Mayor Adams Announces Major Steps Taken to Expand Doula Services, Improve Maternal Health Outcomes

July 7, 2025

Video available at: https://youtu.be/h0aTqvvQsDQ

Adams Administration’s Signature Citywide Doula Initiative Successful in Improving Maternal Health Outcomes for Black and Hispanic Women, Increasing Access in Disinvested Neighborhoods

3,200 Mothers Served by Initiative Since 2022, with No Maternal Deaths and Improvements in Rates of C-Section and Preterm Birth

Progress Builds on Mayor Adams’ “HealthyNYC” Plan to Extend New Yorkers’ Lifespan and Reduce Black Maternal Mortality by 10 Percent by 2030

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) Acting Commissioner Dr. Michelle Morse today announced several major health milestones achieved last year by the Citywide Doula Initiative, including expanded access in disinvested neighborhoods and important strides toward better maternal health outcomes for Black and Hispanic women. Studies have found that Black, non-Hispanic women were four times more likely to die of a “pregnancy-associated” cause, such as pregnancy complications, and six times more likely to die of a “pregnancy-related” cause, such as postpartum suicide or overdose, than white, non-Hispanic women. However, according to a new report by DOHMH, thanks to Mayor Adams’ leadership, last year, the signature Citywide Doula Initiative program exceeded its goal of serving 1,000 individuals who give birth per year, having reached 1,128 new clients in 2024 alone. In total, over the last three years, 3,245 people have been served by the programs, and there have been no maternal deaths for program participants. Additionally, there has been a 25 percent increase in doula coverage for New York City residents overall from 2022 — the first full year of data collection — to 2024. The Citywide Doula Initiative accounted for nearly half of all doula-attended births in disinvested New York City neighborhoods in 2024 and served a large proportion of women of color, shelter residents, and non-English-speakers.

“Expecting a child should be the happiest time of a woman’s life. Unfortunately, pregnancy and childbirth can be dangerous, especially for Black and Hispanic women in our city, and across America; that is why one of the very-first announcements we made when we came into office was to launch our Citywide Doula Initiative and show how serious we were about tackling maternal mortality,” said Mayor Adams. “We know this type of care works because those who received care from doulas have had less invasive procedures and shorter hospital stays — allowing parents to concentrate on what matters most: the health of the mom and their baby. It is shameful that, in the 21st century, in the greatest city in the world, the color of your skin or where you live still affects your ability to give birth safely — but with our doula program, we are changing that.”

“Our commitment to maternal and child health has translated into a significant increase in doula services and support across New York City,” said DOHMH Acting Commissioner Dr. Morse. “While we celebrate the progress in expanding access and the vital role of city-supported programs, there is still more work to do. We must reduce barriers and end historic patterns of racial injustice and harm. We will continue to partner with community advocates and policymakers to ensure every pregnant or birthing New Yorker receives high-quality, culturally responsive health care.”

The Citywide Doula Initiative — launched in 2022 by Mayor Adams and codified into law later that same year — is a signature commitment in the battle to address maternal health inequities and improve outcomes for vulnerable populations. Specifically, the Citywide Doula Initiative provides free access to doulas for people who are pregnant and their families in underserved neighborhoods of New York City, as well as to residents of homeless shelters and foster homes. The initiative trains community members as doulas and provides free professional development to all doulas working in the program, as well as supports hospitals in developing policies and procedures to create a doula-friendly environment. The Citywide Doula Initiative partners with 10 community-based doula organizations, which has helped the initiative achieve the following milestones:

• Serve more than 3,200 clients. 
• Attend more than 2,300 births. 
• Train 148 community members as doulas. 
• Provide professional development to more than 500 Citywide Doula Initiative doulas. 
• Host more than 100 doula-friendly meetings and presentations with a total of 10 hospital partners. 
• Match more than 350 hospital-referred clients with Citywide Doula Initiative doulas. 
• Distribute more than 1,000 copies of the “Hospital Doula-Friendliness Guidebook,” which helps hospitals improve collaboration between clinical staff and doulas. 

The Citywide Doula Initiative is also a key contributor to delivering on the commitments made in Mayor Adams’ “HealthyNYC” campaign, which aims to increase life expectancy for New Yorkers to 83 years by 2030, with a specific goal of reducing Black maternal mortality in New York City by 10 percent by 2030. The Citywide Doula Initiative was designed to serve those most affected by inequities in maternal health outcomes. In 2024, 61 percent of clients self-identified as Black, either alone or in combination with another race or ethnicity. Slightly fewer than half of clients, or 44 percent, identified as Hispanic or Latina, either alone or in combination with another race or ethnicity. In addition, 22 percent of newly enrolled Citywide Doula Initiative clients were non-English-speaking, a substantial increase from 15 percent the previous year. The Citywide Doula Initiative also provides services to many individuals living in shelters or other precarious housing, representing 16 percent of all clients. The vast majority of Citywide Doula Initiative clients, 94 percent, are enrolled in Medicaid or another government insurance program, such as TriCare or Child Health Plus.

The program is also reaching its aims of improving maternal health outcomes. Citywide data on births from 2023 and 2024 is not yet available, but a comparison to 2022 data shows that Citywide Doula Initiative clients between 2022 and 2024 had slightly lower rates of Cesarean birth and preterm birth than overall rates.

The Citywide Doula Initiative is also a key part of the Adams administration’s “New Family Home Visits Initiative,” a $34 million initiative that offers support to pregnant and parenting families by having trained health workers — such as doulas, nurses, social workers, lactation consultants, and community health workers — make in-person or virtual visits to the homes of expectant and new parents. The initiative also connects families to community-based services through the first-ever citywide Coordinated Intake and Referral system, which facilitates equitable access to resources. Since its launch in December 2021, the New Family Home Visits initiative has connected more than 23,000 families to home-visiting programs, including doula support and community-based services, ensuring that families receive the care, resources, and support they need during pregnancy and early childhood.

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