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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 20, 2026
CONTACT: Baylee.Watts@dss.mo.gov
Rural Health Transformation Program Announces Partnership to Expand Rural Maternal Healthcare
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Department of Social Services (DSS), through the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), has announced a partnership between the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), Office on Women’s Health and the Missouri Doula Association (MDA) to expand the rural maternal health workforce.
Administered by DSS, on behalf of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), $732,660.43 was awarded to the MDA to strengthen rural doula training and certification infrastructure across the state. The investment is part of the RHTP and supports efforts to expand community-based maternal health services in rural Missouri.
"The Missouri Doula Association is honored to partner with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and Office of Women’s Health through the Rural Health Transformation Program to strengthen Missouri's rural maternal health workforce. This investment will help train and credential community-based doulas and Perinatal Community Health Workers who provide trusted, evidence-based support to families throughout pregnancy, childbirth, and early parenthood," said Kimberly Costello, MDA President. Together, we are building sustainable partnerships that expand access to care, strengthen rural communities, and create healthier futures for mothers, babies, and families across Missouri."
MDA will expand capacity to train, credential, and integrate community-based doulas and perinatal community health workers (PCHWs) into rural health care teams. These professionals will provide support to Missourians throughout pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum recovery, and the early parenting period. The initiative will establish recruitment pipelines, credentialing systems, and strategic partnerships across Missouri's rural health care network to help address critical maternal health workforce shortages.
MDA will administer the initiative by recruiting participants, overseeing training and credentialing activities, cultivating community partnerships, and reporting program outcomes to DHSS throughout the funding period.
For more information on the key components of the initiative, visit Missouri’s Rural Health Transformation Program website.
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The Rural Health Transformation Program information provided by the Missouri Department of Social Services is supported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $216,276,817.66, with 100 percent funded by CMS/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, CMS/HHS, or the U.S. Government.
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