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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
RECOGNIZING BLACK MATERNAL HEALTH WEEK AND MINORITY HEALTH MONTH IN COOK COUNTY
WHEREAS, the month of April is National Minority Health Month, a month-long initiative to advance health equity across the country on behalf of all racial and ethnic minorities and highlight the importance of improving their health while reducing health disparities; and
WHEREAS, in solidarity with National Minority Health Month, the week of April 11-17 is Black Maternal Health Week in the United States, officially recognized by the White House by proclamation, it is a week of awareness, activism, and community building intended to deepen the national conversation about Black maternal health in the US; amplify community-driven policy, research, and care solutions; center the voices of Black Mamas, women, families, and stakeholders; provide a national platform for Black-led entities and efforts on maternal health, birth and reproductive justice; and enhance community organizing on Black maternal health; and
WHEREAS, this year’s theme for Black Maternal Health Week is “Our Bodies Belong to Us: Restoring Black Autonomy and Joy!”; and
WHEREAS, Black women in the United States experience unacceptably poor maternal health outcomes, including disproportionately high rates of death related to pregnancy or childbirth, and are three to four times more likely to experience a pregnancy-related death than white women, and Illinois has maternal death statistics even higher than the national average with Black women in Illinois six times as likely to die of a pregnancy-related condition than white women; and
WHEREAS, a person’s race should never determine their health outcomes, and pregnancy and childbirth should be safe for all. However, for far too many Black women, safety and equity have been tragically denied due to generations of systemic disadvantages in health care delivery and health care access, including lack of access to health care information and services, lack of insurance coverage, denial of therapeutics, limited access to contraceptive services, and cultural biases and discrimination in medical practice and medical education; and
WHEREAS, the Covid-19 pandemic made things even worse. Health and Human Services officials and stakeholders stated that the pandemic worsened factors contributing to maternal health disparities, like access to care, cardiovascular problems and other underlying conditions. The maternal death rate for Black or African American (not Hispanic or Latina) women was 44.0 per 100,000 live births in 2019, then increased to 55.3 in 2020, and 68.9 in 2021. In contrast, White (not Hispanic or Latina) women had death rates of 17.9, 19.1, and 26.1, respectively., and Black women’s heightened risk of pregnancy-related death spans income and education levels; and
WHEREAS, both societal and health system factors contribute to the high rates of poor health outcomes and maternal mortality for Black women, who are more likely to experience barriers to obtaining quality care and often face racial discrimination throughout their lives; and
WHEREAS, public policies and medical practice should incentivize providing patient-centered care that focuses on Black women’s individualized needs, including non-clinical social needs. Moreover, policies should endeavor to eradicate cultural biases and discrimination in medical practice and medical education, increase provider diversity in maternity care and hold individual providers and hospital systems accountable if they fail to provide unbiased, high-quality, evidence-based care; and
WHEREAS, Congresswoman Robin Kelly has long championed maternal health by introducing the Momma’s Act, and her Bi-Partisan Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, which is a huge chunk of the Momma’s Act, and was included in the Fiscal Year 2022 Omnibus Appropriations bill; and
WHEREAS, African American & Latinx communities have endured historically bad treatment with our healthcare system, and National Minority Health Month is a time to re-double our efforts to improve this system by listening to their concerns and work to build the trust that was lost over generations of poor treatment; and
WHEREAS, this year’s theme for National Minority Health Month is “Better Health Through Better Understanding”. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, will focus on improving health outcomes for racial and ethnic minority and American Indian/Alaska Native communities by providing them with culturally and linguistically competent healthcare services, information, and resources; and
WHEREAS, when patients are provided with culturally and linguistically appropriate information, they are empowered to create healthier outcomes for themselves and their communities; and
WHEREAS, this Honorable Body wishes to promote and raise awareness of National Minority Health Month and Black Maternal Health Week in Cook County;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners, on behalf of the more than 5.2 million residents of Cook County, do hereby take this opportunity to acknowledge National Minority Health Month and Black Maternal Health Week; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that in conjunction with National Minority Health Month, that the month of April be hereby declared Minority Health Month in the County of Cook, and the week of April 11-17 be declared Black Maternal Health Week in the County of Cook; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this text be spread upon the official proceedings of this Honorable Body.
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