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Masks for Moms

masks for moms

Masks for MOMS Campaign Success Heading link

As COVID-19 cases surged in early 2020, representatives from a dozen Chicago and Illinois maternal and child health (MCH) organizations launched the Masks for MOMS campaign in April 2020. The Masks for MOMs campaign engaged partners from hospitals, federally qualified health centers, social service providers, and other community-based organizations to stay abreast of local needs and establish priorities for mask distribution.

From April- December 2020, Masks for MOMs distributed approximately 22,000 masks from over 150 volunteers. Masks were provided to a total of 40 community health centers, hospitals, and outreach events, with a priority of pregnant and postpartum persons in communities with high COVID-19 positivity rate.  At this time, the campaign is suspended. We will be keeping a close eye and ear to community need for masks and may restart in 2022 if needed.

A sincere thank you to the volunteers who supported this campaign! We are humbled by your thoughtfulness and enthusiasm to help.

Click here to learn more about the importance of wearing masks during pregnancy and in the postpartum period

Masks for MOMS: COVID-19 Response Heading link

Living through COVID-19 has been scary for all of us, but especially for those who are pregnant. To help make it a little less scary, Masks for MOMS wants to get reusable cloth face masks to the moms and moms-to-be who need them in the Chicago-land area. The aim of the Masks for MOMS campaign is to ensure that pregnant people and people in labor and delivery have access to face masks at their prenatal visits and when they arrive at hospitals for delivery.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends wearing masks where social distancing may be challenging to maintain to help slow the spread of illness. By working together, we can support pregnant Illinoisans and reduce the anxiety of going to doctors’ appointments or the other necessary errands, especially if using public transportation.  Even though masks don’t provide absolute protection from COVID-19, all individuals are encouraged by the CDC to wear masks when they leave their homes. People attending prenatal care visits in person and those about to give birth will also benefit from the reduced stress that is likely to come from wearing a mask in their interactions with their prenatal care providers.

While some people in Chicagoland (Chicago and its suburbs/surrounding counties) will have access to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) because they are receiving care at larger better resourced health care centers and hospitals, many do not have such access. We are partnering with community-based clinics and strategic community sites to make them available during in-person clinician visits and labor and delivery.

Click here for more information about Masks for Moms and how the campaign works

Check out some of our volunteers’ fantastic work Heading link