FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – January 22, 2026
Contact: Efrat Dallal Stein, [email protected]
On the Eve of Maternal Health Awareness Day, Cook County Launches “Healthy Beginnings” to Support Families Before, During, and After Pregnancy
Healthy Beginnings ensures that suburban Cook County families have access to the care and support needed for a safe pregnancy and a healthy first year of life.
BRIDGEVIEW, IL – Cook County Department of Public Health today launched the Healthy Beginnings maternal and child health program on the eve of National Maternal Health Awareness Day. The Healthy Beginnings program will deliver home-based nursing care, case management, and wraparound services and support to pregnant individuals and their infants across suburban Cook County to reduce preventable maternal and infant illnesses and deaths.
Pregnancy-related deaths are a public health crisis both locally and nationally, especially for Black women, who are three times more likely to die from complications during pregnancy than white women, largely due to discrimination, social, economic, and structural factors. Yet, about 90% of pregnancy-related deaths in Illinois were considered potentially preventable, underscoring the need for earlier care and intervention. Healthy Beginnings connects public health nurses with families early in pregnancy and continues support through the infant’s first year. Public health nurses will provide home-based prenatal and postpartum education, help manage chronic conditions, such as hypertension and diabetes, and offer guidance on newborn care, safe sleep, infant feeding, and recommended immunizations.
The nurses also link families to essential resources, like housing, nutrition, behavioral health, transportation, insurance, doulas, and other supportive services. The program further integrates key public health programs, such as perinatal hepatitis B case management, congenital syphilis and STI surveillance, genetic screening education, and coordination to keep infants on track with vaccine schedules.
“Healthy Beginnings reflects our commitment to ensuring every family in Cook County has a fair and healthy start. This program moves beyond reports, recommendations and statistics and delivers real solutions on the ground, bringing us closer to eliminating long-standing gaps in maternal and infant health,” said Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.
“At Cook County Health, our hospitals and health centers work every day to provide high-quality, compassionate care during pregnancy. But we also know that what happens in a medical center is only one of the many factors the impacts maternal and child outcomes. Many of the challenges families face during pregnancy and after birth happen outside these walls. By linking clinical care with community support, we ensure people stay connected to the services that protect their health and their baby’s health,” said Dr. Erik Mikaitis, chief executive officer, Cook County Health.
“Healthy Beginnings brings equitable, evidence-based care directly to the homes of new and expectant suburban Cook County families. Every pregnant individual and every infant should have the support needed for a healthy pregnancy, a healthy birth, and a strong first year,” said Dr. Kiran Joshi, chief operating officer, Cook County Department of Public Health.
Inequitable infant mortality rates in the United States are shaped by structural racism, with infants born to Black women experiencing far higher mortality rates than those born to white women. In Illinois, these disparities can be seen in elevated rates of preterm and low-birthweight births. In 2023, about one in 10 babies in Illinois arrived too early, and nearly 9% were born at a low birthweight, putting them at greater risk for serious health complications. Cook County’s preterm birth rate was slightly higher than the state average reflecting persistent gaps in maternal and infant health that Healthy Beginnings aims to address.
Services are free and open to the public regardless of income or insurance status. Priority outreach is focused on municipalities with the highest burden of maternal and infant risks, including Cicero, Berwyn, Arlington Heights, Oak Lawn, Calumet City, and several others. People can access the program by contacting Cook County Department of Public Health directly or by referral from their health care provider.
Healthy Beginnings builds on trusted Cook County Health resources, including Cook County Health Community Health Centers, birthing hospitals, and CCDPH’s Maternal and Child Health Resource Portal, Maternal and Child Health – Cook County Department of Public Health. The program creates clear pathways for families to access care, information and community-based support.
To learn more or sign up for services, visit Healthy Beginnings – Cook County Department of Public Health or www.cookcountyhealthybeginnings.org
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