Now, a new program from Cook County is expanding access for people who need it most. "We usually hear that people want to hire a doula because they don't want to die," said Tayo Mbande, a doula and the cofounder of Chicago Birthworks Collective,

Cook County’s public health system is launching free doula services for pregnant patients to help reduce health disparities. Nearly 1,000 mostly Black or Latina patients at Cook County Health are currently pregnant, and they will be offered a choice to have a doula support and advocate for them before, during and after labor.

Cook County is taking a major step toward addressing maternal mortality rates with a $1 million investment in its first-ever doula program.

A new program involves $1 million to fund doulas for some of the county’s most vulnerable patients. Sara Machi reports.