Planned Parenthood of Illinois (PPIL) is pleased to announce their new pilot program, “Bridges to Prenatal Care,” which provides early intervention prenatal services and connects patients with care providers for the duration of their pregnancy. The goal of this program is to offer care in areas that are prenatal care deserts, including the South and West sides of Chicago, and address health equity issues specifically in the Black community due to systemic racism. The pilot program launches at four PPIL health centers during Black Maternal Health Week, April 11 – 15, when patients can begin making appointments for May 2022.
“We know that the enduring presence of systemic racism has dire consequences for Black pregnant people,” said Deloris Walker, Director of Health, Equity and Impact at PPIL. “With this program we aim to reduce disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality, and improve health outcomes for Black women and Black birthing people in Illinois.”
According to the CDC, Black pregnant people in the U.S. are three times more likely to experience a pregnancy-related death than non-Hispanic white women. The majority of those pregnancy-related deaths are preventable. Almost all pregnancy-related deaths from 2011 to 2015 were caused by multiple factors, such as lack of access to high-quality medical care or delayed or overlooked diagnoses by providers, which resulted in missed warning signs.
“Bridges to Prenatal Care” provides initial prenatal care to patients while working to assist them in identifying and scheduling an appointment with an OB, Certified Midwife, or other full-service prenatal care provider.
The program also works to eliminate barriers that patients frequently face. PPIL can help uninsured patients enroll in available insurance plans, connect patients with wrap-around support services to address issues such as food insecurity, transportation, and housing insecurity, and provide follow up to reduce gaps in services for patients.
“Bridges to Prenatal Care” is initially available at four PPIL health centers in the Chicagoland area: Austin, 5937 W. Chicago Ave.; Englewood, 6059 S. Ashland Ave.; Roseland, 11250 S. Halsted Ave.; and in south suburban Flossmoor, 19831 Governors Hwy.
For more information or to make an appointment visit ppil.org/prenatalcare. Or phone 877-200-PPIL. Community organizations looking to become a partner with Bridges to Prenatal Care can email HEI@ppil.org.