June 28, 2024

Duckworth, Durbin Announce $525,000 in Federal HHS Grants for Lawrence County Department of Health

The federal funding will go toward developing treatment for pregnant or post-partum mothers struggling with opioid addiction

 

[CHICAGO, IL] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced $525,000 in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grant funding for the Lawrence County Health Department.  The federal funding will be used to support programming that develops and offers treatment for pregnant or post-partum mothers struggling with opioid addiction.

“It is absolutely unconscionable that hundreds of expectant and new moms are estimated to have died from preventable causes in one of the wealthiest countries in the world,” Duckworth said. “There are real and easy-to-implement solutions, and I’m proud to see this federal funding supporting families in Lawrence County. I’ll continue working with Senator Durbin to help ensure pregnant and post-partum moms who are struggling with opioid addiction have better access to the resources necessary to help with recovery and a healthy pregnancy.”

“The maternal mortality rate in this country is nothing short of a crisis, especially for women of color and women in rural areas” said Durbin.  “I’m grateful that Lawrence County will be seeing federal investment to address that very crisis.  With this additional funding, Illinois’ local government can better support pregnant and post-partum mothers who are struggling with addiction and help them have a healthier pregnancy while putting them on the road to recovery.”

The United States is one of only 13 countries in the world where the maternal mortality rate is worse now than that it was 25 years ago and is the only industrialized country with a rising maternal mortality rate.  The shocking statistics cut across geography, education level, income, and socio-economic status.  Further, the United States ranks 32nd out of the 35 wealthiest nations when it comes to infant mortality—with 23,000 babies born in the United States dying annually.

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