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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
RECOGNIZING JANUARY 23rd, 2026, AS MATERNAL HEALTH AWARENESS DAY IN COOK COUNTY
WHEREAS, in 2018, New Jersey became the first state to recognize January 23rd as Maternal Health Awareness Day through the work of the New Jersey Section of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists (ACOG), Tara Hansen Foundation, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, and other vital organizations that work to help spread awareness and stop maternal mortality; and
WHEREAS, the theme for this year's Maternal Health Awareness Day is "Holding Ground on Maternal Health" reaffirming our staunch commitment to preventing maternal deaths and advancing respectful, evidence-based care; and
WHEREAS, maternal care access is becoming increasingly challenging, with more than one-third (35.1%) of U.S. counties considered maternity care deserts (areas without a single birthing facility or obstetric clinician), according to a 2024 March of Dimes report; and
WHEREAS, more than 2.3 million women aged 15-44 live in counties considered maternity care deserts, with no access to obstetric care, birth centers, ob-gyns or certified perinatal practitioners; and
WHEREAS, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the 12-month ending provisional maternal mortality rates by race ending March 2025 are as follows: Hispanic or Latina 11.1 per 100,000 live births, White non-Hispanic 15.2, Asian non-Hispanic 15.3 and Black non-Hispanic 47.4; and
WHEREAS, these results are unacceptable and occur irrespective of income or education levels. A person's race should never determine their health outcomes, and pregnancy and childbirth should be safe for all; and
WHEREAS, as the wealthiest nation in the world, the U.S. should also be the safest place in the world to be pregnant and give birth; however, we are consistently among the least safe, with rates of maternal mortality and serious injury continuing to grow at an ...
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