Health

Overview 

Children cannot learn or succeed if they are not healthy.  While North Carolina has made many important gains in ensuring that our children have access to health care and are immunized, there are still many concrete steps that would improve the health of our children (e.g., reducing infant mortality, expanding access to health insurance). 

Did you know?  In North Carolina, 264,000 children lack health care coverage—that is enough children to stretch from Greensboro to Wilmington holding hands.

Main Areas of Work in Health

• Children's Health Care Coverage: Action for Children works to ensure that all children have access to high-quality, affordable health care coverage.  Action for Children advocates for programs such as Medicaid, the state children’s health insurance program (SCHIP) or Health Choice, Kids’ Care and others that expand children's access to health care coverage.
• Children's Dental Care: Action for Children will be working to increase access to affordable, high quality dental care, especially for vulnerable populations.
• High-Risk Health Behaviors: Action for Children works to promote healthy behaviors among children and youth while discouraging negative, unhealthy behaviors (i.e., sexual activity, overweight and substance abuse).

Examples of Recent Health Policy Successes Include:

• Guaranteeing tens of thousands more children access to preventive health care, eyeglasses, and dental care with the continued expansion of Health Choice;
• Laying the groundwork to expand access to affordable health insurance coverage to thousands of currently uninsured children in families between 200 and 300 percent of the Federal Poverty Line, with the passage of N.C. Kids’ Care (see section 10.48 of the 2007 State Budget) and possible implementation in 2009 (see Children's Health Coverage for more information); and
• Improving healthy food selections available to children in vending machines and school lunchrooms.
  

Signature Health Publication

2008 North Carolina Child Health Report Card summarizes all of the leading child health indicators in this one, easy-to-read publication. The purpose of the N.C. Child Health Report Card is to heighten awareness -- among policymakers, practitioners, the media, and the general public -- of the health of children and youth across our state.

Click for all Health Publications