The Illinois Maternal Health Task Force’s quarterly meetings are held virtually to assure everyone’s safety during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The purpose of the Task Force Meetings is to provide quarterly committee updates on implementation of the Strategic Plan as well as share policy, data, and programmatic updates. I PROMOTE-IL also hosts a virtual Speaker Series. These events feature presentations on special topics to increase general knowledge of maternal health and highlight innovations from across the country. See more details about Illinois Maternal Health Task Force Events below.
March 17, 2022
Task Force Meeting
- New Co-Chair: Timika Anderson-Reeves PhD, MSW
- Updated 2022 Strategic Plan
- Panel Discussion on Maternity Care Deserts in Illinois
- March of Dimes Report on Maternity Care Deserts presented by Elizabeth Oladeinde MPH, MBA, PMP, Director of Maternal and Child Health & Collective Impact with March of Dimes- Chicago.
- “Obstetric Hospital Closures in Illinois and Implications for Maternity Care Access” presented by Amanda Bennett, Ph.D., MPH, Maternal and Child Health Epidemiologist with the Illinois Department of Public Health
- “Factors Influencing a Hospital’s Ability to Maintain Obstetric Services” presented by Lance Kovacs, M.A., Director of Health Policy & Regulatory with the Illinois Health and Hospital Association
- “Implications of Hospital and OB Unit Closures: Health Systems Issues ‘On the Ground’” a discussion on advocacy efforts and perspective with Jessica Davenport Williams, Co-Founder and President at Black Girls Break Bread Inc.
- Open Panel Discussion: What are some solutions that can be implemented in Illinois moving forward? – Facilitated by Arden Handler (I PROMOTE-IL)
February 22, 2022
Speaker Series Event
- Presentation titled “What Can We Learn from the Rapid Maternal Overdose Reveiw Initiative?” presented by Christine Cooper, Public Health Advisor with the CDC Foundation
- Presentation on Illinois Maternal Mortality: Substance Use Disorder, presented by Dr. Cara Bergo, Maternal Mortality Epidemiologist with the Illinois Department of Public Health
December 2, 2021
Task Force Meeting
- Strategic Plan Accomplishments: 2020-2021
- Strategic Plan Committee Updates and Plans Moving Forward
- Task Force Evaluation Survey Results
- Guest Presentation: Birth Trends During COVID-19 presented by Dr. Cara Bergo, IDPH
- Guest Presentation: COVID-19 and Pregnancy in Illinois presented by Dr. Ann Borders, ILPQC
November 12, 2021
Speaker Series Event
- Illinois Maternal Health Digital Storytelling Project presented by Abigail Holicky, I PROMOTE-IL and storytellers
September 14, 2021
Task Force Meeting
- IL Maternal Health Summit updates presented by Shannon Lightner, Deputy Director, Office of Women’s Health and Family Services
- Strategic Plan updates
- Guest Presentation: The Abundant Birth Project presented by Dr. Zea Malawa, San Francisco Department of Public Health
July 27, 2021
Speaker Series Event
- Ohio Wellness on Wheels Women’s Health Mobile Healthcare Model presented by Rebecca Barbeau and Sonia Booker, OhioHealth
June 8, 2021
Task Force Meeting
- Overview of 2016-2017 Illinois Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Report, presented by Dr. Amanda Bennett, CDC Field Assignee in MCH Epidemiology, IDPH
- Maternal health legislation Update presented by State Senator Cristina Castor (D-Elgin)
- IMMT Update presented by Angela Ellison and Tamela Milan-Alexander, IMMT Co-Chairs
- Illinois Fetal Infant Mortality Review (FIMR) Update presented by Jose Ortiz, FIMR administrator, University of Chicago
- Strategic Plan committee updates
March 2, 2021
Task Force Meeting
- Guest Presentation: Levels of Maternal Care: Where Are We? presented by Dr. Sarah Kilpatrick, Professor and Chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
- Establishing Maternal Levels of Care in Illinois presented by Shannon Lightner, Deputy Director, IDPH Office of Women’s Health and Family Service
- Q&A on Maternal Levels of Care
- Strategic Plan committee updates
January 8, 2021
Speaker Series Event
- Building Trustworthy Systems for Childbirth presented by Dr. Neel Shah, Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Harvard University
December 2, 2020
Task Force Meeting
- Guest Presentation: CDC Initiatives to Improve Maternal Health presented by Dr. Wanda Barfield, Director of Division of Reproductive Health, Centers for Disease Control
- Illinois participation in current CDC initiatives presented by IDPH Office of Women’s Health and Family Services
- Update on Strategic Plan and Dissemination
- Strategic Plan Committee Updates
- Review of Task Force Evaluation Survey
September 10, 2020
Task Force Meeting
- Guest Presentation and Q&A: Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act presented by Representative Lauren Underwood (IL-14)
- Review of Illinois Maternal Health Strategic Plan
- Alignment with Illinois Task Force on Infant and Maternal Mortality among African Americans (IMMT)
June 24, 2020
Task Force Meeting
- Presentation on Illinois Title V Priorities and Action Plan: 2021-2024, presented by Dr. Kenya McRae, Illinois Title V Director
- Review of Strategic Planning exercise by I PROMOTE-IL
- Committee meetings
- Review strategic priority area and objective
- Review standardized template for developing strategies and action steps
- Determine meeting schedule through August 1, 2020
March 18, 2020
Task Force Meeting
- Overview of I PROMOTE-IL goal and Maternal Health Task Force Charge
- Review of 2015 Illinois Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Report by Dr. Amanda Bennett, CDC Field Assignee in MCH Epidemiology, IDPH
- Strategic Planning exercise
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