Merck and Mae Partner to Expand Doula Workforce and Address Maternal Health Disparities in High-Risk U.S. Markets

About this update from Merck & Company, Inc.

NEW YORK, June 23, 2026--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Merck, through the company’s Merck for Mothers initiative, and Mae are collaborating on a multi-state effort to expand and sustain the community-based doula workforce, with a goal of advancing maternal health equity and access for those experiencing the most disparate outcomes. The collaboration will advance doula training, professional development, and ongoing administrative support towards Medicaid participation for community doulas. It will also allow Mae to extend the reach of its tech-enabled community care model to sustain doulas’ insurance participation long-term. Nationally, one in three births are C-sections, and close to one in ten babies are born preterm. For Medicaid and at-risk populations, the statistics are even more dire. Doula support has been proven to mitigate preterm birth, medically unnecessary C-sections, and address maternal mental health needs, particularly for birthing people of color. Mae’s solution serves as a layer of infrastructure to address high-risk maternity, including risk tracking, coordination of care and benefits, and the ability to provide targeted community-based interventions that improve maternal health outcomes. With funding from Merck for Mothers, Mae will oversee the operational and administrative needs of newly trained doulas across California, Georgia, Illinois, and Texas. Each of these states represents a unique profile regarding the regulatory status of doula coverage, levels of access and adoption, and racial and socioeconomic outcome disparities. A regional approach supports tailored workforce development strategies and downstream sustainability, aiming to bolster both care access and utilization insights that can inform evolving benefit design and regulatory decisions. "Through Merck for Mothers, we are committed to helping improve maternal health outcomes in the U.S. and globally, especially among underserved communities," said Jacquelyn Caglia, Head, Merck for Mothers. "We are proud to support Mae in strengthening the doula workforce and helping to make sustainable improvements in maternal health across the U.S." "Over the past five years, I have seen firsthand how deeply impactful community-doula participation in care has been to the high-risk mothers Mae serves, and also how complex and burdensome Medicaid participation can be for this...

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