Community Doula Navigator

A Community Doula Navigator 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 Community Doula Navigator will focus on providing prenatal/birth/postpartum support, navigation, and education and may serve as a co-leader for pregnancy groups and classes. Doulas may attend events and recruiting sessions to help build clientele. 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. Locations in Richmond, Roanoke, Petersburg, Newport News, and Norfolk.

1. Maternal Health Outcomes

1. • 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.
   • 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.
   • 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 weekly doula visits with pregnant and parenting families in their homes and other locations such as doctor’s office or other locations.
   • Provide check ins via phone call and email 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 following up with individuals at various timepoints to verify linkage to services.
• Assist with diaper pantry organization and distribution

2. 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

3. Case Management

• Conduct weekly/bi-weekly prenatal, postpartum visits for billable clients and others who may qualify for our services
• Attend a minimum 4 births per month and maintain caseload accordingly
• Maintain organized and complete client files
• Research and provide community resources for clients on ReByrth® platform
• Support Centering groups through co-facilitation
• Maintain 90% retention rate on assigned clients

4. 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.
5. 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 in order 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

Birth Doula Responsibilities (prenatal visits)

Introduction to Doula role during first visit

Provide resources, if required

Provide telehealth/phone support with 24-hour response for non-emergent issues (UBB has a Doula support line that is a team-based line which is manned by multiple people, including nurses)

Provide labor partner support training (to teach how to support prior to hospital arrival)

Review early labor and labor stages

Review coping techniques

Review comfort measures

Provide breastfeeding and newborn care information during the prenatal period

Provide environmental assessment to help with positioning

Provide hands on demonstrations with partner

Provide mom with advocacy tools to be prepared for birth experience

Help client prepare birth and postpartum written plan

Labor and Delivery

Provide intermittent virtual support until client heads to hospital

Provide continuous labor support when client reaches hospital

Stay in hospital 2-3 hours after birth to help client get settled, breastfeeding and transferred to pp floor

Postpartum visits

Allow client to process and communicate birth experience

Provide basic newborn information

Observe breastfeeding experience as peer – refer if needed for additional support

Provide postpartum doula care

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, or virtually.
• 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.

QUALIFICATIONS TO APPLY

• CNA licensure for at least 1 year plus 2 years of direct patient experience
• 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.
• Computer literacy required

REQUIREMENTS FOR ELIGIBILITY

• Graduation from high school or a G.E.D. issued by state department of education required; CNA licensure, 2 years of work experience required; health or human services preferred but not required. A related two-year (Associate) degree may be substituted for the health or human services experience.
• Current physical examination, immunizations including TDAP, and TB screen documentation upon hire & signed by medical provider
• Desire to work with children and their families
• Adequate means of transportation with ability and willingness to travel up to 45 miles from office radius
• 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

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