South Holland health center pushes for mobile clinic to target maternal health disparities
With Black women more than three times more likely to die from pregnancy than white women, South Holland's The Link and Option Center is pushing for a mobile health clinic to provide culturally sensitive care for women where they're at.
'It's crucial that we, as a community, work closely with our government agencies to address the fact that a significant percentage of pregnancy related deaths in Illinois are considered potentially preventable,' said Twin Green, president and CEO of The Link and Option Center. 'This fact should ignite a sense of urgency and responsibility in all of us.'Variation in quality health care and chronic underlying conditions are among the reasons for racial disparities in maternal health, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Illinois, an average of 88 women die per year during pregnancy or within a year of giving birth, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Green called this a red flag that needs to be addressed by public officials.
Green said at a news conference Monday that she founded The Link and Option Center in 1995 to educate and provide support to young adults, especially in regards to mental health care.
She said mobile clinic is crucial to the health center's mission to uplift Black communities by encouraging positive health outcomes. On Chicago's South Side and in the south suburbs, transportation is a major barrier for women to receive the care needed for healthy pregnancies, which the mobile clinic would address, Green said.
'The mobile maternal care clinic is the option that Illinois must take to save lives and build healthier communities that will save our state billions of dollars in the future,' Green said.
The mobile clinic has received support from state Rep. La Shawn K. Ford, who said he is pushing for state funding. The Link and Option Center seeks about $700,000 to purchase and implement the clinic, which would provide prenatal and postnatal screenings, mental health referrals, crisis intervention, chronic illness management and teen pregnancy support.
Akua Mason attended the news conference with her 4-month-old son, Noah. She said working with a doula who provided dedicated support throughout her pregnancy was game changing as a Black woman living in Matteson.
'She's a Black woman as well, so she was able to connect on that level,' Mason said. 'Those services are super important, because a lot of times moms don't have the language to communicate with providers or even know what's wrong.'
Mason said she's hopeful about a mobile health center in the south suburbs, believing it would help many women who struggle with getting to appointments ahead of birth.
'They may not be able to get there because of transportation,' Mason said. 'So this would eliminate that barrier.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Toilet use at Holyrood will not be ‘policed', MSPs told
Holyrood will not be policing its toilets following an interim decision to bar transgender people from using the facilities of their preferred gender, MSPs have been told. Concerns were raised at Holyrood over this month's decision by the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) on toilet facilities. Green co-leader Patrick Harvie referenced an open letter to the parliamentary decision-making body, saying that this expressed 'serious concerns about the decision that has been made recently' to ban transgender people from the toilet facilities of their preferred gender. The letter has been signed by 17 MSPs from four political parties, and 31 members of staff, Mr Harvie said. Raising the issue in an urgent question at Holyrood, Mr Harvie demanded a commitment that 'nobody will be asked to provide birth certificates or other paperwork' when using a toilet if someone suspects them of being transgender. Christine Grahame, a member of the SPCB, told the Green co-leader: 'I can assure him this is not going to be policed by the corporate body.' She added: 'We are certainly not monitoring the use of public facilities as a corporate body.' Her comments came after the SPCB announced the change earlier this month, with the move coming in the wake of a landmark Supreme Court ruling. Judges there made clear the terms 'woman' and 'sex' in the 2010 Equality Act 'refer to a biological woman and biological sex' – with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) stating as a result that in workplaces which are open to the public, transgender people should not be permitted to use facilities which correspond with their identified gender. Speaking about the SPCB's decision, Ms Grahame insisted: 'There is nothing in here that will take away from the rights of anybody entering this Parliament.' Adding that Holyrood decision makers were awaiting 'full guidance from EHRC' she said the current poliicy was 'simply interim' – appealing to those concerned about the change with 'bear with the corporate body until we are able to do a full consultation'. Ms Grahame stressed the SPCB had made a 'collective and cross-party decision' on the matter, which sought to 'provide assurance it is committed to offering an inclusive experience for all of those who work in and visit Holyrood'. Equalities campaigners, however, had already complained the decision leaves transgender people feeling excluded at the 'heart of Scotland's democracy'. But Ms Grahame said: 'I certainly hope and expect that this will not put anybody in this Parliament into a hostile environment, that is not the culture within this building. 'This simply an interim decision, an interim practical choice we made to comply with Supreme Court ruling. 'There is now a full consultation going ahead and I fully expect at the end of that members will see that important balance of the rights of individuals, whatever their position, is dealt with appropriately and with sensitivity.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Olympic legend Mary Lou Retton arrested for DUI
Olympic gymnastics legend Mary Lou Retton has been charged with driving under the influence in West Virginia. Retton, 57, was stopped in Marion County, West Virginia, on May 17 and charged with one misdemeanor count of "driving under influence of alcohol, controlled substances, or drugs," online court records show. Retton was released the day of her arrest after posting $1,500 bond. She has not yet issued a plea, court records show. Retton's attorney, Edmund J. Rollo, declined to comment on the case when reached Tuesday by ABC News. Retton's arrest comes two years after the gold-medal winning gymnast overcame what she would later describe as a life-threatening battle with pneumonia that required a nearly two-week stay in the intensive care unit. In an interview last May, Retton said she was still suffering complications from the 2023 health scare that left her hospitalized. "I still have a hard time breathing and getting breath to speak," Retton told "Entertainment Tonight," adding at the time that she remained on supplemental oxygen. "I'm a speaker [and] I haven't been able to really work because I don't know if I can get up on stage and do an hourlong talk like I've normally done for 40 years. That's frustrating. It's been hard, I have to say." Retton said in the interview that she battled a "rare form of pneumonia." Pneumonia is a type of lung infection that can be caused by a variety of factors, such as bacteria, fungi, a parasite or a virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mary Lou Retton speaks out for 1st time after life-threatening health scare During her illness, Retton's four daughters set up an online fundraiser for her medical bills. The fundraiser drew some criticism, with some people questioning why a legendary athlete who was once the cover star for Wheaties' boxed cereal would fall on hard financial times. "They were just trying to take care of me," Retton told "ET" of her daughters' fundraising efforts. Noting that she lacked health insurance when the fundraiser was started, Retton said in response to the criticism, "You're welcome to, you know, your opinion. But you weren't in that situation. My daughters stepped up to the plate and they saved my life." Retton is most famous for her performance in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, where she scored a series of perfect 10s to become the first-ever American to win an Olympic individual all-round gold. Retton also won two additional silver medals and two bronze medals at the Los Angeles Olympics, making her the most decorated athlete of that Olympics, according to her official Olympics biography. Mary Lou Retton says she has 'very long recovery' 7 months after hospital release Retton has remained an iconic American sports hero in the decades since and was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1997. In 2018, Retton competed on season 27 of ABC's dancing competition show "Dancing with the Stars." Olympic legend Mary Lou Retton arrested for DUI originally appeared on
2 hours ago
Olympic legend Mary Lou Retton arrested for DUI
Olympic gymnastics legend Mary Lou Retton has been charged with driving under the influence in West Virginia. Retton, 57, was stopped in Marion County, West Virginia, on May 17 and charged with one misdemeanor count of "driving under influence of alcohol, controlled substances, or drugs," online court records show. Retton was released the day of her arrest after posting $1,500 bond. She has not yet issued a plea, court records show. Retton's attorney, Edmund J. Rollo, declined to comment on the case when reached Tuesday by ABC News. Retton's arrest comes more than one year after the gold-medal winning gymnast overcame what she described as a life-threatening battle with pneumonia that required a nearly two-week stay in the intensive care unit. In an interview last May, Retton said she was still suffering complications from the 2023 health scare that left her hospitalized. "I still have a hard time breathing and getting breath to speak," Retton told "Entertainment Tonight," adding at the time that she remained on supplemental oxygen. "I'm a speaker [and] I haven't been able to really work because I don't know if I can get up on stage and do an hourlong talk like I've normally done for 40 years. That's frustrating. It's been hard, I have to say." Retton said in the interview that she battled a "rare form of pneumonia." Pneumonia is a type of lung infection that can be caused by a variety of factors, such as bacteria, fungi, a parasite or a virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. During her illness, Retton's four daughters set up an online fundraiser for her medical bills. The fundraiser drew some criticism, with some people questioning why a legendary athlete who was once the cover star for Wheaties' boxed cereal would fall on hard financial times. "They were just trying to take care of me," Retton told "ET" of her daughters' fundraising efforts. Noting that she lacked health insurance when the fundraiser was started, Retton said in response to the criticism, "You're welcome to, you know, your opinion. But you weren't in that situation. My daughters stepped up to the plate and they saved my life." Retton is most famous for her performance in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, where she scored a series of perfect 10s to become the first-ever American to win an Olympic individual all-round gold. Retton also won two additional silver medals and two bronze medals at the Los Angeles Olympics, making her the most decorated athlete of that Olympics, according to her official Olympics biography. Retton has remained an iconic American sports hero in the decades since and was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1997.
