INAPD Community Doula Partnership Initiative

A framework for stronger, more professional, and collaborative partnerships between hospitals and community doulas.

Doulas are already in your hospital.

Let's make the relationship work better.

A framework for stronger hospital & community doula partnerships.

Community doulas are already supporting patients in Indiana hospitals. The INAPD Community Doula Partnership Initiative creates a consistent framework for building stronger, more professional, and collaborative relationships between community doulas and clinical teams.

The framework is consistent. The partnership is personalized.

Explore the Partnership

The relationship shouldn't start in the birth room.

For many hospitals and community birth doulas, collaboration typically doesn’t begin until everyone is already in an L&D room.

That often creates uncertainty around:

  • Roles, standards, and scope of practice

  • Hospital policies and procedures

  • OR and cesarean protocols

  • Communication expectations

  • Nursing workflow

  • Professional boundaries

  • How concerns should be addressed

When expectations aren't clear, even well-intentioned professionals can work from different assumptions.

The doula should not be an unknown variable in the birth room.

The INAPD Community Doula Partnership Initiative supports hospitals and community doulas in building stronger, more consistent, and more collaborative working relationships.

A partnership- not a program you have to manage.

The INAPD Community Doula Partnership Initiative is designed to help hospitals build intentional, sustainable relationships with the community doulas already serving their patients.

INAPD serves as a bridge between the hospital and the doula community, helping establish:

Clear expectations
Shared understanding
Reliable communication
Professional accountability
Collaborative relationships

Rather than asking every hospital to adopt the same model, INAPD begins by listening.

Your hospital knows your needs. We know the doula community.

Together, we identify where the relationship can be strengthened and develop a partnership tailored to your hospital.

Five pillars for a stronger partnership

  • Build familiarity and trust before entering the birth room together.

  • Create shared understanding of roles, scope, policies, and expectations.

  • Keep information, questions, feedback, and concerns moving both ways.

  • Set professional expectations and create a clear process for addressing concerns.

  • Respect distinct roles while working toward shared goals.

Your hospital. Your needs. Your partnership.

This isn't a one-size-fits-all program.

INAPD begins by listening to your hospital's experience and identifying where opportunities for stronger collaboration exist.

Together, we can explore opportunities for:

Hospital-specific doula education
Provider and clinical team education
Relationship-building and networking
Two-way communication pathways
Professional accountability and feedback
Connection to the community doula workforce

The goal is to build on what's already working, address what's getting in the way, and create a partnership that makes sense for your hospital.

Schedule a conversation

The doulas are already here.

Let's build the partnership.

INAPD brings experience in hospital birth, doula education and mentorship, statewide professional development, and community doula relationship-building to the table.

We're ready to listen, learn about your hospital, and explore what stronger collaboration could look like.

The next step isn't a commitment. It's a conversation.

fo@inapd.co

Let's Talk