Pomelo Care, a provider of evidence-based maternity care services, has acquired The Doula Network, which is a network of credentialed doulas in the US.
The companies have not disclosed the financial terms and other details of the transaction.
Following this deal, The Doula Network will completely become a part of Pomelo’s care model, offering virtual, round-the-clock, and unlimited care services.
The model has a team of paediatricians, obstetrician-gynaecologists (OBGYNs), dietitians, midwives, therapists, lactation experts, and nurses.
With the acquisition of The Doula Network, Pomelo’s care model has now expanded to include community-based doula services for patients.
The main focus of this care team is to wrap around the patients’ current midwife/OB/midwife for addressing their behavioural, social as well as medical concerns, resulting in better mother and infant outcomes.
The Doula Network founder and CEO Elizabeth Simmons will now join Pomelo Care and work as the Doula Network head.
Simmons said: “By acquiring The Doula Network, Pomelo Care is expanding desperately needed access to evidence-based maternity care and supercharging the doula ecosystem nationwide.
“With a worsening maternal and infant health crisis and too many women not knowing where to turn for support, this acquisition will allow us to scale our doula network and meet rapidly increasing commercial and Medicaid demand for community-based doulas.
“I could not be more proud of the company we built and am thrilled to be joining forces with Pomelo Care to bring our high-quality doula care together with Pomelo's personalised, evidence-based maternity care model.”
Pomelo Care, which aims to support women in managing different maternity stages such as preconception, pregnancy, birth, postpartum, said that its model is the first hybrid virtual and in-person care model for maternity care.
Pomelo Care founder & CEO Marta Bralic Kerns said: “Acquiring The Doula Network allows Pomelo Care to offer something never before available at scale in the US: in-person doula support paired with unparalleled access to evidence-based, virtual care that will dramatically improve maternal and neonatal health outcomes while reducing avoidable costs.”
