title
PROPOSED GRANT AWARD
Department: Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH)
Grantee: Cook County Department of Public Health
Grantor: Illinois Department of Public Health
Request: Authorization to accept grant
Purpose: Birth Equity Innovation Seed Grants
Grant Amount: $170,000.00
Grant Period: 7/1/2026- - 6/30/2027
Fiscal Impact: None
Accounts: N/A.
Concurrences:
The Budget Department has received all requisite documents and determined the fiscal impact on Cook County, if any.
Summary: This is a formal request to accept the Birth Equity Innovation Seed Grant. CCDPH is implementing Healthy Beginnings, a nurse-led maternal and child health (MCH) home visiting program launched in January 2026 to support pregnant and postpartum individuals and infants through their first year of life. The program provides comprehensive care coordination, health education, and connections to clinical and community-based services to address key drivers of maternal and infant health. Grounded in an evidence-informed and equity-focused approach, Healthy Beginnings addresses maternal mental health, infant feeding, early child development, and social determinants of health. The program prioritizes communities in suburban Cook County experiencing disproportionate maternal and infant health disparities and barriers to accessing care. Through this funding opportunity, CCDPH seeks to strengthen and enhance the program's ability to connect families to community-based perinatal support services and improve care coordination across systems. This effort supports Illinois' broader goals of advancing birth equity and improving outcomes for mothers and infants.
end