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Illinois’ largest health insurer providing $8 million in support to community organizations, doula training and technology partners

CHICAGO — Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois today announced funding for more than two dozen organizations working to improve health outcomes for mothers and babies across Illinois. The organizations are recipients of more than $8 million in funding under the insurer’s Special Beginnings^® initiative.

In May, BCBSIL announced the expansion of the Special Beginnings Maternal and Infant Health Initiative to aid mothers on their preconception, prenatal and postpartum journeys, reduce maternal morbidities and mortality, and improve access to maternal and infant health care.

“Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois already has robust public programs in place to help mothers and children have the best opportunity to lead healthy lives and thrive,” said BCBSIL Chief Medical Officer Dr. Alvia Siddiqi. “This new investment in community partners furthers our work to improve access to care, reduce health care disparities and educate and engage moms and families on a community level across the state.” 

BCBSIL’s Special Beginnings initiative increases support for members and programs with community partners, doula training organizations and technology developers with local knowledge, experience and staff. Program collaborators were selected based on data provided by the State of Illinois indicating areas of critical need.

“The State of Illinois’ most recent Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Report shows alarming trends in maternal and infant health that require immediate action,” Siddiqi said. “In Illinois, women experience distressing rates of pregnancy-related deaths due to cardiovascular disease, mental health conditions, substance use disorders, inadequate access to health care, poverty and housing instability, which create risks for vulnerable mothers and their families.”

Special Beginnings community partner organizations

• The American Lung Association, training partner organizations across Illinois on smoking cessation and asthma management.
• The Aurora African American Health Coalition, educating pre- and postpartum African American/Black mothers and caregivers on sudden unexpected infant deaths and nutrition.
• Chicago South Side Birth Center, providing culturally centered, evidence-based midwifery care and services in Chicago’s South Side communities.
• The Chinese American Service League, providing prenatal and continuing support in Chinese and English.
• Dovetail Family Health Initiative, providing fathers ages 17 to 24 skills and support to be better fathers for their children.
• EverThrive Illinois, expanding culturally sensitive perinatal mental health care, psychosocial support and addiction services.
• Family Christian Health Center, providing services and access to an additional 125 pregnant moms in underserved areas.
• Family Focus, providing educational materials, postpartum support services, consulting and postpartum mental health support.
• Illinois Perinatal Quality Collaborative, administering Birth Care Quality Star and Birth Care Quality Excellence designations, directing support for quality improvement and developing infrastructure.
• Marillac St. Vincent Family Services, offering programs for pregnant and parenting teens and young women ages 12 to 22 on Chicago's near West Side.
• Melanated Midwives, implementing a midwife-led postpartum and mental health program supporting Black mothers and their infants.
• Mother and Child Alliance, providing a safety net during and after pregnancy for moms, babies and their providers to prevent HIV and other costly pediatric infections in newborns.
• New Moms Inc., offering doula services to support healthy pregnancies and births and home-based parent coaching to support healthy family relationships and positive child development.
• Primo Center, working to increase the number of homeless pregnant women using prenatal and maternal child health care services during their first trimester.
• Share Our Spare, providing postpartum women with items, including diapers, clothing, nursing supplies and safety gear.
• Start Early Illinois, providing access to high-quality peripartum care through home visits and doulas encompassing direct service, workforce development and systems change.
• Sudden Infant Death Services of Illinois, expanding bilingual health educators and crib distribution throughout Illinois and hosting education events for fathers.
• TMH Behavioral Services, providing programs to connect moms with clinicians, enhance parenting skills and emotional well-being for expectant mothers.
• Vitamin Angels, supporting maternal nutrition by giving clinics and community organizations prenatal vitamins to distribute at no-cost to their clients and patients. 

Special Beginnings doula training organizations

• Chicago Family Doulas, providing doula and newborn care in Chicago and surrounding areas, offering in-person and virtual birth and baby classes.
• Chicago Volunteer Doulas, training and employing 100 doulas in the next year to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity rates in Chicagoland and Illinois.
• Gifted Hands International, offering six-month advanced full-spectrum doula training with a one-year professional development externship.
• Sokana International, recruiting 40 people to become full-spectrum doulas with training in business management to start, grow and sustain a doula business.
• Virtually B’Earthed, providing free doula training to increase access to trained doulas in maternal health deserts and communities of foreign-born people.

Special Beginnings technology partners

• Delfina, providing a platform delivering doula support, telehealth services and at-home monitoring.
• Inovcares, offering a mobile app providing access to providers, health assessments and tracking and prescription delivery.

This month our Blue Door Neighborhood Center^℠ locations will kick off maternal health-related events, including a mother’s support group, a ceremony to raise awareness and honor those affected by pregnancy or infant loss. In November, they will hold a birth equity symposium. Learn more at www.BlueDoorCenterIL.com.

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Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois is the largest health insurer in Illinois, serving 9 million members and operating in all 102 Illinois counties. BCBSIL is a division of Health Care Service Corporation, a Mutual Legal Reserve Company and an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Learn more at bcbsil.com and follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Media Contact

Dave Van de Walle
david_van_de_walle@bcbsil.com
(312) 653-9673