Last week, I was proud to convene a hearing of the Cook County Board’s Health and Hospitals Committee to discuss the maternal mortality crisis, an issue that is too often overlooked across the country.

 

The urgency of holding this hearing cannot be overstated. We recently heard the news of the tragic death of Tori Bowie, 2016 Olympian and track athlete, who died in her eighth month of pregnancy, likely due to respiratory distress and eclampsia. An astounding 75% of the gold medal-winning team that Bowie was on has either died from or experienced these complications during pregnancy.

 

That statistic is shocking, and it’s indicative of a much larger problem. Regardless of socioeconomic status, Black women are three to five times more likely to die in childbirth than white women. And here in Illinois, we outpace this national average, where Black women are six times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than White women. Systemic disadvantages in our health care system can lead to Black women facing more barriers when it comes to accessing information, medications, and specialists — in addition to facing bias and discrimination from their doctors.

 

Black women in Illinois — and across our country — deserve better. And we know it’s possible to improve the standards of care and combat the maternal mortality crisis. Other industrialized countries like Spain, Japan, and Italy all have fewer than three maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births — in fact, as of 2021, the U.S. was the only industrialized nation in the world whose maternal mortality rate is rising. There is no excuse for us not to act.

 

Last week’s Board hearing featured powerful testimony from experts on the subject, focusing on the experiences of mothers of color who are disproportionately impacted. Elected officials including Congresswoman Robin Kelly and Illinois State Rep. Mary Flowers spoke about their policy efforts, and doctors from Cook County shared their stories. Mothers, doctors, doulas, and more – many who are women of color who have experienced pregnancy complications themselves – described the dire situation we find ourselves in when it comes to maternal health during pregnancy and childbirth.

 

Coming out of this hearing, there are important takeaways that  I will pursue on the Cook County Board and that we must take into consideration as we look to protect everyone in our communities. We need to work to ensure that women have access to quality health care during and after pregnancy and childbirth. Conditions like preeclampsia don’t have to be deadly — if caught early enough, these pregnancy-related health issues can be monitored and managed. But having that access isn’t always easy — women are more likely than men to be uninsured, with Black and Hispanic women uninsured at higher rates.

 

But access to health care isn’t enough on its own. Bias in medicine needs to be examined and dismantled on an individual level. Hospitals should be providing equity training for their health care providers, ensuring that patients receive the same caliber of care, regardless of their race. We should also create more robust access for pregnant patients to have doulas, who have been shown to reduce racial disparities in health outcomes and can work as patient advocates in medical settings.

 

We’re lucky in Illinois to have representatives who are advocating for equity in pregnancy care and childbirth. In 2019, Congresswoman Kelly introduced the MOMMA Act, with US Senators Duckworth and Durbin introducing companion legislation in the Senate that would address this crisis through a six-pronged approach. While the act has not passed out of Congress, it provides a roadmap to make maternal mortality an issue of the past.

 

It’s far past time for us to use every tool we have to bring down our maternal mortality rate in our state and country, and to address the disparities that Black women face when it comes to pregnancy-related health care. I’m hopeful that our hearing last week shined some much-needed light on the issue, and that it will spur conversations, legislation and action to help protect women in this state. 

I attended to the 12th Annual U.S. Congressional Awards Gala, which was hosted by the Multi Ethnic Advisory Task Force and the American Multi Ethnic Coalition. I am beyond honored, humbled and thrilled to have received the Woman of the Year award! I’ve always been proud to know that diversity in a a lived experience and one I have embraced throughout my life. I thank Congressman Danny Davis and Dr. Vijay Prabhakar for fostering multi ethnic work through their work here and throughout the world! There were many exceptional honorees that are so dedicated in their respective fields. I’d like to extend a special Congratulations to Israel Rocha from Cook County Health!

Celebrating PRIDE in Cook County!

PRIDE Brunch Kickoff Celebration!

PRIDE MONTH!!!

We appreciate your participation in the Hula Hooping event at Swallow Cliff Woods in Palos Hills. While kicking off CPR Week in June, we burned a few calories. The limestone stair workout and paths in Cook County's forest preserves are excellent for lowering heart rate and blood pressure.

Redeemer Lutheran Church’s “Well Being of You Fair” went very well and had so many neat vendors today.

Thank you so much Governors State University for hosting the Chicago Southland Educator Consortium Annual Conference.

The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, in partnership with the College of Education, presents the first annual conference in the Chicago Southland to address strategies to increase teacher diversity.

The Lake Calumet Bike Network Study wants more equitable and safer bicycling opportunities for all residents of the Lake Calumet area of southern Cook County!

Juneteenth Celebration at Sand Ridge Nature Center! 10 years strong!

It was my pleasure to be part of the Juneteenth Illinois Celebration Health Breakfast Panel at Malcom X College.

I had so much fun with Rich Township Senior Center at the Chicago Botanic Garden. The flowers were lovely and there was so many things to do all in walking distance. The best time of year to travel is now! Thank you so much Calvin Jordan and Rich Township Senior Services for curating such a great day!

23-3815-I introduced a resolution to change our monthly updates from the Cook County Department of Public Health and Cook County Health on the County’s Covid-19 Immunization and Mitigation plans for suburban Cook County and any other infectious diseases of concern such as MPOX or RSV to quarterly updates. It will enable the Board to stay vigilant and importantly keep track of vaccinations. We've still seen surges of Covid-19 around the world and moving to quarterly updates will still provide us with the information we need to help educate our residents. These updates will be received in the Health & Hospitals Committee starting in September.

23-0469-A Public Hearing of the Health & Hospitals Committee to examine maternal health morbidity and mortality rates in Cook County, which I sponsored was convened. We heard expert testimony from Congresswoman Robin Kelly, State Rep. Mary Flowers, the Cook County Department of Public Health, Cook County Health, CountyCare and stakeholder experts from several hospitals and clinics. During the pandemic maternal morbidity and mortality rates skyrocketed in the U.S. and the disparity between black and white women grew even larger. This hearing was just the 1^st step in gathering the information we need to understand and tackle this crisis.  If you weren’t able to join us live, I’d encourage you to watch the recording.

23-3476-A resolution urging the Illinois Governor and General Assembly to pass a comprehensive statewide flavored nicotine product ban, which I sponsored was unanimously approved. It is incumbent upon state and local governments to lead the way in the protection of our youth and young adults for the good of our public health. Other U.S. jurisdictions that have taken actions to eliminate the sale of flavored nicotine products include the states of Massachusetts, California, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island that have enacted statewide flavored nicotine and vape product bans.

23-3117-A resolution introduced by President Preckwinkle and Commissioner Degnen, which I joined as a co-sponsor creating a Twelve Week Paid Parental Leave policy for County employees was approved.

23-3612-I was appointed Chair of the Cook County Veterans Committee. I’m eager to continue to work on behalf of our Veterans in this role and look forward to partnering with our Cook County Veterans Affairs department and veteran organizations.

23-3603-An ordinance to renew the Surviving Spouse Tax Abatement Ordinance sponsored by Commissioner Daley, which I joined as a co-sponsor was approved. The ordinance allows for abatement or rebate of Cook County's portion of property taxes levied on a qualified property for surviving spouses of a fallen police officer, soldier or rescue worker in accordance with 35 ILCS 200/18-178.

6^th District Economic Development and Infrastructure Legislation:

23-2384-A Class 8 Property Tax Incentive for PPFAM, LLC in Steger, which I co-sponsored with President Preckwinkle was approved.

23-3195-A contract with Acura Inc. for ADA ramp updates and construction at various locations throughout southern Cook County was approved. Fiscal Impact: $939,796.00

Forest Preserve District Items

23-0288-I chaired a meeting of the Forest Preserve Contract Compliance committee in which we received the FY2022 Annual Business Diversity Report. The District has been doing an outstanding job in creating diverse opportunities for our small businesses. 60% of contracts were awarded to minority- and women-owned businesses and 51% of contract payments were made to minority- and women-owned businesses in FY2022.

23-3607-A resolution honoring the life of Teresa “Terri” Lynn Santiago, which I introduced was approved.

Calling all young adults! Take this time to register for Opportunity Summer, an internship program for suburban Cook County Government out-of-work or out-of-school youth. Opportunity Summer is made possible through Cook County’s investment in ARPA funding. Spots are filling up fast!

The Citizen of the Year Award recognizes a Richton Park resident who, through their personal involvement, leadership abilities, and selfless giving of their time throughout the year, has positively affected the community and the lives of its citizens. This annual award, carefully chosen, honors those who’s contributions to Richton Park have resulted in a long-standing, substantial benefit or positive influence to the people through volunteerism, mentorship, and collaboration. This year’s Citizen of the Year, is no other than long-time resident, Ms. Gloria Cox.

PAID FOR AND AUTHORIZED BY FRIENDS FOR DONNA MILLER. A COPY OF OUR REPORT IS, OR WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE FROM THE STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS, SPRINGFIELD, IL, OR ON THE BOARD’S OFFICIAL WEBSITE, HTTP://WWW.ELECTIONS.IL.GOV. CONTRIBUTIONS ARE NOT TAX DEDUCTIBLE.