North Carolina receives over $4 million to strengthen maternal health care

North Carolina will receive over $4 million in federal funding to help strengthen access to maternal health care. 

The North Carolina of Department of Health and Human Services announced last week that it’s one of several entities that will benefit from a federal investment in maternal health.

The funding initiative is aimed at addressing high infant and maternal mortality rates, as well as ongoing inequity in those rates.

According to a news release, Black babies in North Carolina are 2.5 times more likely to die than white infants, while Black women experience nearly twice the rate of maternal mortality than white women.

Money will also be utilized to address maternal mental health care and expand the maternal health workforce in the state.

The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration.

NCDHHS Secretary Kody Kinsley released a statement saying the investment will help provide more resources for addressing the disparities in maternal health care, ensuring that “mothers and families get the care they need, when they need it before, during and after pregnancy.”