Action for Children North Carolina and the North Carolina Institute of Medicine have just released the 2012 Child Health Report Card.
North Carolina earns a solid “B” for insurance coverage, thanks to programs like Medicaid and North Carolina Health Choice that ensure children receive preventative and primary care.
But our state scored a “D” in terms of childhood poverty, with more than one in four children living in poverty last year. And among children under the age of five, the poverty rate was even higher at 30.3 percent.
“Increasing access to health care and decreasing adverse childhood experiences are two of the key ingredients in improving child health. Improvements in child health will impact educational success, graduation rates, and adult health,” said Adam Zolotor, MD, Vice President of the North Carolina Institute of Medicine.
“We hope that the North Carolina General Assembly will prioritize evidence-based programs and policies that promote economically secure families and high-quality education as part of a comprehensive approach to improving children’s health and well-being in North Carolina,” said Deborah Bryan, President & CEO of Action for Children North Carolina.
The report card compiles more than 40 indicators of child health and safety to help policymakers, health professionals, and concerned citizens monitor children’s health outcomes. To view the full report card with this year’s findings, click here.
