MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT

     BETWEEN

The State of Hawai'i--Department of Health's MALAMA A HO’OPILI PONO Project

AND

The Barefoot Doctors' Academy's DOULACARE HAWAI’I Project

This agreement sets forth an understanding of the responsibilities of Malama A Ho’opili Pono and the Barefoot Doctors’ Academy.  This agreement does not provide for payment or exchange of money or financial obligations.

The Barefoot Doctors’ Academy’s DoulaCare Hawai’i Project, under this agreement with the Department of Health’s Malama A Ho’opili Pono Project, will coordinate and collaborate with Malama A Ho’opili Pono to provide doula services. 

The Barefoot Doctors’ Academy is not responsible for negligent acts performed by the doulas, doula students, or Malama A Ho’opili Pono staff or volunteers.

Under this agreement, the Barefoot Doctors’ Academy is responsible to:

    1.  provide Certified Doulas and Doulas-in-Training to the Malama A Ho’opili Pono Project under the DONA (Doulas of North America) Scope of Practice.

            a.  Doulas will provide Doula services that may include prenatal visits, labor and delivery support, postpartum visits or any combination of the afore-mentioned.

            b.   Visits by the Doula will be ‘client-directed’.

    2.  provide supervision and mentorship to their DoulaCare Hawai’i representatives according to the Barefoot Doctors’ Academy’s criteria of training.

    3.  assure that the Doulas servicing Malama A Ho’opili Pono Project clients follow the standards of the project.  

            a.  Malama A Ho’opili Pono Project follows standards of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and American Academy of Pediatrics:

                     i.  The Project promotes and encourages medical obstetric care by accredited medical providers.

                     ii.  The Project promotes and encourages delivery in accredited medical facilities.

                     iii.  The Project promotes and encourages pediatric care by accredited medical providers.

    4.  direct doula to submit a copy of the ‘birth report’ signed by the client’s attending physician/nurse in charge after the delivery to the Project.

5.      inform participating doulas of their responsibility to notify the Project when the client/doula relationship is over.        

Under this agreement, Malama A Ho’opili Pono Project is responsible to:

1.      have an initial meeting with the qualifying doulas who have agreed to participate in this agreement and Project staff by sites in coordination with the Barefoot Doctors’ Academy’s DoulaCare Hawai’i Project.

2.      provide information to clients about, ‘What is a Doula?’, and other information that will be provided by DoulaCare Hawai'i Project.

3.      encourage clients, especially those with no to minimal support, to have a doula.

4.      arrange the first meeting with the client and the doula.

5.      inform the client’s physician that a doula will be assisting the client.

6.      carry out the protocols and encounters set by the Malama A Ho’opili Pono Project.

7.      stay in communication with the doula to monitor the client’s needs.  These communications will be        documented in the client’s records.

8.      have case-managers contact the DoulaCare Hawai’i representative when a client is assigned to a doula.

9.    assign only qualifying doulas, trained by the Barefoot Doctors' Academy and/or accepted into their DoulaCare Hawai'i Project, to Malama clients.

 

On July 6th, 2004, this agreement was reviewed and approved by Sandra Tomyama, Malama A Ho'opili Pono Project Coordinator, and Dee Anne Domnick, Executive Director of the Barefoot Doctors' Academy.