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| The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is partnering with more than 100 organizations to launch programs to return infant and maternal mortality rates. |
North Carolina’s health department is buckling down on addressing gaps in the state’s infant and maternal death rate.
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is working with more than 100 partners to improve the health of all people who are of reproductive age. The strategic plan will focus on infant mortality, maternal health, and maternal mortality.
Infant and maternal mortality rates are highest among Black women and babies nationally and in the state compared to whites and Hispanics. Similar gaps also exist with American Indian and Indigenous populations. North Carolina earned a “D” on the 2021 March of Dimes report card for failing to improve maternal and infant health.
“Historic inequities in our economic and social systems continue to impede Black, Indigenous, and People of Color from achieving the best possible health,” said Belinda Pettiford, MPH, the Women, Infant, and Community Wellness section chief. “The economic and social crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic have increased the urgency to ensure that individuals and families have the best possible chance at a healthy life.”
NCDHHS’s 2022-2026 Perinatal Health Strategic Plan will work to improve child and family well-being. The initiative will work to create the opportunity for everyone to have good health regardless of social and economic factors. The three primary goals are addressing economic and social inequities, strengthening families and communities, and better healthcare for all people of reproductive age.
For instance, one strategy is to expand the use of evidence-based models of perinatal care, including doula services.
“Strengthening our focus on infant and maternal health is critical to nourishing the well-being of our communities across North Carolina,” said Kelly Kimple M.D., MPH, the department’s senior medical director for health promotion. “We are committed to the goals of the Perinatal Health Strategic Plan and ensuring people of reproductive age get the care and support they need prior to, during and after pregnancy.”
NCDHHS was recently awarded a community-based doula grant to support the NC Healthy Start Baby Love Plus Program. By partnering with the Haliwa-Saponi Indian Tribe and Opportunities Industrialization Center of Rocky Mount, the funding will be used to hire and train doulas to work in Edgecombe, Halifax, Nash, and Pitt counties.
The state health department will work with multiple organizations, counties, communities as they take ownership of different parts of the plan to achieve its overall goals.
The Perinatal Health Equity Collective meets bi-monthly and works to collaborate with other initiatives in the state, including Healthy NC 2030.
Anyone interested in joining PHEC can email [email protected]
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