Jennifer Fernandez | NC Health News

Perinatal Quality Collaborative projects on newborn screenings and maternal mental health that would have started this year will instead launch in 2027, officials said.

The state has formalized the nonprofit as the official provider for its Feminine Hygiene Products program, shifting from a school-grant model to statewide distribution based on the number of female students in grades six through 12.

Legislators grilled state and county child welfare officials, along with local law enforcement, in a more than seven-hour hearing to find out what went wrong.

The Perinatal Quality Collaborative of NC has been credited with reducing C-section births, boosting breastfeeding and cutting infection rates in the tiniest babies.

Even vaccinated children can catch and spread whooping cough. Here’s why experts say booster shots and awareness are key.

The temporary loss of key grants forced organizations to cut hours, furlough workers and delay critical public health initiatives such as testing and distribution of prevention medication.

The state has extended to 2027 its pilot of Safe Babies Court, which national studies show reunifies families more often, gets children into a permanent home more quickly and more often prevents further maltreatment than traditional approaches.

“One of the things we’re going to be able to do is now get data on what exactly is happening for our most vulnerable kids in North Carolina,” NCDHHS Secretary Dev Sangvai said last week.

The goal is to use beauty spaces, which play a vital role in Black culture, to increase awareness of vaccines that reduce serious illness from flu, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus.

Charlotteans were among those who showed up at last week's rally at the state capitol. Organizers called it “a stark preview” of the potential future without affordable child care, underscoring the significant impact on North Carolina’s workforce and families.