UNC Receives Money to Promote Maternal Care Across State

The Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute at UNC’s Gillings School of Global Public Health received more than $500,000 from Blue Cross and Blue Shield North Carolina to help 61 hospitals in under-served North Carolina communities improve their maternal and early childhood practices.

The money will help cover the fees the hospitals pay to gain the internationally-recognized “Baby-Friendly” designation, used by the World Health Organization and UNICEF to highlight hospitals that provide optimal education and services in maternal care.

Those fees are often too large of a financial barrier for smaller hospitals, Catherine Sullivan, director of the Global Breastfeeding Institute said. With these newly available funds, hospitals can more easily pursue the set of practices required to be “Baby-friendly,” which include teaching hospital staff proper breastfeeding techniques and having newly born babies be roomed-in with the mother for most of their stay in the hospital.

Sullivan, who is also an assistant professor of maternal and child health at the Gillings school, said that “Baby-friendly” practices lead to better health for both mother and child.

Neo-natal care, focused on new-born babies, has been shown to have important long-term benefits, Sullivan said, but best practices aren’t always realized in hospitals.

“For maternal and newborn health, knowledge is a powerful and lifesaving tool,” president and chief executive officer of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Patrick Conway said in a release. “Increasing access to prenatal resources and postnatal support in our communities is a vital part of empowering and improving the health and outlook of North Carolina’s families.”

In the first days, promoting frequent contact between mother and child helps babies regulate their internal temperatures, Sullivan said, and allows mothers to learn important behavior cues.

The baby-friendly program promotes breastfeeding, but the programs serve all mothers, Sullivan said, those who breastfeed or those who choose to feed with formula.

Currently, there are 15 hospitals in North Carolina that are designated baby-friendly. There are two in the Triangle, both in Chapel Hill: UNC hospitals and the Women’s Birth and Wellness Center.

‹

UNC Experts Present Efforts to Combat Opioid-Related Deaths in Campus Community

At the most recent UNC BOT meeting, researchers and health professionals shared what the university is doing to combat opioid overdoses on campus.

UNC, Duke Experts Predict NC Will Run Out of Hospital Beds in 6 Weeks

According to new research from UNC and Duke, if current COVID-19 trends continue in North Carolina, hospitals could run out of beds for treating patients in six weeks.

UNC Research Study Helps Local Businesses Stay Safe During Pandemic

A team of UNC public health experts created a new initiative and research study to provide free technical assistance and recommendations to help reduce local businesses’ exposure to COVID-19.

UNC Researchers Involved in New COVID-19 Treatment Drug Heading to Clinical Trials

Researchers at UNC’s Gillings School of Global Public Health aided the development of a new antiviral drug meant to treat COVID-19 patients, which is now heading to testing in human clinical trials. According to a study published Monday in the journal Science Translational Medicine, UNC virologists have been testing a new drug, called EIDD-2801, in collaboration with researchers […]

Are Doctors Willing To Be "Good Samaritans"? UNC Study Says Yes

Good Samaritan laws protect doctors who help in emergencies - but a UNC study has found they tend to help anyway.

The Phi Gamma Delta Fire at UNC: 30 Years Later

We sat down with people impacted by or involved with the Phi Gamma Delta fire at UNC to hear about the day itself and the decades since.

What's Playing for Bobby Petrino Like? Tar Heels Discuss New Offensive Coordinator

The 2026 season will be Bobby Petrino’s first as UNC’s offensive coordinator. Petrino will look to revitalize a unit which struggled for most of the 2025 season, finishing 16th out of 17 teams in the ACC in scoring and dead last in yardage. Petrino most recently coached at Arkansas, and though the Razorbacks endured a […]

On Air Today: FDOC at UNC, with Student Body President Devin Duncan

Aaron welcomes UNC's new student body president, Devin Duncan, for a wide-ranging conversation on the first day of the fall semester.

The Morning News: FDOC, Hillsborough Boil Water Advisory, UNC Women's Soccer, Bobby Petrino

In today's news: it's FDOC on the UNC campus, and a boil-water advisory remains in effect for much of Hillsborough.

UNC Women's Soccer Scores Most Goals Since 2019 in Win vs. Quinnipiac

UNC’s Bella Devey recorded a hat trick in less than 15 minutes to help the Tar Heels on their way to an 8-0 win against Quinnipiac at Dorrance Field Sunday. The eight goals are Carolina’s most in a single match since 2019. Heels are 𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 👏#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/hHYDCWkCjK — UNC Women's Soccer (@uncwomenssoccer) August […]

›