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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
PROPOSED RESOLUTION TO ADDRESS LABOR AND DELIVERY UNIT CLOSURES AND PROMOTE COLLABORATIVE STATE AND COUNTY-WIDE ACTION TO PROTECT MATERNAL HEALTHCARE IN CHICAGO’S SOUTH SIDE AND SOUTH SUBURBAN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES
WHEREAS, access to safe, timely, and affordable maternal healthcare is essential to protecting the lives of pregnant individuals, mothers, and newborns throughout Cook County; and
WHEREAS, the Illinois Department of Public Health’s 2025 Maternal Mortality Data Report found that during 2021-2022, pregnancy-related mortality was 78 deaths per 100,000 live births among Black women, compared with 33 among White women; and 42 per 100,000 among Chicago residents, compared with 32 among suburban Cook County residents; and
WHEREAS, 91% of pregnancy-related deaths reviewed in Illinois during 2021-2022 were determined to be potentially preventable, underscoring the importance of timely medical care, accessible maternity services, and coordinated preventive interventions; and
WHEREAS, the Illinois Department of Public Health’s Blueprint for Birth Equity reports that Illinois experienced a 27% net reduction in birthing facilities between 2016 and 2023, with 32 obstetric hospitals closing; and Chicago’s South Side, where majority-Black neighborhoods are served by only three of the city’s 16 birthing hospitals, has been particularly affected; and more than one-third of Illinois counties are classified as maternity care deserts; and
WHEREAS, the loss of labor-and-delivery units can increase travel distances, delay emergency obstetric care, disrupt prenatal and postpartum continuity, strain neighboring hospitals, threaten healthcare employment, and disproportionately burden low-income families and historically underserved communities; and
WHEREAS, Roseland Community Hospital has announced plans to discontinue labor-and-delivery services effective October 31, 2026, citing financial pressures, further reducing maternity-care options for Chicago’s Far South Side and surrounding south suburban communities; and
WHEREAS, Cook County has previously considered maternal healthcare through Resolution 25-0917 and adopted Resolution 25-2301 declaring maternal morbidity and mortality a public health crisis; and Illinois has established the Blueprint for Birth Equity and existing hospital reimbursement and financial-support initiatives, demonstrating the importance of coordinated implementation and timely intervention; and
WHEREAS, Illinois House Bill 3453, introduced in the 104th General Assembly, proposed at least 120 days’ public notice and a public meeting before a hospital discontinued a perinatal unit, but was re-referred to the House Rules Committee on March 21, 2025; and
WHEREAS, state-level officials have expressed support for convening relevant stakeholders to address labor-and-delivery unit closures and advance coordinated action to protect access to maternal healthcare throughout Chicago’s South Side and south suburban underserved communities; and
WHEREAS, additional coordinated action is needed to identify threatened maternity services, assess regional capacity, evaluate available resources, and develop feasible interventions before further closures occur, without duplicating existing initiatives.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, Cook County Commissioner Dr. Kisha, E. McCaskill, and the Cook County Board of Commissioners, calls to convene a public hearing to address labor-and-delivery unit closures and suggest governmental action to protect maternal healthcare access, with particular attention to the underserved communities on Chicago’s South Side and in the south suburbs; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the hearing shall use the existing studies to identify the implementation of safeguards to directly address the maternity-unit closures; regional hospital capacity; maternal and newborn safety; transportation and continuity-of-care barriers; workforce and community impacts; and existing (allocated/allotted) government funding and grants, reimbursement, and other resources available to stabilize, sustain and/or coordinate safe alternative care; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that appropriate governing agencies, hospitals, municipalities, healthcare professionals, and community organizations are encouraged to collaborate to identify threatened services, assess available resources and barriers, and pursue feasible interventions, and recommend specific next steps for early intervention and coordinated action; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners would encourage impacted hospital(s) such as Roseland to establishing a temporary moratorium on labor-and-delivery unit closures until appropriate community-impact assessments, public engagement, and safe transition plans are completed, reviewed and accepted by the respective governing bodies, and shared with the community and other stakeholders, with appropriate exceptions to protect immediate patient safety; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a request shall be made to the Cook County Clerk to transmit copies of this resolution to the respective governing agencies and partners for their consideration and appropriate action.
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