August 2, 2024

My name is Lauren Underwood and I have the honor of serving as your Representative in the United States Congress on behalf of Illinois’ 14th Congressional District. I’m reaching out to invite you to join us in Joliet on Monday, August 26, 2024, for the fourth annual Black Maternal Health Caucus Stakeholder Summit.

American moms are dying during pregnancy and the postpartum period at a higher rate than any other high-income country in the world – and our maternal health crisis is only getting worse. As a nurse and Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the Black Maternal Health Caucus, I came to Congress determined to fight for policy solutions to improve maternal health outcomes and end disparities. This is personal to me: I lost my dear friend, Dr. Shalon Irving, in January 2017 to pregnancy-related complications just three weeks after she gave birth to her first child, a beautiful daughter named Soleil.

Her story is one of too many; as I have done this work, so many people have shared their own stories with me -- losses and near misses, tragedies that could have been prevented. I am fighting alongside families like yours to end this crisis and make sure that pregnancy is a time of joy, not fear. That’s why I introduced the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act, the first comprehensive solution that addresses every driver of maternal mortality, morbidity, and disparities in America. To learn more about this legislation and what else we can all do to address this crisis and improve the lives of mothers, I invite you to the 2024 Black Maternal Health Caucus Stakeholder Summit.

This annual summit will take place in Joliet, Illinois on Monday, August 26th 2024, from 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. CT. At this Summit, leading health care professionals, entrepreneurs, and stakeholders will highlight their work in combatting the maternal health crisis in Illinois and across America, expanding legislative action on the Momnibus Act, and sharing maternal health resources. I hope that you and your community will join us and be a part of the change needed to end the maternal health crisis.

For more information, please use the QR code below or visit https://tinyurl.com/BMHCsummit2024.

Take good care!  

Member of Congress