As a mother, a Perinatal Doula, and a Certified Community Health Worker Supervisor, I have walked alongside Rhode Island families as they brought life into this world—in shelters, in prison reentry programs, in foster care, and in housing instability. I have witnessed firsthand what compassionate, culturally competent maternal care can do for a family navigating chaos.

And I’ve also seen what happens when that care is denied. 

Right now, our state has an opportunity to change the future of maternal and infant health in Rhode Island through the passage of House Bill 5861 and Senate Bills 0478 and 0479—a trio of bills that would ensure insurance coverage and systemic support for Licensed Lactation Counselors, Certified Professional Midwives, and the tools and medications they need to care for our most vulnerable communities.

These bills aren’t just about reimbursement. They are about justice.

Families who are justice-involved, experiencing homelessness, or entangled in the DCYF system are often stripped of their dignity and autonomy during pregnancy and early parenting. For them, birth is not always safe, and parenting is not always supported. I work with families who want to breastfeed but can’t afford lactation supplies. I support mothers trying to reconnect with their children after incarceration, who long for the bonding that comes through chestfeeding and maternal care. I stand beside young people in group homes who are giving birth alone.

I AM the population I serve….I’m just the outcome! 

These are the people midwives and lactation counselors show up for. And yet, these providers are often excluded from insurance reimbursement, forced to fight for legitimacy in systems that claim to care about maternal health.

House Bill 5861 would require insurers to cover the services of licensed lactation counselors—professionals who provide education, treatment, and advocacy for families with newborns. This bill removes outdated restrictions like referral requirements, and ensures that lactation support isn’t reserved for the privileged few.

Senate Bill 0478 expands the scope of practice for Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs), allowing them to prescribe essential items like prenatal vitamins, postpartum medications, lactation pumps, vaccines, and emergency drugs. This bill ensures midwives are fully equipped to support birthing people in homes, shelters, or community settings.

And Senate Bill 0479 guarantees that midwives are fairly reimbursed by insurance providers, ensuring that cost will not be a barrier to this trusted, culturally aligned model of care.

When families are in crisis, midwives and doulas don’t just provide medical care—they provide consistency, education, and connection. They are the front line for birth equity, especially for Black and Brown families whose maternal health outcomes have long reflected deep systemic failures.

These bills offer a chance to build a maternal health system that is just, equitable, and led by people who reflect the communities they serve.

Rhode Island can be a national leader in maternal justice. But only if we choose to value care over red tape, trust over control, and healing over hierarchy.

I urge our legislators to pass H5861, S0478, and S0479—for our mothers, our children, and our collective future.

You can find sample and support information at: 

https://www.rimaternalcare.com
https://urbanperinatal.org

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About the Author:

Koren Carbuccia is a Certified Community Health Worker Supervisor, Certified Perinatal Doula, and Founder of the Rhode Island Independent Community Health Workers Cooperative. She serves as Co-Director of the Interdisciplinary Navigation Partnership at the Warren Alpert Medical School and is a Board Member of the Brown University Institutional Review Board.