A Partnership That Expands Access to Doula Care

In today’s nonprofit landscape, funding has become both our greatest need and our greatest challenge. Across the country, organizations like ours are navigating the aftermath of federal funding withdrawals and a shifting philanthropic climate. Families who once gave generously are now doing their best simply to stay afloat. The economic pressures they face mirror the realities of the communities we serve—families stretched thin, mothers balancing impossible choices, and systems that too often leave them behind.

Yet, despite the tightening margins, the work cannot stop. The need has not diminished. If anything, it has grown more urgent.

At Mind Body Baby NC, we have always believed that care is not simply a service—it’s a promise. A promise to see, support, and stand alongside families in their most vulnerable moments. And that promise continues today, strengthened through our participation in Doula benefit, which allows eligible members to access our wraparound doula care services as part of their additional value-added services.

We are honored to be among the organizations providing doula support to Healthy Blue members—helping to ensure that every birthing person has access to compassionate, culturally responsive care during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum recovery. Through this benefit, we are able to extend our reach and impact to more families who might otherwise go without this essential form of support.

Our relationship with Healthy Blue also includes the use of their Charlotte Beyond Blue Neighborhood Center, where we host our Mind Body Baby Fitness Series—a free, welcoming program that promotes physical and emotional well-being for expectant and new parents. This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to improving maternal health and strengthening family wellness across Mecklenburg County.

These resources amplify our organization's capacity to support our community. It strengthens our sustainability, affirms the value of doula care within the Medicaid system, and helps bridge the gap between medical and community-based support for families who need it most.

For too long, the standard of care has reflected privilege— defined by who can afford to be seen, who has the right coverage, who can take the time to heal. Collaborations like ours affirm that quality maternal care should never be a privilege—it should be a right. As we move forward, we do so with integrity, humility, and heart. Our participation in Healthy Blue’s Doula Benefit is one step toward a system where care meets people where they are, and where mothers are met with what they truly deserve: safety, dignity, and compassion.

To our supporters, partners, and community: thank you for standing with us through seasons of abundance and challenge. Your belief in this mission makes moments like this possible. Together, we’re not just surviving the shifting tides of funding—we’re redefining what sustainability looks like in service to those who need it most.

With gratitude, Jasmine Mix, M.Ed Executive Director Mind Body Baby About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) improves the health and well-being of our customers and communities by providing innovative health care products, services and information to more than 3.9 million members, including approximately 1.1 million served on behalf of other Blue Plans. Since 1933, we have worked to make North Carolina a better place to live through our support of community organizations, programs and events that promote good health. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Visit Blue Cross NC online at bluecrossnc.com. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.