Category: Community Health News

UNC Family Medicine will lead a new effort to improve care for patients with complex health and social needs, following a $1.3 million grant from The Duke Endowment to the UNC School of Medicine and UNC Health. The funding will support the Bridge to Health initiative, a pilot program designed...

UNC Health Chatham Hospital has been designated a Baby‑Friendly hospital by Baby‑Friendly USA, recognizing its commitment to evidence‑based maternity care and support for breastfeeding patients and families. The Baby‑Friendly designation reflects implementation of the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, a set of practices developed by the World Health Organization and...

A new three‑year evaluation led by the UNC Chatham Hospital Maternity Care Center (MCC) team shows that reopening a rural Level I maternity unit can provide safe, high‑quality birth outcomes, significantly reduce travel burdens for families, and offer a strong family physician and midwife‑led model for rural maternity care. Patient...

The UNC Department of Family Medicine has launched UNC Health’s first private practice-based Primary Care Behavioral Health Collaborative, embedding critical mental health services directly into a primary care practice to improve access, reduce stigma, and intervene earlier for patients across the lifespan. The initiative, based at UNC Health Family Medicine...

The UNC Department of Family Medicine is excited to share the growth of a new and meaningful space at the Aycock Family Medicine Building: the HOPE Garden, located on the lawn just up the hill from the building’s second-floor entrance. This project was made possible through funding from the UNC...

FIT Wellness, part of the North Carolina Formerly Incarcerated Transition (NC FIT) Program, is dedicated to supporting justice-involved individuals by providing comprehensive behavioral health services and substance abuse treatment for patients with Severe Mental Illness (SMI). Recently, FIT Wellness and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS),...

The LEADoula program (formerly the Alliance for Black Doulas for Black Mamas) was an integral part of the WRAL documentary Critical Term: Why are Black Mothers and Babies Dying?, which recently won a regional Emmy Award. The documentary features LEADoula founders Venus Standard, MSN, CNM, (UNC Family Medicine, which hosts...

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services NCDHHS is investing $5.5 million to expand the FIT Wellness program, part of the North Carolina Formerly Incarcerated Transition Program (NC FIT) led by Evan Ashkin, MD, in the UNC Department of Family Medicine. The investment aims to improve reentry services...

Assistant Professor of Family Medicine Jesus Ruiz, MD, has published an “Innovations in Primary Care” article in Annals of Family Medicine addressing the community impact on UNC Chatham Hospital’s Maternity Care Center. The article, “Closing the Gap: How a Community Effort Can Improve Rural Maternity Care,” addresses how UNC Chatham Hospital, a...

Piedmont Health Services (PHS) has announced that Daniella Jaimes-Colina, Ph.D., will become the organization’s next chief executive officer. Dr. Jaimes-Colina, who brings a wealth of experience in public health administration and strategic planning, will be the first female to lead the organization. She will succeed current CEO Brian Toomey, MSW,...

A UNC Family Medicine collaboration with Piedmont Health Services (PHS) and partners has resulted in a $3 million Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant to improve training in overcoming language and disability barriers, which limit access to care for many patients. The 5-year project, “Primary Care Training and Enhancement...

Dana Iglesias, MD, MPH, Medical Director of the Chatham Hospital Maternity Care Center, has been awarded a grant from The Duke Endowment to help improve the quality and the continuity of care provided to Black and Hispanic women by implementing a perinatal interdisciplinary inter-agency care coordination program in Chatham County....

According to the Centers for Disease Control, in the United States, childbirth mortality rates for Black pregnant persons are 3-4 times greater than their white counterparts, no matter their socioeconomic or education status. Given this alarming disparity, Family Medicine assistant professor Venus Standard, MSN, CNM, founded the Alliance for Black Doulas...

Dr. Stafford is being recognized for "his continued efforts in sports medicine and heart health. His efforts continue to impact our local communities and student-athletes across North Carolina.”