Publications

2018 Legislative Session Recap

July 2018

The 2018 session might have been short, but it was highly consequential for children—both in terms of what happened and what didn’t happen. Legislators missed big opportunities on early education funding and school safety, stopped short of making some harmful decisions on health care, and approved six constitutional amendments that will be on the ballot this fall, including one to cap the state income tax rate. Below is a summary of the most important decisions for kids from the 2018 legislative session.

The Child Welfare Impact of the Opioid Epidemic

June 2018

Children flourish in stable and supportive families. Unfortunately, the presence of substance misuse and substance use disorders can disrupt family life and render parents unable to provide a safe and nurturing environment for their children. In North Carolina, families statewide are feeling the impact of the nation’s opioid epidemic as parental substance dependence gives rise to a second crisis in the state – a rapid increase in the number of children entering foster care due to parental substance misuse. The high cost of health insurance often means that parents do not have access to the resources to successfully fight addiction and reunite their families.

School Nurse Summary

May 2018

The North Carolina General Assembly commissioned its Program Evaluation Division
in 2016 to examine the school nurse shortage across the state. The Division’s report, prepared in 2017, provides a roadmap for state legislators seeking to end North Carolina’s school nurse shortage. This paper represents a summary of key findings from that report.

2018 Legislative Agenda

April 2018

In 2018, NC Child focused on suicide prevention, additional funding for school nurses, and closing the health care coverage gap.

2018 County Data Cards

March 2018

NC Child’s county data cards provide local snapshots of child well-being by county. County data cards present the latest data for key indicators in five areas of children’s well-being: A Strong Start, Family Economic Security, Nurturing Homes and Communities, Health and Wellness, and High-Quality Education. T​hey also compare county data to children in the state as a whole.

School-Based Sealant Programs: An Innovative Approach to Improve Children’s Oral Health

March 2018

This brief explores the impact of dental caries on children’s overall health and academic success, and how North Carolina can take steps to improve children’s oral health through the use of school-based sealant programs.

2018 Child Health Report Card

February 2018

The North Carolina Child Health Report Card tracks key indicators on access to care, healthy births, safe homes and neighborhoods, and health risk factors over time and by race and ethnicity.

Giving Birth in North Carolina Is Still a Risky Business

February 2018

Safe pregnancies and healthy babies are inextricably tied to the pre- and post-conception health of mothers. Data show that maternal health factors are a leading contributor to birth outcomes such as fetal viability and infant mortality. Unfortunately in North Carolina, barriers to affordable and consistent healthcare for women pre- and post-conception contribute to stubbornly high rates of fetal and infant death each year, despite advances in clinical care.

In 2016, NC Child published a brief outlining the potential positive benefits of expanded health care coverage on infant mortality. This brief builds upon that work, exploring the similar potential of expanded women’s health insurance access and utilization to affect fetal outcomes as a result of improved maternal health.

2017 Legislative Accomplishments

September 2017

NC Child worked with our partners to achieve big victories for kids in the 2017 legislative session.