Outreach Receives Grant for Doula Services

Outreach – Center for Community Resources recently received $100,000 from the Highmark Foundation to support the postpartum doula program.

In 2022, Outreach introduced its postpartum doula program as part of the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), funded through the Parents as Teachers® (PAT) program. The Outreach Doula program was expanded in 2023 with funding support from AllOne Charities and Maternal and Family Health Services. The Highmark Foundation grant funding will allow Outreach to add another full-time Doula to serve families with newborns in need of parenting support and educational services.

Outreach doulas are certified by the Pennsylvania Certification Board as Certified Perinatal Doulas. The program follows the evidence-based PAT curriculum and consists of two to three home visits lasting up to three hours for ten to twelve weeks. Doulas provide critical support to parents during their pregnancy through their newborn’s earliest days. In fiscal year 2022-2023, Outreach served 20 parents and 21 infants through the doula program. The community has received the program very well. Outreach will continue to seek funding to expand these services to support families in need of this critical support.