What You Should Know:
– Pomelo Care, a provider of evidence-based maternity care, has acquired The Doula Network, the largest network of credentialed, in-network doulas in the United States.
– The acquisition expands Pomelo’s reach to over 15 million covered lives, including more than 1 in 6 Medicaid beneficiaries nationally. By integrating doula care into its evidence-based, hybrid care model, Pomelo is expanding access to high-quality care, improving outcomes for mothers and infants, and promoting health equity.
Integrated, Hybrid Care Model
Pomelo Care will fully integrate The Doula Network into its existing care model, offering patients access to a dedicated team of OBGYNs, pediatricians, midwives, nurses, dietitians, therapists, lactation experts, and now, community-based doulas. This hybrid virtual and in-person approach is unique in the maternity care space, significantly expanding access to high-quality care for millions of women.
Addressing the Maternity Care Crisis
This acquisition comes at a critical time, as the U.S. faces a national maternity care emergency. Currently, only 6% of women in the U.S. receive doula care, despite growing demand and evidence of improved maternal and infant health outcomes. With Pomelo’s expanded reach, more women will have access to doula support, which has been shown to reduce birth complications, cesarean deliveries, and preterm births, particularly among Black mothers.
Data-Driven Results
Both Pomelo Care and The Doula Network have demonstrated significant improvements in maternal and infant health through their respective care models. Pomelo’s data shows increased rates of evidence-based interventions, mental health screenings, and follow-up care, while The Doula Network’s data reveals lower rates of cesarean sections and low birthweight babies.
“By acquiring The Doula Network, Pomelo Care is expanding desperately needed access to evidence-based maternity care and supercharging the doula ecosystem nationwide. With a worsening maternal and infant health crisis and too many women not knowing where to turn for support, this acquisition will allow us to scale our doula network and meet rapidly increasing commercial and Medicaid demand for community-based doulas. I could not be more proud of the company we built and am thrilled to be joining forces with Pomelo Care to bring our high-quality doula care together with Pomelo’s personalized, evidence-based maternity care model,” said Elizabeth Simmons, MS, CD, founder and CEO of The Doula Network, who will now serve as the Head of Doula Network for Pomelo Care.
