217 Today: Midwives could help prevent more deaths. Why don’t more Chicago-area hospitals have them?

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Karie Stewart, a midwife at UI Health on the Near West Side, works at the Mile Square Primary and Immediate Care Center in Chicago’s Auburn Gresham community on Sept. 18, 2023.
  • Photo: Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere / Chicago Sun-Times

September 22, 2023

Today’s headlines:

  • Federal lawmakers from Illinois are calling on their Republican colleagues to avoid a government shutdown.
  • The Illinois State Board of Education is considering further tightening rules for restraining and isolating students in schools.
  • The American Library Association says 2023 has been another record year for book ban attempts in the U.S.
  • Sober bars are opening across the country, but they could be problematic for those in recovery.

In today’s deep dive, we’ll learn about why many hospitals across the Chicago area are not investing in midwives.

217 Today is produced by Stephanie Mosqueda. Reporting today contributed by Mawa Iqbal, Nereida Moreno, Adora Namigadde, Mae Antar and Kristen Schorsch.

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Stephanie Mosqueda

Stephanie Mosqueda is a senior majoring in journalism at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with minors in Spanish and public relations. She is the 217 Today producer and a reporter for the Illinois Student Newsroom.