MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON BREAKS GROUND ON CHICAGO SOUTH SIDE BIRTHING CENTER

Mayor Brandon Johnson
Mayor Brandon Johnson

MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON BREAKS GROUND ON CHICAGO SOUTH SIDE BIRTHING CENTER

The City-backed project is transforming a former church building into the South Side’s first dedicated birth center.

CHICAGO — Mayor Brandon Johnson joined City officials and community leaders to break ground on the Chicago South Side Birth Center (CSSBC), the South Side’s first ever dedicated birth center and the first nonprofit birth center in Illinois. The City-backed project is utilizing funds made available through Mayor Johnson’s $1.25B Housing and Economic Development (HED) Bond to convert the former Morning Star Bible Baptist Church building at 8301 S. Shore Dr. in South Chicago into a community focused reproductive health clinic with three birthing suites and on-site midwifery care.

“Today, we come together to lay the foundation for healthier families and stronger support for our mothers,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “The gaps in maternal healthcare mothers in our city, particularly Black mothers, have faced are not new, they are the result of decades of disinvestment. Shaped by advocates with deep roots in the community who understand both what families need and what has long been lacking on the South Side, this center is a major step forward in our work to address health inequities while reaffirming our commitment to investing in the success and well-being of Chicago families.”

The CSSBC will offer residents prenatal care, birth services, postpartum care, lactation support, holistic reproductive health care, childbirth education, and wellness programming while addressing disparities in access to care on the South Side.

“This birth center represents what becomes possible when community vision and public partnership come together,” said Jeanine Valrie Logan, Founder and Lead Steward of the Chicago South Side Birth Center. “Families on the South Side have long deserved access to midwife-led care in our own neighborhoods, and today marks the beginning of a space built with and for this community.”

The $7.4 million project received $3.3 million in City support through a Community Development Grant awarded by the Department of Planning and Development (DPD) in May 2025. The funding, made available through HED bond proceeds, is being used to cover costs tied to construction, rehabbing efforts, and landscaping.

“So much of what we do at the Planning Department is about community-wealth building and helping residents thrive in their own neighborhoods. So, it’s uniquely gratifying to support facilities like this because, fundamentally, health is wealth from birth and beyond,” said DPD Commissioner Ciere Boatright.

The CSSBC will address existing inequities in birth outcomes by providing culturally centered, midwifery care alongside families and within the community to promote whole health and long-term wellness.

With only four hospitals on the South Side offering maternity services, limited access to maternal care has driven high rates of infant and maternal morbidity. The Birth Center seeks to disrupt inequitable outcomes for Black birthing people and their families by expanding locally rooted, community-based care which breaks down barriers to care.

“This birth center reflects what it means to respond to longstanding inequities in maternal and infant health with intention and care,” said Carla Kupe, Chief Equity Officer. “For too long, Black mothers and babies, particularly on the South Side, have navigated systems that were not designed with their safety, dignity, or lived experience in mind. By rooting care in community, trust, and cultural responsiveness, this space represents both repair and possibility and a meaningful step toward closing gaps that have persisted for generations.”

Mayor Johnson and his wife Stacie have been long-time advocates for maternal health equity and improved treatment options for mothers in Chicago. In 2024, The First Lady joined a CSSBC roundtable which helped guide the project’s aims and development.

“This work is deeply personal to not only me, but to my wife and First Lady, Stacie,” said Mayor Johnson. “As a former doula, Stacie’s care and advocacy for mothers extends past our own family, but to women across our city who need support throughout every step of the birthing process. I am blessed to experience her transcendent love for people every single day.

Through the strategic deployment of HED funds and other community development resources, the Johnson administration remains committed to catalyzing and supporting projects across the city which create and maintain jobs, increase economic vitality, and drive quality-of-life improvements for Chicagoans.

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