Cook County officials label pregnancy-related deaths a health crisis
[June 12, 2025]
By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
(The Center Square) – Cook County officials say maternal morbidity and
mortality is a public health crisis.
County Commissioner Donna Miller said Black women in Illinois are three
to four times more likely to experience a pregnancy-related death than
white women.
“This disparity is a stark reminder that we have more work to do and to
ensure that race never dictates health outcomes in pregnancy and
childbirth is safe for all,” Miller said.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, maternal
morbidity refers to any pregnancy or delivery complication, which may be
minor or severe. IDPH says maternal mortality is the death of a woman
during pregnancy, childbirth or the postpartum period, which the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines as within one year of
the end of a pregnancy.
Miller said she secured $1 million in the Cook County Hospital budget to
establish a doula program, marking a three-year, $3 million effort.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said families need medical
and wraparound care.
“We can’t ignore that across our country, Black and brown women are more
likely to face complications from pregnancy and childbirth and more
likely to die from them,” Preckwinkle said.
Dr. Lauren Smith, chief medical officer of Cook County Health, said
doulas help guide patients through the pregnancy and postpartum period.
“Doulas help complete home visits. They attend in-person and virtual
visits. They are available during the labor in the delivery unit as
well,” Smith explained.
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Smith said the CDC reported 18.6 deaths per 100,000 live births in
2023, but the number for Black women was 50.3 deaths per 100,000
live births.
According to a 2023 IDPH report, the leading cause of
pregnancy-related deaths in Illinois was substance use disorder,
which comprised 32% of pregnancy-related deaths in the state.
Last August, Cook County Department of Public Health Chief Operating
Officer Dr. LaMar Hasbrouck said that about 2,300 suburban Cook
County residents died from opioid-involved overdoses between 2016
and 2022. The county as a whole reported a record 2,000 opioid
deaths in 2022.
The department also said 23% of adults in suburban Cook County
reported binge drinking.
While Tuesday’s news conference highlighted racial inequities in
maternal mortality rates and the doula program, county officials
criticized proposed budget reductions for the National Institutes of
Health.
Miller said NIH cuts would threaten medical progress.
“The NIH fund research leading to life-saving treatments, cures for
devastating diseases and hope for families facing unimaginable
challenges,” Miller said.
The NIH had a budget of more than $47 billion in fiscal year 2024.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency was accused of
taxpayer-funded gain-of-function research in China. The White Coat
Waste Project alleged earlier this year that the NIH killed and
tortured beagles during research.
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