“Embedded within these persistent disparities are the ongoing effects of institutional racism—racism that began with the enslavement of Black people, was embedded in our earliest institutions, and has continued to influence policies and practices ever since,” researchers say in a National Institute for Children’s Health Quality report.

Participating in the life of a faith community can provide numerous benefits for expectant mothers:

Faith communities can support pregnant women and new moms by offering:

Black moms are less likely than their white counterparts to breastfeed, a statistic that LuVerda Martin (right) has witnessed firsthand in her 21 years practicing as a nurse midwife. That is why Martin provides breastfeeding education to all her patients during their prenatal visits, so they know it is a viable option for them. Keep reading.

Evidence demonstrates that fathers play a critical role in children’s health and development, beginning in the prenatal period and continuing through early childhood and adolescence. When fathers are involved during pregnancy, mothers are 1.5 times more likely to receive prenatal care in the first trimester, which has positive implications for both maternal and infant health. Keep reading.

Share this the bulletin insert and worship slide with your faith community to raise awareness of how:

Advocate Aurora Health offers Healthy Steps for Young Children (Healthy Steps), a program that focuses on the importance of the first three years of life.

Healthy Steps emphasizes a close relationship between health care professionals and parents in addressing the physical, emotional, and intellectual growth and development of children from birth to age three.

The program offers virtual visits and information on post-partum education/referral, developmental screenings, breastfeeding, and social-emotional well-being assessments for children and mothers.

To learn more, contact Alix McNulty, Manager of Community Outreach and Population Health with Advocate Aurora Health.

Access trusted health information for parents, teenagers and children. Explore online resources on a wide variety of health topics, including maternal and child health:

See Virtual Early Reading Resources: Spring 2021, which features links to local library online events. In many cases, you don't need to be a member of the library to participate in virtual programs!

Advocate Health Care High-Risk Pregnancy Management through a multi-disciplinary team of experts, diagnostic services and fetal medicine.

Text4Baby. Get support throughout your pregnancy and your baby's first year with free text messages on topics like prenatal care, baby health, parenting & more.

After the Baby Arrives – CDC. Includes a wide range of health, safety, and child development resources and information.

Keeping Children Safe in Vehicles – a Guide for Families and Caregivers

Safe to Sleep Campaign offers safe infant sleep basics, resources, research and more.

Advocate Children's Hospital Car Seat Basics: A Virtual Class. Zoom with our Certified Car Seat Technicians as we demonstrate the ABC’s of car seats.

Everthrive Illinois believes all moms and infants in our state should have positive health outcomes that are not determined or impacted by their race or ethnicity. Additionally, every family, regardless of insurance status, deserves high-quality health care.

Office on Women’s Health offers resources on pregnancy, getting ready for baby, and childbirth and beyond.

Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services offers resources on improving moms' and babies' health, preconception care, screening services and more.

The Office of Minority Health of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services wants you to know that infant mortality is preventable. Download brochure.

Congratulations to Patricia Jackson, community health worker with Advocate Aurora Health, who received the Community Health Advocate of Impact Award during the recent Black Health Matters summit.

She was honored “for building a culture of health that is sustainable through collaboration and partnership” through her work with the Partners in Faith & Health Network.

Thank you, Patricia, for all that you do in helping improve the health of those in the Southland community!

If you missed the Feb. 6 virtual town hall, "Church, Community & Civic Engagement," you have the opportunity to view the recorded session.

Bishop Sedgwick Daniels, pastor of Holy Redeemer Church of God in Christ, Milwaukee, discussed various aspects of how the church, our community leaders and our civic leaders can collaborate and build toward the advancement of kingdom principles and agendas.

Joining Bishop Daniels was Senator Cory Booker, Congressman Bobby Rush, Congresswoman Gwen Moore, Congressman Jim Clyburn and Congresswoman Robin Kelly.

Click here to download the flyer (right).

Watch Advocate Aurora Health CEO Jim Skogsbergh, who was joined by Dr. Robert Citronberg, our Executive Medical Director of Infectious Disease and Prevention, and Dr. Jacqueline Ivey-Brown, a primary care physician with Advocate Medical Group, answer questions about the COVID-19 Vaccine.

We discussed the new one-shot vaccine, vaccine distribution and what we know about their protection against new strains of the virus. We shared the facts, discussed the latest CDC guidelines and the vaccine’s safety and efficacy. We also heard from Governor Evers and Governor Pritzker who discussed the latest with vaccine distribution in Illinois and Wisconsin. Watch on Facebook and YouTube.

By: Dr. Robert Citronberg

Advocate Aurora Health and the State of Illinois have partnered to help people recover from COVID 19 safely at home. The program is available to all residents over 12 months of age with known exposure to COVID 19 or experiencing COVID like symptoms. The program is free and there are no insurance requirements.

The Ad Council recently released a COVID-19 vaccine campaign, “It’s Up to You,” which includes FAQs in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Haitian Creole and Vietnamese.

The campaign also offers COVID-19 Vaccine Education resources in English and Spanish, including some that are intended for faith community audiences:

The Partnership Center for Faith-based & Neighborhood Partnerships offers a FAQ and guide to support vaccine confidence for faith and community leaders.

'All in' Against COVID 19 offers step-by-step recommendations, such as:

Advocate Aurora Health Faith and Mental Health Quarterly provides updates on mental health resources, events and news to support the well-being of people in your congregation and community.

If you would like to be added to the mailing list, please contact Cindy Novak.

March 1: St. David's Day - Christianity

March 1-19: Nineteen Day Fast - Baha'i

March 7: Meatfare Sunday - Orthodox Christianity

March 11: Isra and Mi'raj - Islam

March 11: Maha Shivaratri - Hinduism

March 14: Cheesefare Sunday - Orthodox Christianity

March 15: Lent begins - Orthodox Christianity

March 17: St. Patrick's Day - Christianity

March 19: St. Joseph's Day - Christianity

March 21: New Year - Baha'i and Persian/Zoroastrian

March 25: Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Christianity

March 27: Lord's Evening Meal - Jehovah's Witness

March 28: Palm Sunday - Christianity

March 28: First Day of Passover - Judaism

March 28: Lailat al Bara'ah - Islam

March 29: Holi - Hinduism

We invite you to take the annual Faith and Health Partnerships e-newsletter survey. The feedback you provide will prove invaluable as we plan upcoming issues.

Thank you in advance for your responses!

Take the survey here.

We hope you find this update helpful as you promote the health of your members and community. Please contact Cindy Novak if you have questions or topics you'd like us to address. Thank you!