"Doula support will and is improving maternal and infant health outcomes, lactation/breastfeeding initation and duration outocomes and overtime can help to improve maternal mortality rates in Pennsylvania." 

Among the Wolf Administration’s recent investments in maternal-child care, effective April 1, under the American Rescue Plan Act, the Medicaid postpartum coverage period was extended for mothers and birthing people who are eligible for the program because of their pregnancy to one year following the end of a pregnancy. Previously, people eligible for Medicaid due to their pregnancy received coverage for only 60 days after giving birth.

Speakers include:
Meg Snead, Acting Secretary, Department of Human Services
Dr. Denise Johnson, Acting Secretary, DOH
Marianne Fray, CEO, Maternity Care Coalition
Gerria Coffee, Owner, Genesis Birth Services
Sen. Amanda Cappelletti
Rep. Morgan Cephas
Rep. Mary Jo Daley
Rep. Gina Curry
Rep. Dan Frankel
Sen. Carolyn Comitta
Sen. Tim Kearney

04/26/2022

Provides Access to Critical Postpartum Care 

Williamsport, PA - Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) and Genesis Birth Services founder Gerria Coffee today celebrated Pennsylvania’s extension of Medicaid postpartum coverage for mothers and birthing people eligible because of their pregnancy.  

Effective April 1, 2022, under the American Rescue Plan Act, the Medicaid postpartum coverage period was extended for mothers and birthing people who are eligible for the program because of their pregnancy to one year following the birth of a baby. Previously, Medicaid – or Medical Assistance in Pennsylvania – provided coverage for people eligible due to their pregnancy for only 60 days after giving birth.  

“This extension of postpartum Medicaid coverage will help moms and people who give birth continue to access physical and behavioral health care necessary to keep themselves healthy and their families on a path to good health and well-being,” said Acting Secretary Snead. “Continuity of health care and being able to address physical and mental health issues when they arise are paramount to helping Pennsylvania’s parents, babies, and communities be healthy, safe, and thriving.”  

Extending postpartum coverage for those covered through Medicaid will provide continuity in health care by allowing birthing parents to maintain relationships with and access to care providers undisrupted through a critical period in their and their babies’ lives. 

Genesis Birth Services is a Perinatal Health Support organization headquartered in Williamsport and founded by Gerria ‘Mz Coffee’ Coffee, a full-spectrum doula, lactation consultant, midwife apprentice, radio station operations manager, radio program director, on-air personality, writer, and public speaker.  

Since 2018, Genesis has been a beacon in the community, providing equitable in-person and virtual lactation support, doula support, childbirth education, pregnancy, and infant loss services to families in Pennsylvania and across the country. In 2021, Genesis Birth Services launched the first Black Breastfeeding Week events in North Central PA, and in 2022, launched the Genesis Birth Services PRISM Program in partnership with Pennsylvania’s departments of Corrections and Human Services to provide pregnancy, birth, and postpartum doula support to incarcerated individuals in Pennsylvania State Correctional Institutions.  

“Genesis Birth Services is committed to providing increased levels of continuous educational, emotional, and physical support in pregnancy, labor, birth and postpartum,” said Coffee. “Complications such as infection, hemorrhage, pulmonary embolism, and pre-eclampsia can happen after a parent has given birth, making the birthing parent vulnerable up until one year postpartum regardless of the birth outcome. A Medicaid extension for postpartum care aligns with our mission to equitably improve maternal mortality/morbidity, infant mortality, maternal mental health, and breastfeeding rates for families. I’m looking forward to reviewing the data in years to come to measure impact.” 

Since taking office, Governor Tom Wolf has prioritized expanding access to health care and supportive services for parents through pregnancy and the postpartum period and giving children a strong, healthy start that can lead to continued health, well-being, and positive outcomes throughout their lives.  

Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that maternal mortality rates rose between 2019 and 2020, and that Black women are almost three times as likely as white women to die after giving birth.  

Pennsylvania’s Department of Health released a report Opens In A New Window in 2020 analyzing 457 deaths that occurred in Pennsylvania from 2013-2018 and were determined to be pregnancy-associated, which is defined as deaths that occurred while pregnant or within one year of the end of a pregnancy. According to the report, pregnancy-associated deaths in Pennsylvania grew by more than 20 percent within that time span, and Pennsylvania also followed national trends of higher maternal mortality among Black women and women whose births were covered through Medicaid. Extending Medicaid postpartum care is also a recommendation in the 2021 Pennsylvania Maternal Mortality Review ReportOpens In A New Window. 

Medicaid covers 4 in 10 births nationally and about 3 in 10 in Pennsylvania. Medicaid was the primary payer in Pennsylvania in about 53 percent of pregnancy-associated deaths and nearly 60 percent of all pregnancy-associated deaths came between six weeks and one year after giving birth, largely outside of the previous 60-day limitation on coverage. By extending the length of postpartum coverage, Pennsylvania is seeking to improve the quality and outcomes of care and potentially save lives. 

More information on the postpartum Medicaid extension, and DHS’ maternal-child health programs available across Pennsylvania is available online here.

To learn more and apply for Medical Assistance and other assistance programs in Pennsylvania, visit www.dhs.pa.gov/compass. 

First Lady Frances Wolf and the departments of Corrections (DOC) and Human Services (DHS), along with the Tuttleman Foundation and Genesis Birth Services, today announced a new partnership that is bringing doula services to women who are pregnant while incarcerated. The goal of the program is to support mothers through a difficult and vulnerable period and empower them as they prepare to reenter their communities.

“Pregnancy is an incredibly rewarding period for a mother, but it also can be a physically and emotionally challenging time of change where a mother must monitor not just her own health and wellbeing, but that of her child. Going through this critical time while incarcerated separates a woman from her support network and normal care providers, and we must be sure that we are doing all we can to empower mothers and support their individual needs and preferences through this time,” said First Lady Frances Wolf.

Funded through the Tuttleman Foundation, the doula pilot at SCI Muncy is a first step in expanding pregnancy and parenting supports for women incarcerated in DOC facilities.

Doulas are trained birthing and postpartum support professionals who work with expecting and new mothers to provide non-clinical physical and emotional support through pregnancy, labor and delivery, and the postpartum period. They work with mothers to help them prepare for childbirth, to make a birthing plan and plans for the postpartum recovery and care and support the mother and infant as they navigate nursing and feeding, perinatal depression and anxiety, and other milestones through pregnancy and postpartum.

“DHS exists to help facilitate the health and wellbeing of the Pennsylvanians we serve – our children, parents, grandparents, and other loved ones, and maybe one day, each of us. I believe that obligation extends further than those currently receiving care or services. We want all children to grow and thrive, and we want parents to know that they are supported through every step of this journey,” said DHS Acting Secretary Meg Snead. “Offering doula services to women who are incarcerated will give them the advocate they deserve to help them through their pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum. It also helps to foster a continued connection with their children and families that will be beneficial as they reenter their communities and parent in person. This support will allow us to help both mother and child throughout their lives, and I am grateful to the DOC, Tuttleman Foundation, and Genesis Birth Services for helping us make this possible.”

Embedding doula services as part of SCI Muncy’s pregnancy and parent services will give pregnant women who are incarcerated an advocate to assist with their care and support during this vulnerable period. Doulas can also help maintain connection between women and their families outside the SCI, providing an additional layer that will help the mother when she reenters her home and community. This support network will also help connect the mother and family to additional services like home visiting, assistance paying for child care, cash assistance, and other family supports overseen by DHS in Pennsylvania.

“Improving outcomes for pregnant and postpartum incarcerated women and their children has the potential to positively impact communities throughout the commonwealth,” said DOC Acting Secretary George Little. “Doulas bring a unique and valuable skillset and experience that make them a welcome addition to the health care team at SCI Muncy.”

Positive impacts of doula care are often greater for pregnant women who are first-time mothers, lower income, or experience language or cultural barriers in the health care system. Through their advocacy and education, doulas can help mothers from underserved communities vocalize their needs and preferences through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. While doula services are currently not billable through Pennsylvania’s Medical Assistance (MA) program, DHS is working to expand access to doula services for mothers covered through MA. Each of Pennsylvania’s MA managed care organizations and many birthing hospitals in Pennsylvania have programs to connect pregnant women to the support and education doulas provide.

“Viewing parents as more than their circumstance by providing access to supportive resources such birth and postpartum Doulas while both incarcerated and in the community will be instrumental in improving maternal, morbidity and infant health outcomes within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and beyond,” said Gerria Coffee, Founder of Genesis Birth Services. “I feel my partnership with the Department of Corrections and DHS through Genesis Birth Services is not only an honor and a privilege, but a responsibility to the community.”

“When our son was born my wife suffered from severe complications after a traumatic delivery. In those trying moments we felt alone and scared and didn’t know where to turn. And still, we had it better than most. When an incarcerated mother gives birth, most of the time, they are alone, scared, and without any support or family by their side,” said Max Tuttleman of the Tuttleman Foundation. “Doulas offer that crucial support to families and individuals. Birth is a highly traumatic, emotionally charged time in itself and having an expert there to advise, support, and hold one’s hand is immeasurably helpful. Incarcerated mothers deserve better and we are grateful to our partners that helped us make this pilot possible.”

“I’m glad to see that the Administration is recognizing the importance of doulas in the fight to reduce maternal mortality and improve birthing outcomes for birthing people and children including incarcerated women” said Representative Morgan Cephas. “I am also glad to see collaboration amongst Departments and public and private partners which is necessary to make meaningful impact for Pennsylvanians on this issue and others. We now have an opportunity to capitalize on the momentum to pass legislation in the House or Senate to include Medicaid coverage for doulas for all birthing people, and the full Dignity for Incarcerated Women bill to show compassion for the unique circumstances that these women face.”

First Lady Wolf is focused on increasing support for women with experience in the criminal justice system as they reenter their communities. Learn more about this work and the importance of maternal health supports for women reentering.

Learn more about SCI Muncy here.

Learn more about DHS’ work to support pregnant and postpartum people and newborns.

https://www.governor.pa.gov/newsroom/wolf-administration-establishes-doula-care-pilot-for-pregnant-incarcerated-women-at-sci-muncy/

Participants included: Participants: Drs Livingston & Momon-Nelson (OBGYNs), Dr Commiskey (pediatrician), Jeaonna Hodges (lead doula Birth Circle of Magee), Gerria Coffee (owner founder of Genesis Birth Services, doula, CLC, and host of Spiltmilk radio), and Pyrnie Calloway (works for WIC/ IBCLC).

Additionaly this provides access to community resources to families who are of the Amish and Mennonite communities as well where Gerria Coffee, the Founder of Genesis Birth services supports families as a Midwife Apprentice

Families can 1-833-9-GENESIS (436374)

At community meet and greet attendees left with giftbags containing items like silicon breastpumps, a door prize for an electric breastpump and more provided by partmers such as Motif Medical and Lansinoh. 

Gerria Coffee founder of Genesis Birth Services is reaching a local,national and international audience through SpiltMilk Radio WSPM-db and WXPI-fm. NorthCentralPA features the work Genesis Birth Services does and that of SpiltMilk in the news for the National Breasfeeding Month and World Breastfeeding Week, with interviews featuring UPMC  IBCLC Natalie McCullen and Lynn Zitta a new mother and Cancer survivor who overcame her own breastfeeding challenges with lactation support. 

Breasfeeding is a natural way to feed an infant unfortunately not all families have access to the support necessary to reach the Healthy People Goals for breastfeeding initiation and duration. Founder Gerria Coffee addresses the benefits of breastfeeding and why more support is necessary amongst the global majority (Black and Brown families) at a public meeting where a proclamation was read acknowledging National Breastfeeding Month, which included Black Breastfeeding Week, Native Breastfeeding Week and Asian Pacific Islander Breastfeeding Week as a mainstay in Lycoming County while announcing Williamsport as the Pilot for the First Food Initiative Making Williamsport the first breastfeeding friendly city in the Commonwealth of Penssylvania. Read More