Policy Resource
North Carolina’s Strategic Plan to Eliminate Racial Disparities in Infant Mortality
North Carolina has one of the worst infant mortality rates in the nation. The Perinatal Health Strategic Plan developed in 2016 outlines steps for improving it.
In 2016, North Carolina’s infant mortality rate ranked worse than all but seven states. The state average of 7.2 deaths per 1,000 births masked significant disparities by race, ethnicity, and geography. African American babies were more than twice as likely to die as non-Hispanic White babies and the infant mortality rate in some counties was more than three times that in others. Spurred to action by this data, health experts, practitioners, and advocates came together to develop a statewide Perinatal Health Strategic Plan for 2016-2020.
The plan builds on research showing that birth outcomes are influenced by a wide variety of factors, including parents’ health and mental health. It uses the 12-Point Plan to Close the Black-White Gap in Birth Outcomes: A Life Course Approach developed by researchers at University of California Los Angeles, Boston University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as the foundation to achieve three population goals:
- Improve healthcare for women
- Strengthen families and communities
- Address social and economic inequities
The North Carolina Division of Public Health is working with communities to identify specific actions that can be taken at the state and community levels to implement the plan and improve the health of families and their babies. The Strategic Plan includes steps to address: improving health care for men and women, strengthening families and communities, and addressing social and economic inequities.
Read North Carolina’s Health Equity Report released in April 2018 for more information pertaining to the state’s racial and ethnic disparities.
Reviewed July 2018.
Read more about:
You might also be interested in
-
Article
Illinois Increases State Funding for Home Visiting
On April 19, 2022 Governor J.B. Pritzker signed the Illinois FY 2023 spending plan HB900. Included in the state’s budget for the coming year is increased funding for evidence-based home visiting prog…
-
Article
New Jersey to offer home visiting to every family with a newborn
In June 2021 New Jersey passed S690 which will provide all New Jersey residents access to at least one, and up to three, post-partum home visits by a specially trained registered nurse for the parent…
-
Article
Alabama Increases Funding for Home Visiting in 2021
In April 2021, Alabama passed The Education Trust Fund budget SB 189, which included many increases in funding for programs serving children and families.
-
Article
Bill Adds State Funds for Community-based Home Visiting Models in Minnesota
In 2021 Minnesota passed HF 2128, an omnibus health and human services finance bill that included $4.5 million in state funds to significantly expand voluntary home visiting for pregnant people and f…
-
Article
Delaware Prioritizes Home Visiting
In 2019 Delaware passed Senate Concurrent Resolution 50 (SCR 50) requiring the Department of Health and Social Services – in collaboration with the Department of Education and Delaware Home Visiting …
-
Article
Rhode Island Cross-Sector Compensation Report Drives Legislative Action
Thanks to the work of the RIght from the Start campaign, composed of Rhode Island early childhood groups, leaders, and stakeholders convened as a part of the state’s Think Babies efforts funded by ZE…
Explore More North Carolina Focused Resources & Initiatives
-
Article
Addressing Bias and Advancing Equity in State Policy – North Carolina
Ensuring an equitable start for all babies requires understanding the influence of race, ethnicity, and racism in the lives of babies and families. As a result of the longstanding history of systemic…
-
Article
Hurting the Families that Need it Most – North Carolina
It’s Time to Remove Child Support Enforcement from State Child Care Subsidy Programs.
-
Article
State Strategies to Strengthen Infant-Toddler Care, while Expanding Pre-k – North Carolina
Anticipating potential growth of state pre-k programs, state policymakers should consider a number of approaches to protect and expand the existing infant-toddler child care infrastructure. Beyond li…
-
Article
Virtual and In-Person – 2020 State Strolling Thunder Events Rolled and Rumbled Across the Country
This year, ZERO TO THREE Think Babies partners in states kept the needs of babies in front of policymakers in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic.
