Explanation
BACKGROUND: The Office of CelebrateOne was awarded a grant from the Ohio Department of Medicaid which is administered by the State’s Managed Care Plans. Ordinance 1723-2022, passed by Columbus City Council included $200,000.00 for a doula expansion program in order to fund a training and certification program in order to expand the number of doulas within the Central Ohio area. This ordinance funds the first contract of $100,000.00 to begin training up to 30 doulas. A renewal contract for an additional $100,000.00 may be legislated at a later date.
Each year, more than 130 babies die in Franklin County before reaching their first birthday. Over 2,000 more are born prematurely. Franklin County’s African American families are disproportionately impacted by infant mortality, experiencing an infant mortality rate 2.5 times higher than non-Hispanic white families in Columbus. Therefore, resources and tools must be geared towards these geographic and cultural communities.
To combat this tremendous threat of our families and communities, the Greater Columbus Infant Mortality Task Force of 2014 was assembled to develop community recommendations and an implementation plan. That plan set goals to reduce the community’s alarming infant mortality rate by 40 percent and cut the racial health disparity gap in half by 2020 with eight recommendations for how our community could achieve these goals. That plan has served as the guiding light for the work of CelebrateOne and its many partners. CelebrateOne has made tremendous progress in implementing the plan’s recommendations and strategies and, ultimately, achieving the plan’s goals. Racial disparities in birth outcomes remain high and the global COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated systemic barriers faced by families most at risk for poor birth outcomes while simultaneously creating new obstacles for providers and partners to provide care.
This request for proposals, advertised on April 5, 2023, represents CelebrateOne’s first major opportunity to not only increase women’s access to culturally congruent care through the employment of a certified doula of color but to also expand economic pathways for the women and families of Franklin County.
Six (6) proposals were received on May 5, 2023 from the following organizations: Birth With Spirit, DNC Intermediary Services, Harambee Village Doulas, Mothers Helping Mothers, Inc., National Black Doulas Association, and SunshineFLO. After evaluating all six proposals, Harambee Village Doulas was selected by the evaluation committee to provide doula training and certification support services for up to 30 women in the first cohort.
VENDOR: Harambee Village Doulas DAX#:044166/ Tax ID#84-21144320, CC expires 1/26/2025.
EMERGENCY ACTION is requested at this time in order to begin the training program and positively impact the lives and birth outcomes of women and families in Columbus and expend the grant funds by the Ohio Department of Medicaid grant period ending June 30, 2024.
FISCAL IMPACT: This ordinance authorizes the expenditure of up to $100,000.00 with Harambee Village Doulas from the Ohio Department of Medicaid Grant #402204, legislated by Ordinance 1723-2022.
Title
To authorize the Executive Director of the Office of CelebrateOne to enter contract with Harambee Village Doulas for Doula Training Services in order to increase the number of qualified doulas within the Central Ohio area; to expend up to $100,000.00 from the Ohio Department of Medicaid Enhanced Maternal Health Grant, within the General Government Grant Fund, for the enhanced maternal health in Columbus and Central Ohio; and to declare an emergency. ($100,000.00)
Body
WHEREAS, $4,520,000.00 in grant funds were made available through the Ohio Department of Medicaid for the Enhanced Maternal Health Program for the period of July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2024; and
WHEREAS, CelebrateOne is administering these grants in order to decrease the infant mortality rate within Columbus and Central Ohio, especially in marginalized zip codes throughout the City; and
WHEREAS, up to $200,000.00 may be used for doula training and certification services, with a one-year contract and a one-year renewal; and
WHEREAS, CelebrateOne advertised a Request for Proposals for doula training and certification services on April 5, 2023; and
WHEREAS, CelebrateOne received six (6) proposals from qualified firms; and
WHEREAS, Harambee Village Doulas was selected by an evaluation committee to receive the doula training and certification services contract; and
WHEREAS, the Executive Director of CelebrateOne is authorized to enter into contract with Harambee Village Doulas for doula training and certification services in an amount up to $100,000.00, with a one-year renewal contract that may be authorized and legislated at a later date; and
WHEREAS, Harambee Village Doulas will train and provide doula certification support services for up to 30 doulas with the first year of the contract; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the Office of CelebrateOne in that it is immediately necessary to enter into this contract in order to begin the work to train and support more Columbus-area doulas providing support for birthing families, especially those affected by racial disparity of health care, while increasing maternal health and infant vitality outcomes in the community, and in order to expend the Ohio Department of Medicaid grant funds before the deadline of June 30, 2024, for the preservation of the public health, peace, property, and safety; now, therefore
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the Executive Director of the Office of CelebrateOne is hereby authorized to award and execute a contract for up to $100,000.00 with Harambee Village Doulas in order to provide training and mentorship to up to 30 area individuals wanting to become trained and certified doulas, serving the greater Columbus area, especially in zip codes with high infant mortality rates and racial disparity in health outcomes.
SECTION 2. That to pay the costs of said contract, the expenditure of up to $100,000.00 is hereby authorized from the General Government Grant Fund 2220, Grant 402204, per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 3. That the funds necessary to carry out the purpose of this ordinance are hereby deemed appropriated, and the City Auditor shall establish such accounting codes as necessary.
SECTION 4. That the City Auditor is authorized to make any accounting changes to revise the funding source for all contracts or contract modifications associated with this ordinance and to make any accounting changes necessary to ensure that these contracts are properly accounted for and recorded accurately on the City’s financial records.
SECTION 5. That for reasons stated in the preamble hereto, which is hereby made a part hereof, this ordinance is hereby declared to be an emergency measure and shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage and approval by the Mayor, or ten days after passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.