Families delivering babies at Atrium Health Cabarrus in Concord will soon have access to free doula support during labor, thanks to a new volunteer program created by two medical students.
Colette Haynie and Iyra Chandra, students at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, are launching the program as part of their service project as North Carolina Albert Schweitzer Fellows, the Independent Tribune reported Nov. 2. The volunteer doulas will start serving patients in fall 2026.
The program will train medical and nursing students to serve as birth doula volunteers. Community doulas and other healthcare professionals will lead the training.
What doulas do
A doula is a nonclinical trained professional who provides emotional, physical and informational support during labor and childbirth. Doulas are not doctors or nurses. They offer continuous, hands-on encouragement throughout labor, according to a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services evidence review published in December 2022.
That review found doula support can reduce stress, anxiety and pain while promoting confidence during delivery. A meta-analysis cited in the review, covering 26 randomized controlled trials and more than 15,000 women, found continuous doula support reduced rates of cesarean delivery.
Cost barrier
Access to doula services has been limited in the United States, the HHS review noted. Doula care is largely used by higher-income women who can pay out of pocket, since most state Medicaid programs do not reimburse for the service. Only about 6 percent of U.S. births involved doula services, according to a survey cited in the review.
The Haynie-Chandra program removes that barrier by offering the service at no cost.
The fellowship behind the project
The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship is a yearlong program for graduate and professional students. Fellows partner with a community agency or clinic to identify an unmet health need and lead a project to address it, according to the fellowship. More than 70 percent of fellowship projects continue in some form after the fellowship year ends.
About the hospital
Atrium Health Cabarrus is a 457-bed, not-for-profit hospital in Concord. Its maternity center, the Mariam Cannon Hayes Women's Center, offers a full range of maternity services including a unit for high-risk deliveries.
Wake Forest University School of Medicine's Charlotte campus, which formally opened June 2, 2025, is fully integrated with Atrium Health, the region's largest healthcare system.
