Bill Text: IL HR0262 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: States that Illinois hospitals should be required to report instances of preterm birth, infant mortality, and maternal mortality within reporting under the Hospital Report Card Act, including racial and ethnic information about the mother and the disparity of these occurrences across racial and ethnic groups. Urges the Illinois Department of Public Health to work with the review committees to implement policy and corrective actions to address causes of preventable maternal death.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 22-0)

Status: (Passed) 2023-05-18 - Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Camille Y. Lilly [HR0262 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-HR0262-Introduced.html

---

HR0262 LRB103 32246 MST 61473 r
HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Currently, over 860 women die as a result of
pregnancy and childbirth-related causes in the United States,
and the latest data from 2020 shows that over 80% of the
pregnancy-related deaths in the United States are preventable;
and
WHEREAS, Illinois had more than 130,000 births in 2020
with 75 pregnancy-associated deaths and 943 infant deaths; and
WHEREAS, Eighty-three percent of the pregnancy-related
deaths were deemed preventable in Illinois by review
committees; and
WHEREAS, African American women in the United States
experience maternal-related deaths at three times the rate of
non-Hispanic white women, according to the Mothers and
Offspring Mortality and Morbidity Awareness Act, re-introduced
by U.S. Representative Robin Kelly of Illinois in February
2021; and
WHEREAS, Non-Hispanic Black women are three times more
likely to die of a pregnancy-related condition than
non-Hispanic white women in Illinois, according to the 2021
Illinois Department of Public Health Illinois Maternal

HR0262 - 2 - LRB103 32246 MST 61473 r
Morbidity and Mortality Report; and
WHEREAS, Among the top common causes of pregnancy-related
deaths in Illinois are mental health conditions, pre-existing
chronic conditions, hemorrhage, and hypertensive disorder; and
WHEREAS, Research has shown that, relative to white
patients, Black patients are less likely to be given pain
medications, and, when pain medication is given, they receive
lower quantities; and
WHEREAS, A 2015 study from JAMA Pediatrics found that
Black children with appendicitis were less likely to receive
pain medication than their white counterparts; and
WHEREAS, A study examining disparities in the triaging of,
or assigning a degree of urgency to, pediatric emergency
department patients concluded that Black, Hispanic, and Native
American patients received lower acuity triage scores than
whites when presenting subjective complaints, such as
breathing difficulty or abdominal pain; and
WHEREAS, Researchers have also documented an association
between race and increased mortality from stroke, and others
have found that minority patients are less likely to receive
thrombolytics than white patients; and

HR0262 - 3 - LRB103 32246 MST 61473 r
WHEREAS, A study in the Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences contributes bias in pain assessment and
management of patients partially to the fact that
approximately half of medical students and residents believed
inaccurate biological differences between Black and white
people, including that Black people have less sensitive nerve
endings or that a Black person's blood coagulates more
quickly, as well as other unconscious biases; and
WHEREAS, Biases in patient assessment and treatment affect
the level of care for pregnant women, particularly women of
color; and
WHEREAS, Studies have also shown that women are generally
less likely to be diagnosed with diseases, such as heart
disease, and are less likely to receive aggressive treatment
for pain management and certain diseases than men; and
WHEREAS, Due to the vast majority of Illinois births
occurring in hospitals, hospitals play an important role in
addressing maternal mortality; and
WHEREAS, The Illinois Department of Public Health
currently works with the Maternal Mortality Review Committee
and the Maternal Mortality Review Committee for Violent Deaths

HR0262 - 4 - LRB103 32246 MST 61473 r
to review cases of maternal death and to develop statewide
recommendations to prevent future maternal deaths; therefore,
be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
Illinois hospitals should be required to report instances of
preterm birth, infant mortality, and maternal mortality within
reporting under the Hospital Report Card Act, including racial
and ethnic information about the mother and the disparity of
these occurrences across racial and ethnic groups; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Public Health is
urged to work with the review committees to implement policy
and corrective actions to address causes of preventable
maternal death.