The Women's Health Branch develops and funds programs and services that protect the health and well-being of women during and beyond their child-bearing years. This includes programs for before, during and after delivery of their baby, and for the infants as well. The Branch develops medical guidance for health care providers and offers technical assistance, consultation and training for staff who provide health services to women in the areas of nutrition, nursing, social work, education and training. These programs and services improve the overall health status of women, increase planned pregnancies, reduce infant sickness and death, and strengthen families and communities. Contact your local health department for more information about availability of these services.
Baby Love is North Carolina's Medicaid for pregnant women program. This program is designed to ensure that pregnant women have access to prenatal care and other services during pregnancy. The Baby Love Program's Maternity Care Coordinators (MCCs) and Maternal Outreach Workers (MOWs) provide extra support services to low income pregnant women statewide. They help women to have healthy pregnancies and healthy babies by providing information and helping families find the resources they need. This service is available to low income pregnant and postpartum women through their local health department.
Family Planning and Reproductive Health Services are a wide range of preventive care services, critical to women's reproductive and sexual health. This service is available to all women regardless of income on a sliding fee scale, through their local health department.
This program empowers women and their families to address complex lifestyle issues that are likely to affect the health of the mother and her baby. This service is offered in some health departments to all women regardless of income on a sliding fee scale. Contact your local health department for more information about availability.
Healthy Beginnings is North Carolina's minority infant mortality reduction program. Resources are provided to community and faith-based organizations along with local health departments to implement programs and partner with communities of color. The Healthy Beginnings program can provide your organization with more information about availability of funds at (919) 707-5700.
This program provides funding for the state’s network of High Risk Maternity Clinics to assure that women with high risk conditions, such as diabetes, get the specialized care and support services they need. Local health departments and physicians refer pregnant women with a medically indicated high risk condition to the closest of the 16 funded High Risk Maternity Clinics in the state.
The Maternal Health Program provides resources to local health department prenatal clinics to make sure that all pregnant women in the state have access to early and continuous prenatal care. This service is available to all women regardless of income on a sliding fee scale.
This program is designed to provide intensive nutrition intervention for pregnant women and those who have recently delivered a baby. Medical Nutrition Therapy is important for those mothers with chronic diseases and nutrition-related problems, such as diabetes. This service is available by referral from local health department maternity clinics.
The NC Baby Love Plus Initiative is a federally-funded healthy start program, in fourteen North Carolina counties, in three regions of the state. The aim of this program is to reduce the racial disparities that affect infant mortality, to deliver healthy babies, and to improve the health of pregnant and interconceptional women and their families. Contact the Baby Love Plus program (919) 707-5700 for more information about program availability in your area.
The NC Family Health Resource Line (link opens in new window) provides information and referral to people with questions about health and social services for pregnant women, infants and their families. The Perinatal Substance Use Specialist works to link women who are pregnant or parenting to substance abuse treatment. Contact the NC Family Health Resource Line at 1-800-367-2229 or 1-800-FOR-BABY.
POETs/NOETs provide education and training targeted to health professionals throughout the state, encouraging use of recognized "best practices" in health care. These individuals also work locally to enhance systems of care.
The Sickle Cell Syndrome Program (link opens in new window) promotes the health and well-being of persons with sickle cell disease and other blood disorders by providing them with genetic counseling, psychological and social support, medical referral and specialty care services. The disease prevention program also has a strong commitment to disease prevention through community education and the promotion of sickle cell trait testing. Contact the Sickle Cell Program at (919) 707-5700 for more information.
SIDS counselors help families after the loss of a baby due to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), providing information, grief counseling, and resource/referral services. The program seeks to reduce SIDS through public awareness and education focusing on risk reduction methods and safe sleep practices. SIDS Grief Counseling is available through your local health department.
Targeted Infant Mortality Reduction (TIMR) provides funding to local health departments for maternal and infant health services in counties with especially high rates and numbers of infant deaths. Priorities also include addressing health disparities. Local health departments that apply will be considered for TIMR funds as they become available.
The Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiatives (TPPI) (link opens in new window) program goal is to prevent pregnancies to teens. TPPI funds additional resources for communities with high teen pregnancy rates or few teen services. Contact the TIPPI Program at (919) 707-5700 for information about which communities have a Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative program near you.
This program provides special funds to support, on a limited basis, voluntary sterilization services for low-income men and women through local family planning programs. Local health departments have the set of criteria they use to determine eligibility for this program.
The purpose of this program is to reduce infant illness and death by helping women of childbearing age, including pregnant women, to stop tobacco use and to assist them in reducing their family's exposure to tobacco smoke. Contact your local health department to learn what programs are being offered in your area.
The WH Training Collaborative offers public health nurses training to enhance and maintain skills needed to provide clinical services in local health department prenatal and family planning clinics. This program is open to public health nurses employed in local health departments.
