The New Jersey Doula Learning Collaborative (NJDLC) is the professional home for community doulas.

The NJDLC is committed to addressing maternal and child health disparities, empowering maternal health advocates, and consciously including doulas in the conversation and work to create systemic change for babies, families, and communities throughout New Jersey, through:

• Community Outreach, Engagement & Collaboration
• Doula Credentialing & Billing Support
• Doula Support, Mentorship & Supervision
• NJDLC Advisory Board & Workgroups
• Workforce Development, Training & Technical Assistance
• NJ FamilyCare (Medicaid) fee-for-service enrollment

Provide doulas in New Jersey with billing support, education, training, and workplace development in service of birth equity.

A thriving doula community (independent and group practitioners), who are equitably compensated, have ease with Medicaid reimbursement, and have a sustainable career that mitigates high turnover.

1. Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Authority to coordinate statewide activities of the NJDLC.
2. Four regional organizations to provide community doula *training and mentor support as well as to deliver NJ FamilyCare approved doula training programs. NJ FamilyCare is defined as a program that is currently approved by NJDOH/DHS for doulas interested in serving NJ FamilyCare members and receiving NJ FamilyCare reimbursement for doula care.
3. One organization familiar with NJ FamilyCare (Medicaid) fee-for-service enrollment, credentialing and contracting with NJ FamilyCare Managed Care Organizations (MCOs), and NJ FamilyCare billing support and procedures to focus on technical support for community doulas.

*"Training" is defined as encompassing all facets of the training curriculum, including classroom hours, cultural competency, supplemental activities not limited to practical real-world, hands-on experience, prenatal, labor, birth observation and postpartum support, relevant readings, etc.

The NJDLC was established in 2021 by New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH), Division of Family Health Services (FHS), Reproductive and Perinatal Health Services.

The creation of the NJDLC is in alignment with the Nurture NJ which focuses on improving collaboration and programming between state departments, agencies, and stakeholders to achieve its goal of making New Jersey the safest place in the country to give birth and raise a baby.

The goal of the NJDLC is to reduce maternal and infant mortality and eliminate racial disparities in health outcomes by providing training, workforce development, mentor support, NJ FamilyCare (Medicaid) fee-for-service enrollment, credentialing and contracting with NJ FamilyCare Managed Care Organizations (MCOs), and NJ FamilyCare billing support to doulas and doula organizations throughout the State of NJ.

The NJDLC will focus on developing and supporting the community doula workforce that delivers doula care to NJ’s Medicaid and CHIP members as enrolled NJ FamilyCare providers.