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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...
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