Work on the Chicago South Side Birth Center is underway.
"This is a step forward when this is open. We expect this to happen sometime this year for babies and mothers to access care and dignity," Mayor Brandon Johnson said.
The building that had housed a funeral home will now be a beginning for some Chicago families.
"The Chicago South Side Birth Center has always been about building something. Families have been asking for a place where pregnancy and birth can happen in relationship and dignity, and close to home," said Jeanine Valrie Logan, with the Chicago South Side Birth Center.
"Today is about rewriting the narrative of what's possible in maternal wellness when we center community and follow the lead of Black midwives," Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton said.
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Karie Stewart is a midwife and has been a consultant on the center.
"If we do not provide the necessary access to care, moms will continue to die. We are trying to stop the detrimental, devastating Black maternal health crisis," Stewart said.
An Indigenous smudging ceremony was among the many blessings for healing at the center and in the community.
"May this space become a portal of life, a place where spirit meets body, where beginnings are honored, care is given with wisdom and reverence," Chicago Chief Equity Officer Carla Kupe said.
The South Side Birth Center is set to open in early 2027 at 8301 S. South Shore Drive.