 Dear Colleagues,
You may not know that nearly 40% of all live births in the U.S. occur in the “Big 5” states-- Illinois, Florida, Texas, New York, and California (March of Dimes). When I am looking at national maternal and child health statistics, I naturally compare Illinois to the other four states.
As you many know, text4baby, a free mobile health information service for pregnant women and families, is in the midst of a nationwide enrollment contest. I am pleased to announce that, as of July 6, Illinois is fifth in the nation for total enrollment, with just over 2,000 unique users to beat Florida and take third place!
Please visit our website to learn more and order free text4baby materials. Nothing like a bit of healthy competition to kick start our fiscal year. Like many of you, I am working on closing our books for FY2012. As I take stock of our revenues and expenses, I am truly thankful for those of you who choose to support our work by suggesting a funder to investigate, collaborating on proposals, attending our events, or becoming a member.
I hope you had a great Fourth of July holiday with your family and friends.
…and stay cool!
Janine Lewis
Executive Director
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IMCHC is thrilled to welcome three talented and intelligent summer interns to our team.
 Jenna Temkin, Branding Intern
Originally from Skokie, IL, Jenna graduated from Knox College with a degree in Anthropology and Sociology in June. Her email is jtemkin@knox.edu.
 Kathryn Bailey, Policy Intern
Originally from Seattle, Kathryn is a rising senior at Northwestern University studying Social Policy and Gender & Sexuality Studies. Her email is kathrynbailey2013@u.northwestern.edu.
 Kerry Vanden Bos, Policy Intern
Kerry is a rising senior at Northwestern University studying history and business and hopes to work in the public health field when she graduates next June! Her email is kerriganvanden2013@u.northwestern.edu.
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 Gov. Quinn Signs Infant Hospital Feeding Act!
On June 28, IMCHC staff and interns were present when Governor Quinn signed H4968, the Hospital Infant Feeding Act. This law requires all birthing hospitals to adopt an infant feeding policy that promotes breastfeeding and for hospital staff receive regular training on this policy.
HB4968 will make Illinois the first state in the nation to require all birthing hospitals to adopt a policy that promotes breastfeeding and trains staff on this policy regularly. This is the first of ten steps that hospitals seeking “Baby-Friendly” designation must undertake.
Final report on IL Navigators open for comments
The Affordable Care Act requires states to establish a Navigator program to help enroll individuals in health plans on the Health Benefits Exchange. Health Management Associates conducted research and stakeholder interviews on the Navigator program; their report is now on the Department of Insurance website available for public comment until July 27th at 5pm.
IMCHC encourages everyone to take this opportunity to review the report and contribute to the development of a Navigator program by submitting public comments (samples will be available in the coming days).
You can learn more about Navigators in our archived webinar, The Role of Navigators in Health Reform.
Additional policy updates are available in our latest policy memo. Please contact Kathy Chan with any policy questions.
 Legislators voting to repeal health reform TODAY
Even before the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the health care law is constitutional, opponents of the law already had decided that they were going to repeal it.
Legislators will vote TODAY on legislation that would repeal the Affordable Care Act-- stripping away critical protections already implemented. Contact your legislator today and urge them to oppose the repeal of health reform.
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School-based Fluoride Mouthrinse Webinar
Advocacy Program Manager at CLOCC
Funding Opportunity Announcement: A great opportunity for supporting innovations in community health promotion and disease prevention
YMCA is searching for a Director of Development, Youth and Health Initiatives
A full listing of partner announcements can be found on our website.
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