Funding renewed for Baby Love Plus

North Carolina’s Eastern Baby Love Plus program in Women’s and Children’s Health, Division of Public Health, was recently re-funded. Aimed at eliminating perinatal health disparities, the initiative will receive $750,000 per year over the next four years through the federal Division of Healthy Start and Perinatal Services, Maternal and Child Health Bureau.

Originally funded in 1997, Eastern Baby Love Plus focuses on improving African- American birth outcomes in seven eastern counties: Bertie, Edgecombe, Greene, Martin, Pitt, Tyrrell and Washington. A regional consortium composed of community leaders, providers and consumers provides advice and guidance to the program.

The core components of Baby Love Plus include intensive outreach, prenatal case management, community and provider health education, depression screening and referral, and care of both the mother and child for two years after delivery. The program is implemented through local health departments, community-based organizations and university efforts.

Eastern Baby Love Plus is part of the N.C. Baby Love Plus program, which also includes Northeastern Baby Love Plus (Gates, Halifax, Hertford, Nash and Northampton counties) and Triad Baby Love Plus (Forsyth and Guilford counties). North Carolina’s fourth Healthy Start initiative, covering Robeson, Hoke and Scotland counties, is housed at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

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Last Modified: March 3, 2006