Cal doula training requirements as outlined by the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), including education in:
Lactation support
Childbirth education
Foundations of pregnancy and childbirth anatomy
Non‑medical comfort measures and labor support techniques
Community resources
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