Opportunities to Support Mothers and Deliver Children Act
The Opportunities to Support Mothers and Deliver Children Act creates a new federal grant program under the Health Profession Opportunity Grant Program (section 2008 of the Social Security Act) to fund demonstration projects that build career pathways in pregnancy, childbirth, or postpartum care. The grants are awarded to eligible entities (such as local workforce boards, states, hospitals, colleges, tribal organizations, and other health and community-based organizations) to educate and train low-income individuals to enter and advance in this field. The program is limited to states that recognize doulas or midwives and provide payment for their services through health insurance. Projects must last at least three years and include rigorous evaluations of what works to create sustainable, accessible career pathways with good wages and benefits. The bill authorizes $10 million for fiscal year 2026 and the program takes effect October 1, 2025.
Key Points
- 1Establishes a grant program for demonstration projects to create career pathways in pregnancy, childbirth, or postpartum, available only in states that recognize and reimburse doulas or midwives through insurance programs; coordination between the Secretaries of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Education.
- 2Projects must run for no less than 3 years and require applicants to describe partnerships, staffing plans, program activities, state recognition of doulas/midwives, and strategies to work with low-income populations.
- 3Requires rigorous evaluations of each project to identify successful approaches for building accessible, standards-based career pathways with strong education, training, certification, professional development, and improved wages/benefits including health care coverage.
- 4Defines eligible entities broadly (local workforce boards, state or tribal entities, institutions of higher education, hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, Federally qualified health centers, nonprofits/labor organizations, and other qualified training providers) and eligible individuals as those with income at or below 138% of the federal poverty level.
- 5Sets specific definitions for midwife, tribally-recognized midwife, and doula (including training/certification requirements and, for doulas, a minimum of 60 hours of training or state government permission to provide support).
- 6Provides $10,000,000 in funding for fiscal year 2026 to carry out the subsection.