Lynn Bonner

A new baby for one family that grieved infant losses, but racial gap in deaths remains

Like many expectant mothers, Renee Schoolfield had worries and questions about her baby’s health. But her pregnancy was partly shadowed by her experiences in 2018, when she lost two children months apart shortly after they were born.

Mental Health

Healthcare Regulation and Reform

Searching for clarity in North Carolina’s infant mortality racial gap

North Carolina has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the nation. As is the case in the rest of the country, African-American babies die at twice the rate of white babies.

Too many black infants are dying. NC has an obvious step to take

State programs and efforts by private organizations have reduced North Carolina’s infant mortality rate to its lowest ever, but the state still has a stubborn problem with high levels of black infant mortality.

Healthcare Regulation and Reform

Health Insurance and Costs

Urban or rural, black lives in NC are being cut short almost before they begin

North Carolina has one of the worst records in the nation for the deaths of children a year or younger. The rate of black babies’ deaths is a big reason.

Patient Safety and Ethics

Community Safety

Richard yawns in mom Jessica Murrell Berryman’s lap as she works remotely from the family’s Durham home Dec. 6, 2019.

Here’s what could help save more black infants’ lives. But NC isn’t doing it.

Deaths of African-American babies declined most quickly in states that expanded Medicaid coverage, researchers have found. North Carolina isn’t one of those states.

Patient Safety and Ethics

Community Safety

The March of Dimes released a report Wednesday on how the country and cities are faring with premature births.

Environment & Climate

Saving the lives of black babies in Wake County is the goal of a new effort

Black babies in Wake County are six times more likely to die before they reach their first birthday than white babies.

Healthcare Regulation and Reform

Community Safety

Reporting on persistent disparities in North Carolina’s infant mortality rate

North Carolina's high infant mortality rate has been the topic of official state reports and politicians' denunciations since I've been a reporter here — more than 20 years.