HB 747 creates section 383.295, Florida Statutes, to establish the “Doula Support for Healthy Births” pilot program in Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach Counties. The program is designed to integrate doula services into existing maternal health initiatives and is aimed primarily at uninsured, underinsured, Medicaid-eligible, and WIC-participating pregnant people. The bill defines doulas and doula services, describes the kinds of prenatal, labor, postpartum, advocacy, and emotional supports they may provide, and states that doulas are nonmedical professionals who do not require supervision or licensure under this section.
The Department of Health, working with its maternal and child health section, would implement and oversee the pilot program for 12 to 24 months, subject to funding. The bill requires collaboration with health care providers, community organizations, hospitals, birth centers, WIC programs, and community health centers to expand outreach and service delivery. It also sets expectations for doula training and competencies, including knowledge of labor and postpartum recovery, communication with medical staff, breastfeeding support, informed consent, and professionalism.
HB 747 would affect state law by adding a new statutory section focused on maternal health services and by directing the Department of Health to administer a targeted pilot program. It also authorizes the department to expand doula services into existing maternal and child health programs, with annual reporting requirements if expanded, and ties funding to appropriations from the Closing the Gap grant program while encouraging pursuit of federal funds. The bill does not create a statewide entitlement to doula services, but it establishes a framework for county-level implementation and evaluation.
The overall sentiment reflected in the bill text is strongly supportive of doula care as a strategy to improve maternal and infant outcomes, reduce preterm births and cesarean deliveries, and address disparities in birth outcomes. The bill’s findings emphasize Florida’s elevated maternal and infant mortality rates and present doula services as evidence-based support that can improve birth experiences and health outcomes. No committee transcript or vote record is provided, but the bill ultimately died in the Health Professions & Programs Subcommittee, indicating it did not advance despite the policy rationale.
There is little explicit controversy in the available record, but the main points of potential contention are likely to be funding, program scope, and the role of nonmedical providers in maternal health care. The bill focuses resources on three counties and specific low-income or publicly insured populations, which may raise questions about equity, scalability, and administrative burden. Another possible issue is how doula services would be integrated with clinical care and whether the state should expand or regulate such services more broadly.
HB 747 would add a new section to the Florida Statutes establishing a Department of Health pilot program for doula services in maternal health initiatives. It would direct the department to coordinate with maternal and child health programs and community partners, define doula-related terms in statute, and allow a limited pilot and possible expansion into existing programs, with reporting and funding tied to the Closing the Gap grant program and potential federal support.
The bill is generally favorable toward expanding access to doula care and frames the policy as a response to Florida’s maternal and infant health challenges. The text presents the program as evidence-based and equity-focused, with no recorded committee debate or votes available in the provided materials. Its final status—died in the Health Professions & Programs Subcommittee—suggests the concept did not secure enough support to advance.
The likely areas of contention are whether the state should fund a pilot program for nonmedical doula services, whether the program should be limited to three counties and certain eligibility groups, and how the Department of Health should oversee and evaluate the initiative. Questions may also arise about the qualifications and scope of doulas, the interaction between doulas and licensed medical professionals, and whether the pilot should be expanded statewide or remain a targeted demonstration project.