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.
Our Leadership & Advisors
Our Leadership & Advisors
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.
Organizational Advisors
The Doula Project is supported by clinical, professional, and community advisors who contribute specialized knowledge and perspective in areas that strengthen our mission and programs.
Advisors may provide guidance related to clinical collaboration, community outreach, marketing and communications, organizational development, education, program design, or other areas of expertise. They serve in a non-voting capacity and do not hold governance or fiduciary authority.
Advisory involvement is flexible and tailored to each person’s area of expertise, availability, and the evolving needs of the organization.
Become Involved
We welcome interest from individuals who believe in our mission and may be able to contribute through board service, professional advising, community partnerships, volunteering, or future program involvement.
If you are interested in becoming involved with The Doula Project, please email info@thedoulaproject.org.
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
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse