Georgia Health Initiative gifts Wellstar Foundation with a $225k investment in the Wellstar Doula Program. Through this partnership, Wellstar will continue to grow its integrative doula care model which strengthens coordination, builds trust and provides additional support for families facing some of the greatest maternal health risks.

As Georgia’s first hospital-embedded doula model, the Wellstar Doula Program aims to ensure more high-risk mothers receive compassionate, culturally responsive support throughout pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period. With this funding, the program is anticipated to serve 500 mothers annually through stronger support for high-risk families, improved care coordination and patient experience, and a more fully integrated, evidence-based model positioned for long-term adoption and scale.

Wellstar is uniquely positioned to lead this work because it already successfully operates the hospital-embedded model that currently serves more than 1 in 10 births statewide and has the clinical infrastructure, patient reach and experience reaching high-risk populations needed to strengthen and demonstrate a replicable approach. The Foundation and Wellstar Health System are greatly appreciative of this partnership with Georgia Health Initiative.

Learn how the Wellstar Doula Program is supporting patients like Kandra Carter, whose doula was not only there during the birth of her baby but also ensured Kandra received the care she needed postpartum. Watch Kandra’s story.