The Heart of North Carolina: Maternal Health

By Liz Star

Liz Star is the Board Chair of Nurture North Carolina.

As CEO and President of the HopeStar Foundation, I see maternal health as the very heart of North Carolina’s future. With Mother's Day approaching, I am focused on the essential role that mothers play in family stability and our duty as advocates, funders, and legislators to work together to build a thriving future for our mothers and our state.

The Reality of the Challenge

The strength of North Carolina is inextricably linked to the well-being of its families, and that well-being begins with the health of our mothers. We must ensure that the foundation of maternal care is resilient, equitable, and comprehensive.

Despite our state’s vast resources and world-class medical institutions, the path to motherhood remains fraught with uneven obstacles in rural and urban areas alike. Fractures in the healthcare system lead to real, tangible barriers for families and missed opportunities for early intervention and consistent support.

These fractures represent a fundamental challenge to all mothers' ability to access quality care, regardless of zip code, socioeconomic standing, or race. North Carolina’s maternal mortality rate is 78% higher than the national goal, and almost 80% of these deaths are considered preventable. This is an unspeakably tragic loss to families, communities, and our state.

Beyond the tragic loss to families, these outcomes also impact our state more broadly. They translate into roughly a $295 million loss in economic potential, reduced productivity, tax revenue, and consumer spending.

Building an Attainable Path Forward

We believe that high-quality maternal outcomes should not be a luxury, but an attainable reality for every North Carolinian. Bridging these gaps requires more than incremental change; it requires a reimagining of how we support women before, during, and after pregnancy.

By streamlining our efforts and focusing on holistic, community-based solutions, we can turn the tide on maternal mortality and morbidity.

A Call to Partnership for Impact

No single entity can mend the fractures alone. The complexity of maternal health requires a multi-sector response characterized by shared goals and collective expertise.

• For Legislators and Policymakers: We seek to collaborate on policy frameworks that prioritize maternal health as a nonpartisan pillar of North Carolina’s economic and social stability.
• For Philanthropic Leaders and Funders: We invite you to invest in scalable models of care that move the needle from crisis management to positive birth outcomes for both mother and baby.
• For Nonprofits: We welcome the opportunity to align our missions to ensure our work is complementary rather than duplicative.

Join Us

The heart of our state is only as solid as the health of its mothers. We are looking for partners who are ready to move beyond conversation and into partnerships focused on impact.

Together, we can ensure access to coordinated high-quality care, creating a legacy of health that will sustain North Carolina for generations to come.