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Subcommittee to map Connecticut hospitals’ doula policies, drafts short survey and sets special meeting
Summary
A DPH‑led subcommittee agreed to draft a short, mostly open‑ended survey to collect public‑facing hospital policies on doula access and to schedule a 15‑minute special virtual meeting on June 4 to formally approve and send the survey. Members emphasized capturing visitor rules, whether doulas count as support persons, and noting payment/reimbursement expertise is still needed.
A Connecticut Department of Public Health subcommittee charged with studying "doula‑friendly" hospital practices moved this week to develop a short survey to collect hospitals’ public‑facing policies on doula access and presence.
The subcommittee, convened as part of a broader maternal health task force and led by Daley Anne Hemmings (system director for maternal health equity at Hartford HealthCare) and co‑chair Misha Hathaway, agreed the first tasks are to compile a roster of birthing hospitals and to use a concise survey — likely administered via Microsoft Forms and circulated through the Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA) doula work group — to capture how hospitals engage doulas and what patient‑facing rules exist.
Why it matters: the statute creating this study directs the group to gather expertise and information that can inform policy recommendations. Dante Costa of the Department of Public Health’s Office of Policy and Strategic Initiatives said the statutory study is intended to produce policy guidance, not primary academic research. As Costa put it, the study can be “a basis for policy action.”
Survey scope and content: CHA’s Celine Osei proposed starting with a single open‑ended prompt to elicit how hospitals currently engage doulas: “How do you currently engage doulas that are supporting births in your organization?” Subcommittee members discussed additional short items — whether a doula policy exists, whether doulas count toward visitor limits, facility access (triage, labor and delivery, OR, postpartum), and any documentation or liability insurance requirements.
Operational plan and timeline: members recommended the survey be brief to encourage response; Nasira (epidemiologist, Office of Health Equity, DPH) said Microsoft Forms is an available platform. CHA noted that asking hospital representatives assigned to the CHA doula work group to respond would likely yield the best response rates. CHA also recommended a one‑month response window with reminders; members discussed June as the target month for collection.
Open questions and next steps: the group acknowledged gaps to fill, including technical expertise on reimbursement and payment models (DSS expertise) that are part of the statutory charge. Members agreed to compile proposed survey questions and share a draft with the subcommittee for feedback. Because Robert’s Rules require a public vote, the subcommittee scheduled a 15‑minute virtual special meeting on June 4 at 11:00 to vote formally on approving the survey and its distribution.
The meeting concluded with staff volunteers (DPH) and CHA agreeing to assemble and circulate draft survey questions and to prepare the roster of hospitals; the subcommittee will review the draft before the special meeting.
