County cash for doulas dries up
Program for pregnant women credited with reducing baby deaths
By Elaine Aradillas, Sentinel Staff Writer
August 7, 2005
KISSIMMEE -- A program for expectant mothers may be discontinued at the end of the year after it was denied funds by the County Commission during budget discussions last week.
Healthy Start's doula program, which provides a trained person to assist women through labor, applied for $50,000 from the county after some of the original grant money ran out.
The annual budget is about $220,000 to run the program that aims to enhance child development.
Heidi Denis, administrator of Osceola County's community services division, said there are always more programs than the county can fund, but there is a list of criteria to assist the commissioners when they are making final decisions.
"The commissioners did not feel it was their place to automatically take over funding when an agency had lost its funding from other sources," Denis said.
Florida Hospital provided the seed money to create and develop the program, and Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida agreed to match the funds dollar for dollar.
Since then, the start-up money has dried up, and the agency's director is wondering where it will get the money to continue the program, which has become a model for similar programs across the state.
"If we cannot come up with the money, they'll probably end the program in December. That would be a sad situation," said Patty McWhirter, executive director for Healthy Start Coalition of Osceola County.
Doulas, from a Greek word meaning "woman's helper," have become increasing popular among pregnant women whom the program helps.
Last year, doulas assisted 451 women, about 75 percent of whom are Hispanic.
The doulas have been trained to provide physical and emotional support throughout the pregnancy, but they do not act as midwives.
Studies have shown that women who worked with doulas were less likely to have Caesarean sections and to request drugs during delivery and more likely to have shorter labors, McWhirter said.
In 2002, the infant mortality rate in Osceola County was just more than eight deaths per 1,000 live births for Hispanic mothers, which was higher than the state's average.
A year later, the number dropped to an average of just under three deaths per thousand, which was well below the state average.
McWhirter said she is convinced the doula program had something to do with the decline of infant deaths.
"We're serving high-risk women," McWhirter said.
"If we're serving that population, it makes sense that it probably had an influence," she said of the program.
The Ounce of Prevention Fund has committed to offer $111,000 to keep the program running.
In addition to that, the Osceola County Health Department, which is a state agency, and the Healthy Start Coalition have pledged about $70,000.
Now, the program will be turning to other sources to try to raise the extra $50,000.
McWhirter said she already has done some belt-tightening by eliminating one of the doula positions.
"It's just a constant battle to get sustaining funds," she said. The doulas "added such a wonderful component to our program."
Elaine Aradillas can be reached at
earadillas@orlandosentinel.com or 407-931-5940.
SOURCE:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/...dlines-osceola
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County cash for doulas dries up
