(The Center Square) – Cook County officials say maternal morbidity and mortality is a public health crisis.
County Commissioner Donna Miller said Black women in Illinois are three to four times more likely to experience a pregnancy-related death than white women.
“This disparity is a stark reminder that we have more work to do and to ensure that race never dictates health outcomes in pregnancy and childbirth is safe for all,” Miller said.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, maternal morbidity refers to any pregnancy or delivery complication, which may be minor or severe. IDPH says maternal mortality is the death of a woman during pregnancy, childbirth or the postpartum period, which the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines as within one year of the end of a pregnancy.
Miller said she secured $1 million in the Cook County Hospital budget to establish a doula program, marking a three-year, $3 million effort.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said families need medical and wraparound care.
“We can’t ignore that across our country, Black and brown women are more likely to face complications from pregnancy and childbirth and more likely to die from them,” Preckwinkle said.
Dr. Lauren Smith, chief medical officer of Cook County Health, said doulas help guide patients through the pregnancy and postpartum period.
“Doulas help complete home visits. They attend in-person and virtual visits. They are available during the labor in the delivery unit as well,” Smith explained.
Smith said the CDC reported 18.6 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2023, but the number for Black women was 50.3 deaths per 100,000 live births.
According to a 2023 IDPH report, the leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths in Illinois was substance use disorder, which comprised 32% of pregnancy-related deaths in the state.
Last August, Cook County Department of Public Health Chief Operating Officer Dr. LaMar Hasbrouck said that about 2,300 suburban Cook County residents died from opioid-involved overdoses between 2016 and 2022. The county as a whole reported a record 2,000 opioid deaths in 2022.
The department also said 23% of adults in suburban Cook County reported binge drinking.
While Tuesday’s news conference highlighted racial inequities in maternal mortality rates and the doula program, county officials criticized proposed budget reductions for the National Institutes of Health.
Miller said NIH cuts would threaten medical progress.
“The NIH fund research leading to life-saving treatments, cures for devastating diseases and hope for families facing unimaginable challenges,” Miller said.
The NIH had a budget of more than $47 billion in fiscal year 2024. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency was accused of taxpayer-funded gain-of-function research in China. The White Coat Waste Project alleged earlier this year that the NIH killed and tortured beagles during research.
