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As of Feb. 1, certified perinatal doulas in Pennsylvania can join the state’s Medicaid program as in-network providers in maternity care.

To help address maternal health disparities in access to quality health care for Black, Hispanic, and indigenous communities in Pennsylvania, the state’s department of human services is expanding doula access, effective Feb. 1.

A nonprofit collaborating with state agencies and lawmakers is trying to expand doula services. The goal is to reduce the state’s maternal mortality rate, especially in communities of color, where that rate tends to be higher.

Pregnant women at one state prison in Pennsylvania will not have access to doula care as part of a pilot program aimed at improving birth outcomes in babies born to incarcerated women, and supporting women as they re-enter society after being incarcerated. The program will begin at SCI Muncy in Lycoming County, which serves as the processing center for all women entering the state's prison system.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers is hoping to enshrine similar programs and funding into state law permanently, and to do it before Gov. Wolf leaves office next year.