Natalie Bullock - Bureau Chief
In October 2024, the Illinois Department of Human Services Bureau of Maternal and Child Health launched engagement with providers, families, and partners to gather insights to inform the future direction of its maternal and child case management health programs. This effort aimed to address disparities in care, reduce maternal and infant mortality, and enhance equitable access to health services. Through listening sessions and surveys with providers, birthing parents, and other community partners, IDHS gathered critical insights to guide program improvement and innovation. This initiative explored key areas to better understand the needs of birthing parents, infants, and providers across Illinois, with a particular focus on families living in low-income households and those at higher risk of negative health outcomes.
The primary focus of the Bureau of Maternal and Child Health is to reduce maternal and infant morbidity and mortality rates by administering programs through community-based grantee organizations including but not limited to: Local Health Departments, Federally Qualified Health Centers, Hospitals, and Community Based Organizations.
Through a variety of programs, the Bureau seeks to offer programs that prioritize:
- Providing trauma-informed, culturally responsive maternal child health navigation services to eligible families at no cost to the family
- Supporting the health and well-being of birthing families to reduce maternal and infant morbidity and mortality by the following methods:
- Promoting, destigmatizing, and supporting identification and treatment of maternal mental health concerns
- Promoting, destigmatizing, and supporting identification and treatment of maternal substance use
- Promoting the reduction of pregnancy and postpartum complications associated with pre-existing chronic medical conditions and support identification and treatment
- Promoting the reduction of antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum complications and support identification and treatment
- Promoting a safe infant sleep environment
- Promoting adequate maternal and infant nutrition
- Promoting and supporting age-appropriate and diagnosis-appropriate growth and development
IDHS acknowledges that creating equitable access means being responsive to the differing needs across the state. Shared decision making between providers and families allows services to be tailored to best meet the families needs.
IDHS prioritizes a strengths-based approach to services. Listening sessions and survey results show resistance to labels such as "high-risk" and a strong objection to "medical case management".
IDHS recognizes that risk is nuanced and not static, but evolves with changing medical needs, social circumstances, and supports available at any given time.
Better Birth Outcomes Programs
Special Programs
Contacts
Email: Bureau of Maternal and Child Health
External Resources
