INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERSHIPS
The workforce is the intervention.
Maryland already pays for doula care through Medicaid. Much of that money goes unused because there are too few credentialed doulas, and too many claims get denied.
Sweet Bee Services® trains doulas, supports their credentialing, and helps them get paid, so health departments, hospitals, Medicaid health plans, and schools can put that money to work.
WHY SWEET BEE
Already Approved Where It Counts
Before you partner with anyone on doula care, you need to know their doulas can enroll, bill, and work well with your teams. Here is where we stand.
STATE-APPROVED
Our certification is approved by the Maryland Department of Health, so the doulas we train can use it to enroll with Maryland Medicaid.
EVERY BIRTHING HOSPITAL
We have working relationships with all birthing hospitals in Maryland, so we know how your teams work.
ALL 9 HEALTH PLANS
We are credentialed with every Maryland Medicaid health plan, so we know each plan's steps and can walk you through them.
NEVER LOST A CLIENT
In 10 years of birth work, Leah and her team never lost a client. About 84% of U.S. pregnancy-related deaths are preventable (CDC). That record is the standard we train doulas to uphold.
THE PROBLEM
Where Does Your Community Stand?
Every community sits somewhere on this ladder. We meet you on your step.
No doulas nearby?
We train them.
You have doulas. But they don’t take Medicaid?
We walk them through credentialing.
Credentialed doulas not getting paid?
We help them get paid. The Colony™ bills on their behalf.
HOW WE PARTNER
Find Your Organization
Health Departments
What You Need:
Quality doulas in your county, because your residents need the support. We make sure your county has trained local doulas who know how to work with hospitals, and we support them through Medicaid enrollment and credentialing with the health plans. We handle the training, credentialing support, and billing, so your team does not have to build a program from scratch.
What We Offer:
Funded training cohorts through Sweet Bee Academy™
Workshops for your doula network: Medicaid billing, business setup, practical AI, retention, and more
Ongoing billing and credentialing support through The Colony™
Medicaid Health Plans (MCOs)
What You Need:
Doulas on your roster for your members. MCOs often do not know where to find doulas, and doulas often do not know how to work with MCOs. Sweet Bee is the bridge between the two.
What We Offer:
A pipeline of certified doulas ready to credential with your plan
Credentialing and billing support through The Colony™, to help doulas stay active on your roster
Hospitals and Health Systems
What You Need:
Doulas who fit your team without adding a new cost. Sweet Bee™ doulas know their scope of practice. They also know a nurse's scope and a physician's scope, and they stay in their lane. Their job is emotional, physical, and informational support. As Leah puts it: "We are excellent at what we do, and we rely on the rest of the team to be excellent at what they do for our clients' best interest."
What We Offer:
Sweet Bee™ certified doulas trained to work in tandem with your clinical team
Doulas enrolled with Medicaid and credentialed with the health plans, so their care is billed to Medicaid, not your hospital
Nursing Schools & Workforce Funders
What You Need:
Programs that draw students, keep them, and serve the community. Adding a doula certification can make your program more attractive, draw more students, and give them a real career path in maternal health.
What We Offer:
For schools: a doula certification added to your program
For workforce funders: funded seats or full cohorts in Sweet Bee Academy™
Regular progress reporting on each funded student
Outside Maryland?
Ask us about bringing the Sweet Bee™ model to your state.
PROCUREMENT
Ready for Your Vendor Process
Sweet Bee Services, LLC is a Certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) in Baltimore City.
Sweet Bee Services® is a federally registered trademark
Sweet Bee Academy’s doula training program is an approved doula certification through the Maryland Department of Health
WHO WE ARE
FOUNDED IN & LED FROM THE WORK
Leah R. Hairston, MSSW, CD, CLC, CBE, founded Sweet Bee Services in 2016. She holds an MSSW from Columbia University and is a credentialed doula. She is Regional Director (Mid-Atlantic and Northeast) for the National Black Doula Association, and Interim Director of the Social Innovation Lab at the Johns Hopkins Pava Center. She serves on the Advisory Board for the Center for Maternal and Family Health at Morgan State University. She previously served as Senior Health Equity Consultant at the National Black Child Development Institute, where she launched its Black Infant and Maternal Health Task Force.
START HERE
Which Step is Your Community On?
Do you need doulas trained, credentialed, or paid? What do you need, and who do you serve? Write to us, and we will tell you plainly whether Sweet Bee™ is the right partner.