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MA H1333
Bill
Status
Introduced
2/27/2025
Primary Sponsor
Chynah Tyler
Click for details
AI Summary
- Establishes the Maternal Health Justice Fund, administered by the Department of Public Health, to expand and manage the doula workforce in Massachusetts
- Defines perinatal doulas as trained professionals providing physical, emotional, and informational support (not medical care) for pregnant individuals, surrogates, foster care parents, and adoptive parents during pregnancy, labor, childbirth, miscarriage, stillbirth, or loss
- Provides scholarships for doula certification, prioritizing applicants from historically marginalized backgrounds, low-income individuals, and those in geographic areas lacking doula availability
- Funds support staff at the department, agencies focused on maternal health workforce development and doula mentorship, and existing community-based doula programs
- Requires certification programs to cover competencies including anatomy/physiology, non-clinical labor coping strategies, HIPAA compliance, plus education on health equity, implicit bias, racism, trauma-informed care, and social determinants of health
Legislative Description
To expand the doula workforce
Last Action
Accompanied a new draft, see H5021
2/5/2026
Committee Referrals
Financial Services2/27/2025
Full Bill Text
No bill text available