On Nov. 8, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra traveled to sites in Chicago to highlight Biden-Harris administration's plans to build back better through investments in maternal health, the Affordable Care Act and the pediatric COVID-19 vaccine, among other issues.
Becerra began his trip at a maternal health roundtable with Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (IL-14), advocates and mothers to discuss the department's efforts to address maternal infant mortality, and how the Momnibus, a bill Underwood introduced, builds on these efforts.
He also took part in a conversation about open enrollment that took place at AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC). Attendees included Underwood, AFC President John Peller, Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady, Howard Brown Health President & CEO David Ernesto Munar, and Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike, among others.
On Nov. 9, Becerra was scheduled to hold a COVID-19 roundtable about the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine for eligible children with Congressman Brad Schneider (IL-10), school leaders and parents in the Waukegan Public School District at Waukegan's Jack Benny Middle School. The event will focus on why it's important for everyone age 5 and up to get the COVID-19 vaccine, with a particular focus on equitable distribution in historically underserved communities.