Women, Infant and Community Wellness Section
News and Highlights
NC 2018-2019 Maternal Mortality Review Report February 2024 (PDF, 9.6 MB) 03/06/24
NC Doula Landscape Analysis and Summit Report 2023 (PDF, 5.4 MB) 12/04/23
COVID-19 Vaccines Pregnancy, Breastfeeding and Fertility: What You Need to Know
![Perinatal Health Strategic Plan](/library/images/phsp-thumb-2022-2026-289x367.png)
![New](/library/images/new-sign.png)
NC Perinatal Health Strategic Plan 2022-2026
The NC Perinatal Health Strategic Plan (PHSP) serves as a statewide guide to improve maternal and infant health and the health of all people of reproductive age. The plan's primary focus is increasing health equity, which is the opportunity for every person to have good health regardless of social and economic factors. The first PHSP began implementation in 2016, and the state continues to strive to achieve perinatal health equity. This plan, created for 2022-2026, seeks to address both the challenges of structural racism and of the COVID-19 pandemic by focusing on the drivers of health. Please visit and share our updated website with your friends, community partners, and agencies. 04/25/23
The NC Division of Public Health (DPH) brought together more than 100 stakeholders from across the state, currently known as the Perinatal Health Equity Collective, to develop this revised plan (PDF, 11 MB) and will continue to work with public, nonprofit, and private partners along with individuals with lived experiences to implement the plan and assess progress. To get involved or to ask questions, send us an email.
Plan of Safe Care (POSC)
09/11/18: A federal mandate went into effect on July 31, 2017 that requires health care providers involved in delivery and care of infants in North Carolina (and all states) to notify child welfare when an infant is identified by a medical provider
as being affected by:
- Mom’s untreated substance use disorder
or having:
- Withdrawal signs and symptoms
- Signs of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
- A positive urine, meconium, or umbilical cord segment substance test with provider concerns.
This law also requires that a Plan of Safe Care (POSC) is developed for these infants. The POSC English (PDF, 2 MB) and Spanish (PDF, 2 MB) pamphlets provide basic information for patients regarding how and why a Plan of Safe Care is created. Agencies should download the brochures as needed.
Legislation was enacted by the NC General Assembly in December 2015 to establish the NC Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC). The MMRC is charged with reviewing all maternal deaths in the state to determine if pregnancy related or pregnancy associated.
The MMRC also has the responsibility to make recommendations for improvement. The DHHS was awarded a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) grant to support the work of the MMRC in late 2019. This is the first report (PDF, 7.3 MB) of the MMRC based on data from 2014-2016.
Quick Links
NC Maternal and Child Health Block Grant Application FY2024 (PDF, 7 MB) 08/18/23
OPA Family Planning Clinic Locator - Click the locator link to find a Title X Family Planning Clinic near you and call to make your appointment!
Women’s Preventive Health Services Covered By The Affordable Care Act (ACA) - Preventive Health Services for Women
North Carolina Medical Center Resources - High-Risk Prenatal Care Resource List (PDF, 23 KB)
Trainings
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What We Do
The Women, Infant and Community Wellness Section develops and promotes programs and services that protect the health and well-being of infants and of women during their child-bearing years. The goal is to improve the overall health of women, reduce infant sickness and death, and strengthen families and communities.
The Women, Infant and Community Wellness Section also offers guidance, consultation and training for professionals who provide women's health services.
Local health departments and other community agencies serving each of the 100 counties in North Carolina provide a variety of these women's health services, including family planning, prenatal care, flu shots and other women's immunizations, and pregnancy care management. For more information on the services near you, contact your local health department.
The Women, Infant and Community Wellness Section is part of the North Carolina Division of Public Health.
Related Sites/Information
- Before, Between, and Beyond Pregnancy
- Division of Child and Family Well-Being
- Division of Public Health
- Immunization Section
- Injury and Violence Prevention Section
- March of Dimes
- Men’s Health Network
- Mom and Baby
- NC Association of Local Health Directors
- Office on Women's Health
- Plan of Safe Care (POSC)
- Preconception Health and Health Care
- Reproductive Health National Training Center (RHNTC)
- Show Your Love: Preconception Health
- Sickle Cell Syndrome Program
- Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiatives (TPPI)
- Tobacco Prevention and Control Section
Contact
Mailing Address
Women, Infant and Community Wellness Section
1929 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1929
Courier Number: 56-23-01
Physical Address
5601 Six Forks Rd.
Raleigh, NC 27609
Telephone
Main: (919) 707-5700
Fax: (919) 870-4827
Last Modified: 03-06-2024