It is with mixed emotion that EverThrive Illinois announces the departure of Sheila Sanders, Director of Community Engagement, as she and her family relocate to the East Coast. Sheila has been a fixture of EverThrive IL for more than 16 years, bringing expertise, personality, and passion to progressive community outreach and engagement roles. We are incredibly grateful to Sheila […]
Continue ReadingSupreme Court Upholds the ACA…Again!
EverThrive Illinois applauds the 7-2 decision of the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) to uphold the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in California v. Texas. By throwing out the Trump-backed challenge to the ACA, the SCOTUS ruled that the states challenging the law failed to prove that they were harmed by the ACA’s individual mandate. The ACA is still the law of the land. The decision […]
Continue ReadingGovernor Pritzker Signs Law to Address Racism in Medicaid
This week, Governor JB Pritzker signed the fourth and final pillar of the 2021 Illinois Legislative Black Caucus agenda. This pillar, bill number HB 158, addresses systemic racism in the Medicaid health care system by requiring implicit bias training for providers, expands access to high-quality, evidence-based doula and home visiting services for people with Medicaid, and […]
Continue ReadingInfertility is a Reproductive Justice Issue
EverThrive Illinois has spent over 30 years working to improve the lives of pregnant people, children, and families in Illinois by ensuring that all people have access to quality affordable health care. As part of our mission and vision for Illinois, we believe every family should have the right to choose if, when, and how they will have children. However, infertility and challenges accessing fertility treatment have created barriers for many […]
Continue ReadingBirth Justice for Black Birthing Parents
After decades of decline, maternal mortality in the U.S. and in Illinois has worsened since 2000 and not all pregnant people are equally at risk. Black pregnant and postpartum women die at six times the rate of white women in Illinois. Women on Medicaid during their pregnancy face almost five times the risk of pregnancy-related death that women with private insurance experience. But to call this phenomenon a maternal mortality “crisis” only captures some of the […]
Continue ReadingMaking Birth Safer in Illinois
Every pregnant person deserves the opportunity to deliver their babies in a safe, affordable, and comfortable setting of their choice. However, the current landscape of birthing options on the south and west sides of Chicago, and in rural parts of the state, limits their choices.
Continue Reading