ABSTRACT
In working to improve the health of North Carolinians, a critical focus starts with our mothers and infants and their surrounding communities. North Carolina's perinatal outcomes, as evidenced by maternal morbidity and mortality, infant mortality, preterm births, and the larger context of lifelong physical and mental health of our citizens, offer areas for improvement and policy implications. In addition, the unacceptable disparities that remain despite some overall improvement in outcomes warrant full attention. This issue of the NCMJ highlights the state of perinatal health in North Carolina; the importance of a risk-appropriate perinatal system of care; the opportunities for supporting our parents, children, and families; and how we as a state and as a community can come together to improve the safety and experience of giving birth in North Carolina and beyond.