Deacon Doulas
Deacon Doulas
Our Mission & Vision
Deacon Doulas promotes positive birth experiences and works to address disparities in maternal health outcomes in Forsyth County by providing compassionate, empowering, and no-cost doula support to laboring patients at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Birth Center.
We envision a community where financial barriers do not prevent access to continuous labor support. Through equitable and person-centered care, we aspire to ensure that every birthing person has access to emotional support, advocacy, and compassionate companionship during childbirth.
Compassionate Birth Support For Every Person
Deacon Doulas are trained volunteer birth companions who provide continuous emotional and physical support to laboring patients at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Birth Center at no cost to the patient. Through one-on-one labor support, we strive to ensure that every birthing person has access to compassionate care, advocacy, and encouragement throughout their birth experience.
Our program prioritizes serving Medicaid-insured, uninsured, and teen patients, who often face financial barriers to private doula services. We believe that everyone deserves continuous labor support and emotional care, regardless of their ability to pay.
Why Deacon Doulas Matter
Supporting Health Equity
Serve as a supportive presence during one of life’s most transformative experiences and help improve access to compassionate birth care.
Gain Valuable Patient Contact Experience
Volunteering as a doula offers meaningful clinical and patient-contact experience for students pursuing careers in medicine, nursing, public health, social work, and other health professions.
Flexible Scheduling
After completing training, volunteers commit to at least two on-call shifts each month. Twelve-hour shifts (7:30 a.m.–7:30 p.m. or 7:30 p.m.–7:30 a.m.) are selected based on individual availability and are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.
When there is not a patient requesting doula support, volunteers are not required to remain at the hospital
Collaborate With Us
We welcome opportunities to partner with campus and community organizations that share our commitment to supporting birthing people and promoting equitable maternal health outcomes.
Contact Us
Questions about the program or partnership opportunities?
Nijah Toshumba
Associate Director, Women’s Center
Wake Forest University
Because we receive a high volume of inquiries from prospective volunteers, we encourage interested applicants to review the Becoming a Deacon Doula page in its entirety before reaching out. If you still have questions or simply want to learn more about the experience of being a doula, we would be happy to connect.