SD RHT — Doula Workforce Advancement Program (26RFP-26-09RHT-014)

26RFP-26-09RHT-014 funds expansion of the doula workforce — training new doulas, expanding community-based doula programs, and strengthening care partnerships between doulas and clinical providers to improve maternal and infant health outcomes in rural South Dakota. This is part of Initiative 7 (Regional Maternal and Infant Health Hubs), with a 5-year total of $24 million.

South Dakota has persistently elevated maternal mortality rates in rural and reservation communities. The doula model — continuous labor support, prenatal education, postpartum navigation — is an evidence-based intervention with documented effectiveness in reducing cesarean rates and improving birth outcomes, particularly in communities with limited obstetric provider access. Tribal communities across South Dakota face acute maternal health disparities, making tribal doula program expansion a specific program priority.

This solicitation explicitly targets tribal doula programs. Organizations with tribal community relationships, existing birth worker traditions, or interest in developing culturally appropriate doula programs for tribal communities should prioritize this solicitation.

Based on Initiative 7 program framing, eligible organizations include maternal and infant health service organizations, FQHCs with maternal health programs, tribal health programs with interest in doula program development, doula certification organizations or training programs, community-based organizations serving pregnant and postpartum rural populations, and organizations with experience deploying CHW or community health navigator models.

South Dakota's Initiative 7 explicitly names Indian and Tribal Health Services as partners in the Maternal and Infant Health Hubs. Tribal health programs with maternal health programs — including those at Pine Ridge, Rosebud, and other reservation communities with documented maternal health disparities — should assess fit. The tribally-expanded doula model should be presented as culturally appropriate birth support for populations where clinical provider access is limited and trust in community-based practitioners is higher than in institutional providers.