Three federal elected officials were at Elmhurst Hospital last week to push for funding for modern, safe, and equitable maternal health care experience for surrounding working class and immigrant communities.
“We know that maternal mortality is disproportionately higher amongst women of color,” said Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. “This funding would be able to be used to provide more modern, safe and equitable maternal healthcare to the surrounding communities. It will also allow the hospital to provide families with more space and more privacy during delivery which will not only help control the spread of infection but also help new parents recover, bond with their baby, learn to breastfeed and care for their newborns.”
Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Grace Meng recently submitted a joint funding request for $3 million to pay for the improvements.
“We need to do better, we need to have a better and stronger infrastructure than we did before the pandemic started.” Meng said.
At the height of the pandemic, Elmhurst was one of the hardest-hit communities in the country. Elmhurst Hospital struggled to keep up with the demand.
“This hospital is one of the only places in the world where a person’s income does not determine their quality of care,” said Ocasio-Cortez. “This hospital is one of the only places in the world that says, ‘I don’t need to see your insurance right now. I don’t need to see your papers right now. You’re a human being and we’re going to give you the best quality of care no matter what.’”
