On Wednesday, July 7, Care Ring was invited to meet with US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, Congresswoman Alma Adams, NC Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr. Mandy Cohen, NC Senator Natalie Murdock, Mecklenburg County Public Health Director Gibbie Harris, and several other federal, state and local officials for a roundtable discussion on Black maternal health. (In photo L to R: Goodwill of the Southern Piedmont CEO Chris Jackson, Congresswoman Adams, Secretary Becerra, Charlotte Community Health Clinic CEO Carolyn Allison, CEO of NC Community Health Center Association Chris Shank, and Care Ring ED Tchernavia Montgomery.)
Secretary Becerra was hosted by Congresswoman Adams to meet with Charlotte leaders and discuss President Biden’s agenda to Build Back Better from the COVID-19 pandemic and the American Families Plan. (Click here to read the press release from Rep. Adams)
A trusted pillar in the community, Care Ring has been providing access to affordable, high-quality healthcare services for people with limited resources since 1955. Care Ring is home to the Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) program in Mecklenburg, a nationally renowned, evidence-based nurse home visitation program for at-risk, low-income mothers. As the largest NFP site in North Carolina, 95% of the women served identify as Black and/or Latina and nearly half live in the county’s public health priority zip codes. Care Ring Executive Director, Tchernavia Montgomery, was in attendance to talk about the challenges our clients experience and how we are addressing the maternal health crisis in our community.
“I was honored to host HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra in Charlotte as we heard from community members about one of our country’s most important issues: health care,” said Congresswoman Adams. “Though the Biden Administration has made excellent progress fighting the COVID-19 pandemic by getting shots in arms and reopening our country, significant work remains. We must ensure affordable health care for all Americans; we must expand Medicaid, because everyone has the right to a healthy, productive life; and we must continue to advocate to end the Black maternal health crisis. Our country’s maternal health crisis – the worst in the developed world - is taking mothers away from their children at an alarming rate, and traumatizing the tens of thousands of parents who experience close calls before, during, and after delivering their children. I am proud to stand side by side with Secretary Becerra and President Biden in this fight.”
Rep. Adams also serves as co-chair of the Black Maternal Health Caucus in the US Congress, which is working to elevate Black maternal health disparities and advance policy solutions to improve maternal health outcomes. Members of the Black Maternal Health Caucus are introducing the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021, a bill that will build on existing legislation to comprehensively address every dimension of the maternal health crisis in America.
Care Ring was honored to stand alongside such important advocates and leaders to be a voice for the women in our community, and we are incredibly grateful for the opportunity. By ensuring the very best start for our children and families, we can help them pave the way to a better and healthier life. Since its inception in 2008, Care Ring’s NFP has served approximately 1,500 families, demonstrating extraordinary maternal health and early childhood outcomes. Additionally, Care Ring has provided an estimated $21.1M in local government savings based on NFP’s benefit to society.
Thank you to Chris Jackson, CEO of Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont, for hosting this important discussion at their campus.
Pictured below, our Executive Director Tchernavia Montgomery with Dr. Mandy Cohen and with NC Senator Natalie Murdock.
