PRESS RELEASE - The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is pleased to be selected among several entities for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration investment in increasing access to maternal care, addressing maternal mental health and growing the maternal health workforce in North Carolina. The department is committed to addressing the maternal mortality crisis and ongoing disparities among infant and maternal mortality rates, particularly in underserved areas. Black babies in North Carolina are 2.5 times more likely to die than white babies, and Black women experience almost twice the rate of maternal mortality than white women.
Press Releases
MEDIA ADVISORY - Carole Johnson, Administrator for the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will be joined by Kody Kinsley, Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, grantees and families at Wake County Public Health Center on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, to announce new federal funding to combat maternal mortality and improve maternal health, particularly in underserved communities.
PRESS RELEASE - The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced the launch of BreastfeedNC.com, a new website dedicated to providing comprehensive information and resources to support mothers and families across North Carolina who are interested in breastfeeding.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will host a live fireside chat and tele-town hall on Tuesday, May 9, from 6 to 7 p.m., to discuss maternal health in North Carolina and provide guidance and resources to support well-being before, during and after pregnancy.
Babies born in North Carolina will now be screened for two additional disorders, along with the other disorders screened for by the NC Department of Health and Human Services’ Newborn Screening Program. Newborns will now be screened for two Lysosomal Storage Disorders — Mucopolysaccharidosis Type I (MPS I) and Pompe Disease.
Medicaid postpartum health care coverage will be extended from 60 days to 12 months for eligible people in North Carolina beginning April 1, 2022. Medicaid will also provide 12 months of continuous postpartum coverage to eligible people who are currently pregnant or gave birth between Feb. 1, 2022, and March 31, 2022.
Governor Roy Cooper today noted that North Carolina's infant deaths in 2018 reached their lowest rate in the 31 years they have been tracked, decreasing for a third straight year to 6.8 deaths per 1,000 live births down 4.2 percent from the previous year's rate of 7.1 per 1000 live births.
North Carolina health leaders are promoting new oral health guidance to advance maternal and infant health. In 2016, the Division of Public Health, focusing on better birth outcomes and the reduction of infant mortality, convened the NC Perinatal Oral Health Task Force, which includes representatives from public health and state-funded medical and dental training institutions.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has announced flexibility for families enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program to help those affected by Hurricane Florence. This temporary flexibility will apply to participants enrolled in the WIC program whose WIC office is closed or experiencing hardships related to impacts from the hurricane.
Following press reports of numerous infant deaths associated with Baby+Co’s birthing center in Cary, North Carolina, Baby+Co agreed to a voluntary review of their clinical standards and operations by the NC Division of Health Service Regulation (DHSR) at the NC Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Today, DHSR released its report on that review, which identified significant concerns regarding medical oversight and supervision of nurse midwives, the criteria used to admit and discharge patients, after-hours staffing, laboratory operations, documentation, and staff orientation and training.