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Serve families. Protect your longevity. Strengthen doula access in our community.
Serve families. Protect your longevity. Strengthen doula access in our community.
The Doula Project is building a community-based collective of birth doulas to support families throughout the Murrieta Valley—including a new 24/7 on-call doula dispatch line for families birthing at Rancho Springs Hospital.
We are looking for compassionate, dependable doulas who believe every family deserves access to informed, respectful and continuous support, especially families who may not otherwise know about, find or be able to afford a doula.
Why This Project Exists
Why This Project Exists
Too many families reach labor without support.
Some have never heard of doula care. Some do not know that Medi-Cal covers doula services. Others enter care late, face financial or language barriers, or are unable to find a doula with immediate availability.
The Doula Project is working to close that gap by creating a simple and reliable way for families to connect with qualified local doulas when support is needed most.
Our first initiative will be a 24/7 on-call birth doula dispatch line serving families delivering at Rancho Springs Hospital. The Doula Project is an independent nonprofit organization and is not owned or operated by the hospital.
How the On-Call Model Will Work
How the On-Call Model Will Work
The on-call program is being designed around shared coverage, flexibility and sustainability.
Participating doulas will be able to:
Identify the days or shifts when they are available
Maintain their own private practice and existing clients
Protect personal, family and recovery time
Serve as part of a supportive local network instead of carrying the entire on-call burden alone
Receive assistance with intake, dispatch, documentation and administrative processes
Be compensated for eligible services provided to families
The goal is to create a pool of doulas who share coverage rather than expecting any individual doula to remain continuously available.
Final participation agreements, scheduling expectations, dispatch procedures, compensation terms and provider classifications will be provided before any doula makes a formal commitment.
More Than an On-Call Line
More Than an On-Call Line
The dispatch line is the first phase of a larger vision.
As The Doula Project grows, families will also be able to discover participating doulas earlier in pregnancy, learn about their backgrounds and areas of focus, and select someone who feels like the right fit.
This will create two pathways to support:
On-Call Birth Support
A community safety net for families who need a doula during labor or who do not already have one.
Prenatal-to-Postpartum Support
An opportunity for families to choose a doula earlier and receive greater continuity, including prenatal education, birth support and postpartum care.
Both pathways are intended to increase access while preserving meaningful choice for families.
Your Unique Strengths Matter
Your Unique Strengths Matter
Every doula brings something different into the birth space.
Participating doulas may have additional experience or training in areas such as:
Physiologic birth and hormones
Body Ready Method® Pro
Spinning Babies® Certified Birth Professional
HypnoBirthing®
Teen or young-parent support
Single-parent families
Surrogacy and intended-parent support
VBAC preparation
Cultural traditions
Trauma-informed care
Loss support
Lactation and infant feeding
Spanish or other language support
Faith-integrated support
These are examples, not requirements. The collective will maintain shared professional standards while honoring the different skills, experiences and perspectives each doula brings.
What Doulas Bring Into The Room
What Doulas Bring Into The Room
Doulas do not replace a partner, nurse, midwife or physician. We add another layer of continuous, nonclinical support.
For a family who expected to labor without support, the presence of a doula can change the entire emotional experience of the room.
Doulas may provide:
Calm and consistent presence
Positioning and movement support
Nonmedical comfort measures
Breathing and relaxation guidance
Clear, understandable information
Encouragement and reassurance
Support for partners and other family members
Help identifying questions the family may want to ask
Support for informed decision-making and self-advocacy
Continuity when other members of the care team enter and leave the room
Who We Are Looking For
Who We Are Looking For
We welcome both newer and experienced birth doulas who are committed to respectful, family-centered and collaborative care.
Strong candidates will be:
At least 18 years old
Trained or experienced as a birth doula
Able to meet Medi-Cal’s doula qualification requirements
Willing to complete the Medi-Cal PAVE enrollment process
Dependable when accepting an on-call assignment
Able to travel to Rancho Springs Hospital within the required response time
Comfortable providing support to families they may meet for the first time during labor
Respectful of all family structures, cultures, identities, beliefs and birth preferences
Able to remain within the nonmedical doula scope of practice
Comfortable working collaboratively and respectfully alongside nurses, physicians, midwives and hospital staff
Committed to confidentiality, appropriate documentation and HIPAA requirements
Open to shared standards, orientation and continuing education
Interested in strengthening, not competing with, the local doula community
Additional collective requirements, such as orientation, background screening, professional liability insurance or specific hospital-support training, will be communicated before enrollment is finalized.
Medi-Cal and PAVE Enrollment
Medi-Cal and PAVE Enrollment
Because The Doula Project intends to expand access for Medi-Cal families, participating doulas must be willing and eligible to enroll as Medi-Cal doula providers through California’s Provider Application and Validation for Enrollment, commonly called PAVE.
You do not need to understand the entire process before expressing interest. The Doula Project can help participating doulas prepare their documents, understand the application steps and work through the enrollment process.
However, each doula will need to provide accurate personal and business information, obtain the required documents and personally sign any individual or rendering-provider application that applies to them.
What You Will Need for PAVE
What You Will Need for PAVE
Required for All Doula Applicants. You should be prepared to provide:
Required for All Doula Applicants. You should be prepared to provide:
A current driver’s license or state-issued identification card
A National Provider Identifier, or NPI (obtain for free here)
Information or documentation showing how your business is organized, such as a sole proprietorship, LLC, corporation or partnership
An acceptable IRS-issued document verifying your Federal Employer Identification Number, or FEIN (obtain for free here)
A current adult and infant CPR certification from the American Red Cross or American Heart Association
Completion of basic HIPAA training (obtain for free here)
A physical administrative or service address that is not a post office box
A local business license, business tax certificate or applicable permit when required by your city or county
A Fictitious Business Name Statement when required
Documentation showing that you qualify through either the training pathway or the experience pathway
CPR Certificate (covering both adults and infants, current and unexpired, issued through the American Red Cross or American Heart Association and must include an in-person skills component)
Your legal name, business name and address must be consistent across your NPI, IRS documentation, business license or permit, and PAVE application.
Why Join the Collective?
Why Join the Collective?
Independent doula work can be deeply meaningful, but it can also be isolating and difficult to sustain.
Doulas often carry client outreach, continuous on-call availability, backup arrangements, scheduling, billing, documentation and hospital-system challenges on their own.
The collective is being built to create:
Shared coverage
Flexible participation
Centralized outreach and referrals
Administrative and billing support
Connection with other local doulas
Professional development and continuing education
Stronger relationships with hospitals and community partners
Opportunities to serve families who may otherwise never receive doula care
A more sustainable way to continue doing meaningful birth work
You should not have to rebuild your entire private practice around the program or sacrifice your well-being to participate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to be enrolled in Medi-Cal before completing the interest form?
Do I need to be enrolled in Medi-Cal before completing the interest form?
No. You may express interest while you are preparing for PAVE enrollment. Doulas selected to move forward must be willing and eligible to complete the required enrollment process before providing reimbursable Medi-Cal services through the program.
Do I need to be certified by a particular doula organization?
Do I need to be certified by a particular doula organization?
No. DHCS does not require certification through one specific organization. Your training must satisfy the required subject areas and hours, or you must qualify through the experience pathway.
Do I need to be certified by a particular doula organization?
Do I need to be certified by a particular doula organization?
No. DHCS does not require certification through one specific organization. Your training must satisfy the required subject areas and hours, or you must qualify through the experience pathway.
Do I need a business license?
Do I need a business license?
Most cities require a business license or business tax certificate, including for many home-based sole proprietors. The exact requirement depends on where your business is based and where business activities are conducted. We can help you identify which local requirements may apply, but the doula is responsible for obtaining and maintaining required licenses and permits.
Do I need my own NPI?
Do I need my own NPI?
Yes. Each individual doula who enrolls or affiliates as a rendering provider will need an individual NPI. An individual or sole proprietor generally uses a Type 1 NPI. An LLC, corporation or partnership may also need a Type 2 organizational NPI. Obtaining the NPI is generally simple and free. We are happy to help you navigate this process.
Will I be paid?
Will I be paid?
The Doula Project is developing a compensated service model for eligible services provided to families. Final rates, payment timing, documentation requirements and the portion retained for program administration will be disclosed in writing before a doula accepts a participation agreement.
Can I keep my own doula business?
Can I keep my own doula business?
Yes. The intent is for participating doulas to maintain their independent practices while choosing when and how they participate in the collective, subject to the final participation agreement.
Is The Doula Project part of Rancho Springs Hospital?
Is The Doula Project part of Rancho Springs Hospital?
No. Gem of the Valley Doula Project is an independent nonprofit organization. The initial on-call program is being developed to support eligible families delivering at Rancho Springs Hospital, but participating doulas do not act as hospital employees or representatives.
Help Us Build It
Help Us Build It
This is more than an invitation to pick up occasional births. It is an opportunity to help build a stronger and more sustainable local system of doula care.
For families, it means having someone to call when they need support most.
For doulas, it means connection, flexibility and the opportunity to serve without carrying the work alone.
For our community, it means making professional doula support easier to find and more accessible, especially for families who might otherwise never receive it.
It is an opportunity to make a difference in our local community and the families who live in it.
Interested in Learning More?
Interested in Learning More?
Complete our no-obligation Doula Interest Form. We will contact you with information about an upcoming informational meeting, anticipated launch timeline, participation requirements and next steps.
Questions? Contact us at info@thedoulaproject.org
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