Duckworth Touts Federal Funding for Stroger Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

[CHICAGO, IL] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today visited John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to discuss the $863,000 she secured through a Fiscal Year 2023 Congressionally Directed Spending Request for Cook County Health’s Caring for High-Risk Infants project. The funding Duckworth requested will help ensure families with newborns in the Stroger Hospital NICU receive the high-quality care needed through the purchase of new, state-of-the-art incubators, infant warmers and other elements of critical care, replacing equipment that is nearly two decades old. Duckworth was joined today by Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Cook County Health CEO Israel Rocha. Photos from today are available here.

“Our state and our nation are stronger when we invest in our communities and families—and that’s one of the things Congressionally Directed Spending allows us to do,” said Duckworth. “I’m so proud I was able to secure this critical support for Cook County Health to help upgrade Stroger Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Every family deserves high quality care for their newborns, and making sure babies have what they need to be healthy and grow shouldn’t be dependent on your income level, the neighborhood you live in or the color of your skin.”

Approximately one-quarter of babies delivered at Cook County Health’s Stroger Hospital require care in the NICU due to premature birth or other complicating factors. Cook County Health provides care to all, regardless of ability to pay or insurance status.

In FY22, Duckworth and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) secured $211 million through Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) for Illinois and another $182 million for Illinois in FY23. The CDS process does not represent new spending, rather it enables Members of Congress to allocate existing funding for specific local projects by units of government, nonprofit organizations and other organizations that meet strict eligibility requirements.

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