The Molina Healthcare Charitable Foundation Grants $10,000 to The Little Resource Center Carbondale to Improve Rural Maternal Health Outcomes
Media Contact: Rhonda Frazier, Rhonda.Frazier@MolinaHealthCare.Com, (562) 980-3849
Carbondale, Ill., Nov. 13, 2025 — The Molina Healthcare Charitable Foundation, in collaboration with Molina Healthcare of Illinois (“Molina”), provided a $10,000 grant to The Little Resource Center Carbondale to increase visibility and expand access to doula services in rural Illinois, ensuring families receive critical support during pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum, and beyond. This grant will help provide doula services to five patients and support doula-led maternal health events designed to build social support networks, deliver health education, and encourage partner involvement.
In Illinois, rural mothers face unique maternal health challenges, including long distances to hospitals, limited access to prenatal and emergency care, and a decline in local obstetric services. These barriers place rural mothers at an increased risk for poor maternal health outcomes, with data showing that severe maternal morbidity occurred at a rate of about 74 per 10,000 delivery hospitalizations in rural counties.
“At The Little Resource Center Carbondale, we’ve seen firsthand how doula support can drive improved maternal health outcomes” said Chastity Mays, chief executive officer at The Little Resource Center Carbondale. “This collaboration with Molina ensures more families in Southern Illinois will have access to care that puts mothers and their babies first, creating healthier beginnings and stronger communities.”
Doulas are associated with improved maternal health outcomes, lowering the risk of cesarean delivery and preterm birth and increasing rates of postpartum checkups. By supporting five patients with doula services, Molina is expanding The Little Resource Center Carbondale’s capacity to serve patients, providing lactation support, perinatal mental health and substance use screenings and referrals, resource referrals, and more.
“Our partnership with The Little Resource Center Carbondale reflects our continued focus on finding innovative solutions to support rural, hard-to-reach communities that face unique barriers to care” said Kristopher Classen, plan president of Molina Healthcare of Illinois. “The integration of doula care is an innovative approach rooted in evidence – and it’s driven by a shared commitment to improving outcomes for mothers and babies across Southern Illinois.”
This grant is a part of Molina’s $1.6 million investment to improve health outcomes in Illinois.
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About The Molina Healthcare Charitable Foundation
The Molina Healthcare Charitable Foundation is a 501(c)(3) established in 2020 by Molina Healthcare, Inc. The Molina Healthcare Charitable Foundation was created to improve the health and well-being of disadvantaged populations by funding meaningful, measurable, and innovative programs and solutions that improve health, life, and living in local communities.
About Molina Healthcare of Illinois
Molina Healthcare of Illinois, Inc. provides government-funded, quality health care, serving members through Medicaid, Medicare, and Marketplace programs in Illinois. Through its locally operated health plans, Molina Healthcare, Inc., a Fortune 500 company, provides managed health care services under the Medicaid and Medicare programs, and through state insurance marketplaces. For more information about Molina Healthcare of Illinois, visit MolinaHealthcare.com.
About The Little Resource Center Carbondale
The Little Resource Center Carbondale is a family and parenting resource center located in Carbondale, IL. The Little Resource Center serves families, parents, and caregivers in the Southern Illinois region through material, educational, and emotional support. They also provide case management and health and social service referrals free of charge. For more information, visit littleresourcecarbondale.org.