Announces Contract with O Community Doulas to be Technology Partner for First-of-its-Kind Doula Help Desk
Los Angeles, CA, February 27, 2025 – Pear Suite, a digital health company empowering
community-based workers to address the social determinants of health (SDOH), is expanding its
efforts to support maternal and child health through doulas and other birthworkers. By equipping
birthworkers with its intuitive care navigation and billing platform, Pear Suite is enhancing their
ability to provide personalized, culturally competent support to expectant and new mothers,
particularly in underserved communities.
Doulas, one type of birthworker, play a critical role in maternal healthcare, offering emotional,
physical, and informational support before, during, and after childbirth. However, many doulas
face barriers in coordinating care, tracking patient needs, connecting families with essential
community resources, and billing for their services. Pear Suite’s platform is designed to bridge
these gaps, allowing doulas to streamline communication, document health and social needs, and
access real-time data insights to improve outcomes.
“Our mission is to lift up frontline public health workers—including birthworkers—by giving
them the digital tools and support they need to better serve families and secure fair
reimbursement,” said Pear Suite co-founder and CEO Colby Takeda. “By enhancing their ability
to provide individualized care, we can help reduce maternal health disparities and improve long-
term outcomes for both mothers and babies.”
From screening to care coordination, health education to resource linking, the Pear Suite
platform ensures that birthworkers can efficiently provide high quality care and get fairly
compensated for their work. This initiative aligns with broader national efforts to reduce
maternal mortality rates, especially among Black, Indigenous, and other communities
disproportionately impacted by maternal health disparities.
Pear Suite has already partnered with several maternal health organizations across seven states to
provide birthworkers with access to its platform, with early adopters reporting improved work
efficiency and stronger connections between birthworkers, families, and healthcare providers.
One such organization is Black Mothers’ Breastfeeding Association (BMBFA) in Detroit,
Michigan. In addition to training and deploying community-based doulas, breastfeeding peer
counselors, and childbirth educators, BMBFA hosts regular professional development events and
develops resources to build industry capacity, including the recently published The Michigan
Community-Based Doula Safety Net Funding Brief, The Michigan Doula Best Practice Guide,
and The Michigan Doula Medicaid Provider Toolkit.
“Doulas play a vital role in caring for families and deserve resources that support their continued
success. We’ve recently published essential materials to expand Michigan’s doula workforce,
enhance access to care, and explore liberatory funding models,” said Kiddada Green, BMBFA
Founding Executive Director. “Similarly, we’re leveraging tools like Pear Suite to streamline administrative tasks, freeing BMBFA’s doulas to focus on what truly matters, nurturing
families.”
Another organization is O Community Doulas, which has launched the Doula Help Desk, a first-
of-its-kind resource hub designed to empower doulas with essential tools, technical assistance,
and funding guidance to better serve families across the state. This effort is being powered by
Pear Suite’s care navigation and billing platform, which streamlines documentation, reporting,
and reimbursement processes, allowing doulas to focus on what they do best—providing holistic,
community-based care. Over 122 doulas are already engaged with the Doula Help Desk, with a
goal of reaching 1,000 birthing families this year.
“This initiative comes at a crucial time, as California’s expansion of doula services through
Medi-Cal has opened new doors while also presenting significant operational
challenges—particularly for smaller doula organizations and doulas of color,” said Ithiopia
Mckinney, founder at COMMUNi-T.org and Executive Director at O Community Doulas. “We
are committed to ensuring that doulas have the infrastructure they need to thrive. By coupling
Pear Suite’s technology with the Doula Help Desk, we’re providing essential support in billing,
contracting, training, marketing, and mentorship—helping to level the playing field and build a
more sustainable workforce.”
In addition to the Doula Help Desk, COMMUNi T is launching three Birth Equity and Infant
Health Mobile Clinics to bring accessible healthcare services directly to underserved and rural
communities in the Sacramento/Bay Area, Northern Rural Counties, and Central Valley
Counties. These vans will deploy doulas, community health workers, and medical professionals,
who will use the Pear Suite platform in the field to provide culturally competent, patient-centered
care in rural and immigrant communities—breaking down barriers to maternal health access.
On March 4th, COMMUNi T will hold a launch event at 10485 Folsom Blvd Ste B Rancho
Cordova CA 95670 at 11 AM, featuring key speakers including California Surgeon General Dr.
Diana Ramos.
About Pear Suite
Pear Suite is a digital health company that empowers community workers to address the social
determinants of health (SDOH). Through Pear Suite’s AI-powered social care navigation
platform, health plans, providers, and community-based organizations can boost member
engagement, improve health outcomes, and reduce the cost of care in a person-centered,
culturally, and linguistically centered way. Pear Suite has supported hundreds of organizations
and impacted more than 100,000 lives by driving improvements that are often overlooked in the
healthcare landscape. For more information, please visit or follow us on LinkedIn and X.
Media Contact:
SVM Public Relations and Marketing Communications
[email protected]
(401)490-9700
