SPRINGFIELD – A report from The Chicago Sun-Times revealed that more Black Cook County residents died by suicide in 2020 than any year in the last decade, which is why State Senator Patricia Van Pelt (D-Chicago) led a hearing before the Senate Healthcare Access and Availability Tuesday afternoon.

“In the last year, there has been a rise in Black suicides, and I wanted to get to the bottom of it,” Van Pelt said. “So much tragedy has occurred, and I want everyone to know resources are available to help.”

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SPRINGFIELD – In order to combat higher rate of maternal mortality, Black mothers would have more birth options under a measure sponsored by State Senator Patricia Van Pelt (D-Chicago) that was advanced out of the Senate Healthcare Access and Availability Tuesday afternoon.

“So many Black mothers have died unnecessarily due to racism within our health care system and a lack of options for care,” Van Pelt said. “We must ensure that more options are available to them for pre- and post-natal care, so that we can avoid the grave statistics of maternal mortality.”

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CHICAGO – State Senator Patricia Van Pelt (D-Chicago) is excited that $1.7 million has been granted to parks in the 5^th District through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Park and Recreational Facility Construction grant program.

“I am happy that the Franklin and Garfield park facilities will receive the funding to allow for proper updates and renovations,” Van Pelt said. “As the state continues its reopening process, these renovations will be even more necessary.”

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CHICAGO – State Senator Patricia Van Pelt (D-Chicago) is horrified by the shooting of eight people – six who were Asian Americans – in Georgia-based massage parlors last night. She released the following statement:

“My heart goes out to all the families of the victims that were senselessly murdered in Atlanta last night. It appears that the shooter was targeting women of Asian descent, which is deeply troubling.

“White nationalism is on the rise in this country, and we must begin to take this ideology as a serious threat. We cannot normalize behavior that spews hate and bigotry toward people of Asian descent.

“Reports have shown that violence against Asian Americans has increased since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and we must all do our part to prevent race-baiting rhetoric that leads to violence.”