Office of Medical Communications

Certified Nurse Midwife Martha Churchill, M.S.N., clinical instructor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences

(MARCH 26, 2024) Certified Nurse Midwife Martha Churchill, M.S.N., clinical instructor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, the lead midwife at the University of Vermont Medical Center for 15 years, created a volunteer-run doula service for families there in 2019 and also provided testimony in favor of expanding and funding doula care, which she said is “largely mental health care.”

Advocates have been pushing the state to provide Medicaid coverage for doula services for years. A bill in the Vermont Legislature—S.109—would have required Medicaid to provide reimbursement for doula services. It has since been turned into a study of how to regulate the profession, a necessary step towards Medicaid coverage. The Senate passed the bill on March 13, and it’s now under review in the House Committee on Health Care. Its sponsors are optimistic it will pass this session.

Proponents of S.109  see it as the first step toward the ultimate goal of requiring Medicaid to cover up to $850 for doula services.

Doulas are non-clinical professionals trained to support pregnant people and their families before, during and after a birth. Doulas are not currently licensed or regulated in Vermont. The revised bill tasks the Office of Professional Regulation with exploring the process for professional certification or licensure, a federal requirement for Medicaid allocation. The report, due in 2025, could lay the groundwork for state regulation, legislators backing the bill explained.

Those pushing for expanded doula services have made the case that doulas can play a major role in improving maternity care and addressing inequities in maternal and infant health outcomes—particularly for marginalized groups.

“Doula care is intimate, compassionate, educational and advocacy work,” Churchill wrote to lawmakers. “This work is worthy of payment and accessibility by everyone who desires it.”