Fort Worth celebrates 120 community doulas ready to improve maternal health outcomes

LyTisa Greene, 38, remembers feeling scared when she learned she was going to be a teenage mother. 

Greene, who lives in southeast Fort Worth, didn’t have the educational resources or support to prepare for the birth of her child. 

“I didn’t understand what postpartum was. I really didn’t know anything about my body, being so young,” she said. 

Greene never wants another woman to have a similar experience. She’s prepared to ensure others have the support to thrive before, during and after pregnancy. 

During an Oct. 26 ceremony at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Greene was honored as one of 120 graduates of the community doulas program created by United Way of Tarrant County in partnership with the nonprofit Trust Her. 

The community doula program marks a major milestone in United Way’s initiative to improve maternal and infant health in Tarrant County, which reports higher maternal mortality rates than the national average. The program was launched two years ago with support from federal COVID-19 relief funds administered by Tarrant County.  

Doulas offer personalized care to ensure mothers have safer deliveries. They also offer emotional and physical support during labor and postpartum recovery. 

“It’s such an exciting experience to be in a collective community of birth workers. The energy in the room was amazing, and it was just beautiful all around,” Greene said. 

The doulas will work to reduce maternal and infant health disparities in underserved Tarrant County communities, specifically the 76104 ZIP code, where Black women face a higher risk of pregnancy-related mortality than white women, according to United Way. 

“When you have a doula that you know comes from your community, maybe went to high school with you, goes to your church, there’s an opportunity to break down that barrier and gain trust,” Regina Williams, interim president of United Way of Tarrant County, previously told the Report.

Underlying conditions such as hypertension and diabetes, seen at higher rates in Black and Latino mothers, can go underdiagnosed or undertreated and add additional challenges to the pregnancy, Dr. Stephanie Carson-Henderson, chair of Women & Infants at JPS Health Network, previously said during a Fort Worth Report Candid Conversation event. 

Other factors in the area’s high maternal mortality rates include challenges to making resources widely known and accessible, according to Dr. William Brian Byrd, director of the county’s public health department.  

In the program’s first year, United Way of Tarrant County focused on recruiting doulas and new parents who lived in 76104 to participate. Yenny James, founder of Paradigm Doulas in Fort Worth, developed and led the program’s free training. 

For Paradigm Doulas to train 120 doulas within two years, James created three cohorts of 40 people and trained each group for seven weeks. The program taught participants how to support families from preconception to the fertility journey, and through the first postpartum period. 

“We understand that the first year as it pertains to maternal mortality and morbidity is very important,” James said. “We talk about a lot of things regarding trauma-informed care, inclusivity, diversity, how to provide culturally appropriate care and different ways to help parents and the baby.” 

Seeing every trained participant honored during the graduation ceremony was “powerful,”  James said. 

There are currently 57 women who either live in 76104 or are delivering at a hospital in the ZIP code who are receiving services from United Way of Tarrant County’s community doulas. As of October, 94 clients have given birth, according to the organization.  

Malisa Drullinger, 35, is one of the Tarrant County mothers who received support from Greene. Drulinger, who gave birth Oct. 17, said the doula helped make the experience better. 

“(LyTisa Greene) was really there to help and guide me through certain things,” she said. “She calls and checks up on me if we need anything.”

During the graduation ceremony, United Way of Tarrant County also announced a $1 million matching gift from an anonymous donor to help the nonprofit continue its maternal health work in the community. 

The organization has identified mothers in 23 other Tarrant County ZIP codes who would like doula support. United Way plans to expand the program when it receives more support funds, spokesperson Deanna W. Titzler told the Report.

United Way of Tarrant County is also investing in maternal health efforts through its TeamBirth initiative, which will launch at seven local hospitals within Baylor Scott & White Health, JPS and Texas Health Resources in January 2025. 

The TeamBirth initiative is a communicative, collaborative process aimed at closing communication gaps and encouraging teamwork between new mothers and health providers. Tarrant County will be the first region in Texas to implement the initiative. 

United Way of Tarrant County secured over $2 million to implement the program at Fort Worth hospitals. 

“As we move into TeamBirth, the hospitals will have continuous data where we will be able to show what has been the impact of training staff through the implementation,” Williams previously said. 

As for Greene, she sees herself going beyond just offering community doula services. She hopes to one day train other women and mothers as well. 

“I’m just looking forward to this opportunity taking me to more heights, more doors, as God sees it,” she said. 

David Moreno is the health reporter for the Fort Worth Report. His position is supported by a grant from Texas Health Resources. Contact him at [email protected] or @davidmreports.

At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.

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