Community Doula Navigator
A Community Doula is a paraprofessional who will work with at-risk pregnant and parenting families and their babies, to promote healthy pregnancies, breastfeeding, and parent-infant attachment. The Community Doula Navigator is responsible for providing services to ensure quality care and access to necessary resources for clients to provide a seamless system of service and supports for women, children and families with Urban Baby Beginnings.
The Doula is a member of our UBB team, working collaboratively with Case Managers and other staff. The goal is to improve birth outcomes, pair families with needed services, and reduce maternal/infant deaths.
This is not a work-from-home position. Hiring FT 2 positions. Richmond/Petersburg and surrounding areas (1) & Newport News/Norfolk and surrounding areas.
Maternal Health Outcomes
- Ensure that high-quality, culturally tailored social support is promoted as the standard of practice staff to clients, stakeholders, and the community.
- Ensure centering parenting/pregnancy, prenatal, postpartum, and newborn classes are offered to participants each month.
- Carry out outreach contacts with local community partners to ensure updated information is shared related to services provided by UBB, i.e., program, classes, support.
- Work to ensure program is meeting goals and outcomes as set by program directors.
- Provide 1:1 support to clients through telehealth platform, in-person visits, group facilitation, and enhanced case management.
- Initiate contact with families as early in pregnancy as possible, managing a caseload of moms and babies.
- Provide labor and birth support in hospital to qualifying families.
- Seek to establish a trusting relationship with the expectant parent, provide comprehensive education.
- Complete doula visits with pregnant and parenting families in their homes and other locations such as doctor’s office, clinics, hospitals, or other locations.
- Provide check ins via phone and video with all clients on caseload.
- Provide evidence-based information and resources to expectant, postpartum. families and their children who have been heavily impacted by COVID19.
- Assist with birth planning and lactation support.
- Conduct neighborhood canvassing and street outreach to increase program awareness.
- Providing education and materials to key influencers, such as barbers/hair stylists, coaches, fraternity members, pastors, neighborhood leaders, front-line workers, etc.
- Conduct phone-based outreach.
- Conduct presentations to consumer and resident groups in person and via social media.
- Provide information on immunizations to individuals visiting health and social service organizations and facilities.
- Assist with data collection and documentation of outreach activities.
- Build health literacy and community trust in health systems.
- Support individuals with management of longer-term side effects of COVID-19 illness.
- Connect individuals to services to address social and health needs through the UBB electronic health worker and follow up with individuals at various time points to verify linkage to services.
- Assist with diaper pantry organization, distribution, and community fair attendance.
UBB Orientation & Support
- Complete home visiting online training as assigned
- Complete all paperwork within 24 hours of assignment
- Maintain complete and organized home visitor files
- Maintain electronic records for all services provided
- Complete weekly supervisory sessions with coordinator
Case Management (95% requirement)
- Conduct weekly/bi-weekly prenatal, postpartum visits for billable clients and others who may qualify for our services in the home, hospital, and clinics
- Attend a minimum of 12 births per year and maintain a caseload of 50 active prenatal/postpartum clients at all times accordingly
- Maintain organized and complete client files
- Research and provide community resources for clients on the ReByrth® virtual platform
- Support Doula concierge and support groups
- Maintain 90% retention rate on assigned clients
- Maintain a minimum of 95% completed home visits for active clients, establishing a trusting relationship with at-risk families by initiating and maintaining regular client contact
Data & Compliance Management
- Maintain organized and complete client documentation files within 24 hours of visit.
- Work closely with the coordinator to ensure compliance.
- Track and provide accurate screening tools for each client, within our program timelines for screening.
- Communicate with Coordinator regarding compliance issues.
- Report program trends to the team.
General Staff Responsibilities:
- Participate in staff meetings, conferences, training sessions and workshops as assigned.
- Demonstrate familiarity with employment policies, performance standards, work plan and objectives of program.
- Maintain congenial and respectful relations with staff, children, families and community.
- Maintain confidentiality regarding staff, program, and participant information.
- Maintain objectives and professional standards.
- Improve self-skills and education.
- Perform any other work-related duties as requested by Coordinator or Director.
- Be present at work to provide consistency of services.
- Be a contributory team member in a positive/productive manner.
- Demonstrate commitment to mission, values, and policies in the performance of daily duties.
- Other duties as assigned
Duties and responsibilities:
- The Doula will provide culturally sensitive support and serve as a role model in general, also will be a member of the team and work in a context of supervision and support.
- Initiate contact with families as early in pregnancy as possible.
- Seek to establish a trusting relationship with the expectant parent, provide comprehensive education.
- Assist in labor and delivery as support staff. Attend birth and provide support through labor and delivery as well as the initial hours postpartum.
- Complete visits with pregnant and parenting families in their homes and other locations such as doctor’s office or other prenatal appointments.
- Provide individual and/or group education related to prenatal, postpartum, and newborn care
- Assist with lactation support as a peer support specialist.
- Attend bi-weekly/monthly conference calls/office meetings/required trainings
- Collect, maintain and chart required documentation within 24 hours of visit
- Maintain postpartum contact for a predetermined time period
- Maintain confidentiality of clients.
- Work cooperatively with other staff and serve as a resource to them.
- Attend community-based recruiting sessions and events.
REQUIREMENTS FOR ELIGIBILITY
- 2 years of direct patient experience; maternal health experience a plus
- Schedule flexibility to include day, evening, weekend, and on-call work
- Completion of training through Urban Baby Beginnings
- Experience in developing trusting relationships with high-risk prenatal clients and team members preferred.
- Knowledge of women’s health during the childbearing years
- Self-motivated, self-starter, with strong oral and written communication skills.
- Graduation from Bachelor’s Degree program plus 2 years of work experience required; health or human services preferred but not required.
- Previous doula experience with prenatal, birth and postpartum experience preferred
- Adequate means of transportation with ability and willingness to travel up to 45 miles from office radius (Richmond, Central VA, Tri-Cities, Petersburg)
- Desire to work with children and their families regardless of socioeconomic status or housing situation
- Current physical examination, immunizations including TDAP, and TB screen documentation upon hire & signed by medical provider
- Active and unencumbered driver’s license + automobile insurance
- Background and sex offender check clearance
- Ability to establish relationship of trust and respect with staff, families, and children.
- Strong facilitation and presentation skills
- Strong communication and writing skills
- Experience collaborating with a variety of staff
- Strong attention to detail
- Experience in working with communities of color and strong racial, disability, gender and economic justice framework
- Commitment to anti-oppression and de-colonization work with a focus on racial equity and reproductive justice, specific to birth justice
- Passion for and commitment to the mission of UBB
- Aptitude for solving problems with creativity and resourcefulness
- Ability to develop positive relationships with clients, home visitors, providers, staff
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office Applications, especially Excel and Word, Google
- Apps for work, social media platforms
- Program may have independent requirements as contracts and state guidelines apply so this is subject to change
- Computer literacy required
UBB is an equal-opportunity employer and is committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace.
COMPENSATION: PT Hourly, Birth Attendance Stipend
Urban Baby Beginnings is a Drug Free, Smoke-Free workplace