If you’re living in Illinois or care about maternal and infant health, chances are you’ve heard fragments of conversations about maternal mortality, racial disparities in birth outcomes, or task forces assembled to study serious health issues. One of the most important developments in this area over the last few years has been the Illinois Public Act 101-0038 2019 Task Force — a law that created a group of people tasked with tackling one of the toughest public health problems in the state: the disproportionately high rates of infant and maternal death among African Americans.
This isn’t legalese that stays in dusty legislative archives. It’s a law that touches real lives — from Chicago to Springfield, from expectant mothers to health professionals trying to improve outcomes. If you want to really understand what Illinois is doing to address these disparities, then you need to know what the Illinois Public Act 101-0038 2019 Task Force is, how it came to be, what it does, and why it matters.
Let’s dive in — in a way that’s easy to follow, packed with real‑world context, and useful whether you’re a student, caregiver, community leader, or just someone who cares about healthier families.
How the Illinois Public Act 101-0038 2019 Task Force Came to Be
The roots of the Illinois Public Act 101-0038 2019 Task Force go back to a hard reality: African American mothers and infants were dying at rates far above other groups in Illinois. Not a little bit. A lot. And for reasons that didn’t make sense when you looked deeper.
People in communities started talking about it — doctors, doulas, health workers, and families who had lost babies or seen mothers struggle through preventable complications. Health data showed that Black women were up to three times more likely to experience fatal complications during pregnancy or after birth compared to white women. Babies born to African American mothers were more likely to be born too early, too small, or not survive their first year.
These weren’t just numbers. They were mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, neighbors. And the urgency became clear: Illinois needed more than good intentions. It needed a structured response.
That response took legislative form in 2019 with Illinois Public Act 101-0038 2019, a law that did something powerful — it created the Task Force on Infant and Maternal Mortality Among African Americans.
The idea was simple:
- Bring experts, community members, healthcare professionals, and state officials to the table.
- Study barriers, causes, and factors behind poor outcomes.
- Make solid recommendations based on real evidence.
- Use that knowledge to shape policy and practice.
This law didn’t just name a group. It gave them direction — and responsibility.
What the Illinois Public Act 101-0038 2019 Task Force Is Supposed to Do
Once you hear the name Illinois Public Act 101-0038 2019 Task Force, it can sound intimidating. But break it down — it’s a group with a clear mission: to look closely at why maternal and infant mortality rates are so high among African Americans in Illinois, and to figure out how to fix it.
Here’s what the law charges the task force with:
Study Current Research and Data
They don’t guess. They look at data — birth records, hospital reports, studies, statistics from around the country. The goal is to understand what’s happening and why.
Examine Social Factors
Infant and maternal health isn’t just about doctors and hospitals. It’s also about housing, stress, access to care, nutrition, racism, economic instability, and neighborhood conditions. The task force explores all of these.
Identify Best Practices
Some communities and clinicians have figured out ways to improve outcomes. The task force looks at models — what works, what doesn’t, and why.
Make Recommendations
And far from vague ideas, the task force produces reports with suggestions lawmakers and public health agencies can actually act on.
Report to the Illinois General Assembly Annually
Holding people accountable is part of the design. Each year, they send a report to lawmakers so that progress (or lack thereof) is visible.
The design of the Illinois Public Act 101-0038 2019 Task Force reflects a belief that big issues need broad perspectives — not just bureaucrats but people who live and work in communities hardest hit by this crisis.
Who Sits on the Illinois Public Act 101-0038 2019 Task Force?
One of the strengths of this task force is its membership. The law doesn’t limit it to policymakers or academics. It includes voices from all corners of the issue.
The group typically includes:
- Leaders from the Illinois Department of Public Health
- Representatives from the Department of Healthcare and Family Services
- Officials from the Department of Human Services
- Obstetricians, nurses, and community health providers
- Certified midwives
- Hospital administrators
- Health insurance experts
- And importantly — a woman of childbearing age who has experienced pregnancy‑related trauma or loss
That last part is crucial. Instead of being pages of data and debate disconnected from lived experience, the task force intentionally includes someone who has walked the path they’re trying to improve. When discussions include someone who has lived through complications or loss, the conversation changes — it becomes more grounded, more urgent, and more human.
This diversity ensures the group doesn’t stay stuck in abstract policy language. Instead it remains connected to the realities of families, springing from the law’s clear mandate.
Community Stories: Why This Task Force Matters
Talk to health workers in Chicago’s South Side, or community organizers in Peoria, and you’ll hear stories that put real faces to the statistics.
For example, a mother named Tasha (not her real name) lost her first child just days after birth. The cause? A combination of delayed prenatal care, transportation barriers to doctor visits, and stress from job insecurity. When she later joined a community support group, she learned she wasn’t alone — and that outcomes might be better if more support were available early on.
“I didn’t know how close I was to slipping through the cracks,” she once said at a community health forum. “I just knew something didn’t feel right — but I didn’t know where to turn.”
If that story feels familiar, it’s because it’s not rare. And the Illinois Public Act 101-0038 2019 Task Force exists to make sure people like Tasha don’t feel lost or unsupported.
Another example involves a nurse in a rural county who noticed that local mothers were less likely to access prenatal care in the first trimester. The nurse shared that transportation costs and lack of flexible clinic hours were major barriers. When shared with the task force, these on‑the‑ground insights can shape solutions that actually work — like mobile clinics or evening appointment slots.
These stories aren’t clinical text. They’re lived experience. And because the task force includes voices from communities, it doesn’t just study problems — it understands them.
The Numbers Speak — But People Tell the Story
We often talk about things like “rates” and “disparities,” but let’s frame it in numbers that matter:
- African American women in Illinois have historically faced maternal mortality rates significantly higher than white women.
- African American infants are more likely to be born preterm or with low birth weight — both risk factors for infant mortality.
These differences don’t stem from genetic factors. They stem from systems and conditions: access to care, stress from structural racism, insurance coverage gaps, environmental factors, and more.
When the Illinois Public Act 101-0038 2019 Task Force looks at data, it sees patterns that explain why disparity exists. But then it pairs those patterns with community stories and professional insights that shed light on how to fix things.
Numbers tell us what is happening. People tell us why it matters.
What the Task Force Has Recommended
By design, the Illinois Public Act 101-0038 2019 Task Force doesn’t stop at research. It makes recommendations — straightforward, practical steps that could improve outcomes.
These recommendations are wide-ranging and thoughtful. A few examples include:
Enhanced Access to Prenatal Care
This could mean expanding community clinics, supporting transportation to appointments, or reducing financial barriers for screening and routine visits.
Education and Support Programs
Peer support groups, doulas, breastfeeding education, and culturally competent care leadership — all can help bridge gaps between healthcare systems and families.
Better Data Collection
The task force pushes for improved tracking of outcomes so trends can be spotted earlier and interventions evaluated more rigorously.
Addressing Social Determinants of Health
This includes tackling housing insecurity, food deserts, environmental hazards, stressors related to poverty, and other factors that affect maternal and infant health.
Training for Providers
Ensuring that physicians and nurses are trained to recognize bias, communicate effectively with families, and understand community context is critical.
Because of the law that created it — Illinois Public Act 101-0038 2019 Task Force — these recommendations carry weight. They’re not just ideas from a meeting room. They’re backed by law and connected to state health departments.
Progress and Reports — What We’re Seeing Today
Every year, the task force produces a report for the Illinois General Assembly. These reports aren’t glossy brochures. They are detailed documents backed by data, interviews, and expert testimony.
And while progress doesn’t happen overnight — especially with something as complex as maternal and infant health — the annual reports show movement:
- Rates of early prenatal care are improving in some regions.
- Local health departments are piloting transportation support programs.
- Provider training on implicit bias has expanded.
- Community health worker initiatives are growing in under‑served areas.
These kinds of steps are direct results of the recommendations produced by the Illinois Public Act 101-0038 2019 Task Force.
For examples of the findings and recommendations from the Illinois Department of Public Health and similar task forces, you can visit this State Health Department maternal health page: https://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/maternalinfanthealth/index.html.
(Note: This CDC link provides national context on maternal and infant health issues — many of the same issues the task force tackles in Illinois.)
Why This Matters Beyond Illinois
Even if you don’t live in Illinois, what’s happening here resonates nationally.
States across the U.S. have recognized racial disparities in infant and maternal mortality — and are trying their own solutions. Some create task forces; others change policies. What Illinois did through the Illinois Public Act 101-0038 2019 Task Force is a good example of how states can legislate attention to a problem that’s been ignored for too long.
This law didn’t create miracles. It created a framework — a bridge between data, health systems, and real communities.
And that’s the kind of model others watch closely.
Real Impact for Real Families
A community health worker in Peoria started a program this year offering home visits for new mothers identified as high risk. The idea: check in, offer support, help families navigate appointments, and provide counseling on nutrition, infant care, and stress management. She told local news that families who use the program report feeling far less isolated.
That’s the kind of change the Illinois Public Act 101-0038 2019 Task Force encourages: local solutions backed by data and supported by public policy.
In southern Illinois, a rural clinic expanded hours after the task force highlighted gaps in evening prenatal access. One young mother said it made all the difference — she could finally schedule visits around her job.
These are small but powerful outcomes that don’t make headlines — but they change lives.
FAQs About Illinois Public Act 101-0038 2019 Task Force
Q: What exactly is the Illinois Public Act 101-0038 2019 Task Force?
It’s a state‑created task force focused on reducing maternal and infant mortality among African Americans in Illinois through research, recommendations, and annual reporting.
Q: Who participates in the task force?
Health officials, clinicians, community representatives, and people with lived experience in pregnancy‑related complications or loss.
Q: Why focus on African American mothers and infants?
Data showed longstanding disparities in outcomes — higher mortality rates, higher risk of complications — that couldn’t be explained by biology alone but by structural factors.
Q: What kinds of recommendations does the task force make?
Recommendations include better access to prenatal care, education programs, addressing social determinants of health, provider training, and improved data tracking.
Q: Has it made a difference yet?
Progress is gradual, but local programs, expanded services, and improved care practices have started appearing in response to task force recommendations.
Final Thoughts
The Illinois Public Act 101-0038 2019 Task Force is more than a law with a long name. It’s a living, breathing effort to confront injustice in health outcomes — to take a tough, stubborn problem and attack it with people, data, and policy aligned toward real change.
It’s not perfect. It won’t solve everything overnight. But it brought direction to a problem that too often was spoken about in hushed, painful tones.
If you or someone you love has been touched by maternal or infant health struggles, knowing this task force exists — and understanding its mission — can make you feel seen, heard, and, most importantly, that progress is possible.
