Springfield, IL (WAND) – The Illinois Birth Equity Blueprint — a roadmap to improving maternal healthcare and birth outcomes in Illinois — was released on Thursday.
The blueprint is part of the state’s larger Illinois Birth Equity Initiative, which was launched in February of 2024.
“The Illinois Birth Equity Blueprint is the way forward in maternal health and birth equity,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Since our first days in office, Lieutenant Governor [Juliana] Stratton and I have been committed to the same goal: to make Illinois the best state to raise a family. We cannot get there until it is safe and affordable for every mother to do so, and this blueprint outlines the steps to accomplish that.”
The blueprint outlines four goals meant to improve maternal health:
- Expand investments in health quality and provider support
- Promote access to birthing and specialty care services
- Establish universal risk assessment, referral, and care coordination framework
- Develop shared measurement and accountability framework for maternal health and birth equity.
“This initiative is as much about building trust with our people and communities as it is about creating access to healthcare,” said Lieutenant Governor Stratton.
