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Twenty of North Carolina’s 100 counties are ‘maternity care deserts’

Twenty of North Carolina’s 100 counties are ‘maternity care deserts’

Graphic by Cardinal & Pine, using 2021 data from March of Dimes

By Billy Ball

May 16, 2024

Huge portions of North Carolina are without local options for maternity care. Here’s why that matters.

Did you know 20 of NC’s 100 counties are considered “maternity care deserts,” according to the nonprofit March of Dimes?

Those NC counties, which are all rural, are considered that way because of the lack of available options. It’s an enormous problem because access leads to better pregnancies and safer births. The disparities are especially troubling for NC’s rural communities of color.

All month long, Cardinal & Pine is digging into NC’s Black maternal health gaps. For more, click here.

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Author

  • Billy Ball

    Billy Ball is Cardinal & Pine's senior newsletter editor. He’s covered local, state, and national politics, government, education, criminal justice, the environment, and immigration in North Carolina for almost two decades. His reporting and commentary have earned state, regional, and national awards. He's also the founder of The Living South, a journalism project about the most interesting people in the American South.

    Have a story tip? Reach Billy at [email protected]. For local reporting that connects the dots, from policy to people, sign up for Billy’s newsletter.

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CATEGORIES: HEALTHCARE

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