Blessing Hospital among 12 grant recipients from Pritzker’s Birth Equity Initiative

CHICAGO – The Illinois Department of Public Health announced Wednesday it has awarded $4.5 million to 12 groups across the state, funded through Gov. JB Pritzker’s 2024 Birth Equity Initiative.

The grants, ranging from $100,000 to $700,000, were awarded through a competitive process and are designed to support innovative, community-based efforts that have the potential to reduce inequities in populations historically at higher risk for adverse birth outcomes.

One of the recipients is Quincy’s Blessing Hospital, which will receive $400,000 for a project designed to reduce health inequities in Black and Brown women by increasing engagement and participation in their healthcare. The project will focus on expanding connections to doulas, enhancing care coordination, education and support.

“We know that maternal morbidity and mortality has continued to rise across the country,” said Jessica Curry, MD, board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist with Blessing Health and the physician leader of Blessing’s Women’s and Children service.

The Illinois Department of Public Health reports that between 2015 and 2020, pregnancy-related deaths increased by 40 percent.

“We also know women who are supported both at home and by their healthcare providers can have safe and successful outcomes,” she added.

“This is a big deal,” said Jamie Kane, DNP, MBA, RN, administrative director Women’s Health Services, Blessing Health, and ambulatory associate chief nursing officer.

“These are resources that don’t come easily and will have long lasting impacts on the families that we serve,” she added.

How the grant will be invested

Blessing will invest the grant money to hire community health workers and expand access to doulas in the community.

Community health workers visit the homes of at-risk families to identify needs and connect families with agencies that can provide access to the resources they need to reduce pregnancy complication risks. Those resources could be for transportation to and from medical appointments, assistance obtaining food, medication and housing, and substance use disorder treatment if needed.

“Community health workers will come alongside women where they are, versus families having an expectation that they always have to come to the resource. The community health worker may meet with them in their home, provider’s office, partnering community agency, or wherever the family is most comfortable.

That is huge when it comes to having a positive outcome and healthcare experience,” Kane said.

“The goal is not only to provide access through referrals, but to provide follow-up to ensure at-risk patients face no challenges in accessing the assistance they need to reduce their risk for pregnancy complications,” added Dr. Curry.

“It can be easy to become lost in the system before making a successful connection for help,” Kane added.

Doulas are individuals trained and certified to provide continuous physical, emotional and informational support to their clients before, during and shortly after childbirth to help them achieve the healthiest experience possible.

Late last year, Blessing sponsored a class in which 14 people received doula training. The grant will help pay for those people to become certified with the State of Illinois so they may provide care to pregnant women.

“Doulas are often our eyes and ears as they visit and work with families in the home,” said Dr. Curry. “They can help women identify needs for which they should see a doctor or nurse practitioner. Oftentimes women shoulder that responsibility alone, without help, because they think that is what moms are supposed to do.”

“The effects of this grant will be long term with the investment in community health workers and doulas,” Kane concluded.”

Other initiatives in which Blessing will invest the grant money are enhancing other forms of education and support available to pregnant women and their families.

Blessing Hospital has been part of the Illinois Perinatal Quality Collaborative’s Birth Equity Project since 2021.  It is a program of caregivers, patients, public health leaders and policy makers working to improve healthcare and outcomes for mothers and babies across the state.

“Illinois has one of the most robust birth equity initiatives in the entire nation and today’s announcement brings us closer to a state where every mother – no matter her race, economic status, or ZIP code – is afforded the right to a safe and healthy pregnancy,” Pritzker said in a press release. “We’re grateful to our community-based grantees who are assisting pregnant women and families to drive healthier births, improve long-term health outcomes and create more culturally responsive care infrastructure.”

“Public health thrives when it focuses on community-led, community-built solutions,” IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra said.  “IDPH is proud to partner with these 12 outstanding community-based organizations to implement Governor Pritzker’s Birth Equity Initiative. Addressing disparities in birth outcomes is a public health priority, and we look forward to working with our grantees to deliver comprehensive approaches to enhancing birth equity across Illinois.”

IDPH operates two state Maternal Mortality Review Committees that issue reports designed to shed light on trends in maternal health and guide policy makers. The most recent report issued in 2023 found that Black women continue to die at disparately higher rates, specifically due to medical causes, including cardiovascular disease and pre-existing chronic medical conditions. It also found that 91% of pregnancy-related deaths were potentially preventable due to clinical, system, social, community, or patient factors. Moreover, access to care emerged as a critical factor, and several grants specifically target improvements in rural areas.

The Birth Equity grants, aimed at eliminating racial disparities and avoiding preventable deaths, were awarded by IDPH’s Office of Women’s Health & Family Services.

In his 2024 State Budget Address, Governor Pritzker announced a $23 million Birth Equity Initiative that was designed to focus on improving maternal health outcomes and reducing disparities through investments in community-based providers, expansion of the home visiting program, a child tax credit, and a free diaper pilot program.

The Governor’s initiative, which he signed into law in July 2024, included $4 million for IDPH to distribute Birth Equity Seed Grants to support the needs of community-based reproductive healthcare providers. IDPH supplemented the investment with additional $500,000 to reach more communities after an overwhelming response to the funding announcement.