Since 2019, SisterWeb has been driving the Champion Dyad Initiative (CDI), a program that is being implemented at all five sites/hospitals in San Francisco with labor and delivery units. The CDI fosters the support of one or two “champions” at each hospital to partner with one or more SisterWeb doulas. The partnership allows for the two parties to work together as a quality improvement tool to ensure that all birthing people of color receive respectful and equitable treatment during their births and pregnancies. The CDI creates opportunities for bi-directional feedback between SisterWeb and clinical sites, for clients to give input about the hospital setting and care they received, and for integration of doulas as core members of care teams and systems, which allows for SisterWeb and hospital providers to better support doulas and families from Black communities.

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CDI Goals: Goals for SisterWeb and the CDI partners to achieve

1. Site/Hospital Providers and Clinical Staff who understand the SisterWeb Community Doula Model and are referring all eligible patients in a way that respects community and birthworkers.  

2. Site/Hospital Providers and SisterWeb staff work collaboratively to identify population data related to birth outcomes and increase awareness at each site regarding current inequities and quality improvement needed. 

3. SisterWeb Doula programs have close working relationships with providers and clinical staff, building respect between roles and sharing of resources and feedback.

4. With the support of CDI sites, SisterWeb programs effectively and efficiently are able to collect data related to patient and doula experience and communicate back to hospital sites with a focus on action steps and systemic improvements. 

5. Site/Hospital Providers and clinical staff support SisterWeb doulas in their professional journeys with consistent, constructive feedback and opportunities for professional growth and skill building. 

6. All SisterWeb doulas deeply understand the value of CDI and the importance of utilizing/maximizing it as a tool that will help us accomplish our goals. 

 

Implementation Expectation: SisterWeb 

• SisterWeb Staff focus on cultural competency, educating hospital staff on specific nature of SisterWeb community doula model, peer support/ culturally and linguistically congruent support. 

• SisterWeb staff build in ongoing inclusion of feedback channels by supporting clients during appointments, reframing the fear of repercussions for negative feedback and bridging families with providers directly to increase capacity to navigate the hospital with confidence. 

• SisterWeb staff design a form for feedback that doulas and providers can use. These forms are then viewed prior to monthly dyad meetings at each site and provide content for the bidirectional feedback portion of the meetings.

• Build rapport between SisterWeb doulas and hospital staff through mixers or other fun event (on-line or in person). SisterWeb will also provide Face sheet of all doulas to be posted for providers and nursing staff. 

 

Implementation Expectation: Site/Hospital Providers

• Create increased opportunities for community building and staff education at their site. CDI reps can connect SisterWeb doula programs with individual providers that are interested in supporting birth equity. 

• CDI reps help coordinate Doula/Nurse bonding activities so we understand how to work together, and expand communication to providers beyond L&D (Pediatrics, Lactation, Nutrition)

• CDI reps provide logistical and administrative support to the overall initiative. This is done by strengthening the referral process and by creating a written channel of communicating for changes to hospital protocols and procedures to SisterWeb reps so information isn’t delivered in pieces. 

• CDI reps are point people for addressing issues when SisterWeb doulas are working within the hospital site. They will provide a cell phone number to call in case of emergency (two different hospital staff people willing to field these calls).

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SisterWeb's Current CDI Partners