About Us

The FCC PAIL subcommittee was established in August 2023 after receiving approval from CDPH to convene the group and approval for it to be open to non-FCC-affiliated members. By opening the group to the public, others interested in PAIL supports and bereavement could join the group and work collaboratively with one another. One of the first group actions was to poll members on what activities and priorities should be focused on. Community voice and input has been critical to the success of the subcommittee.

Subcommittee Work To-Date

• Educating FCC nurses on appropriate and compassionate supports for families experiencing PAIL and bereavement, as well as the stillbirth certificate option for bereaved families in Illinois

• Revising FCC’s marketing campaign to be inclusive of PAIL families 

• Development of the Resource Directory

• Providing Educational Content to Subcommittee Members

  • Including: How to continue bonds with baby, how to help siblings through loss, annual Infant Mortality Report, and information on Liam's Law

• Presentations & Conferences

  • Including: The Pregnancy Loss and Infant Death Alliance (PLIDA) International Perinatal Bereavement Conference, the Institute for Reproductive Grief, Star Legacy Foundation Conference, and the National Maternal Health Innovation Symposium

• Creation of One-Pager to provide an overview of key activities and priorities

The subcommittee continues to work to identify mechanisms by which nurses, organizations, and representatives interacting with families experiencing PAIL and bereavement can meet the needs of these families.

We now have 130 members and growing!

In 2020, the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) launched a pilot program called Family Connects Chicago (FCC) – an evidence-based, universal nurse home-visiting program aiming to improve the maternal and child health (MCH) supports available to families who live in Chicago and deliver babies at one of the 11 participating hospitals in the city.

The Family Connects model connects families giving birth at a participating hospital with a public health nurse who completes a comprehensive assessment to identify needs and connect families with resources and referrals to meet these needs. To help align the support FCC offers with needs identified by families and help implement FCC, Regional Community Alignment Boards (R-CABs) were established. Additionally, the R-CABs help align the support FCC offers with the needs of families and guide FCC implementation. 

R-CAB members include community residents (including FCC participants) and representatives from organizations serving families and infants, providing resources such as childcare, home-visiting programs, and housing supports. Gifts From Liam played a key role in tailoring the intervention to best meet the needs of Chicago families who experience PAIL. Community input from GFL has been critical to the scale-up of a universal maternal and child health initiative and has led to the creation of the FCC PAIL subcommittee. 

Learn more about Family Connects Chicago