Transforming Child Health and Family Well-being

Challenges to child health that pre-dated COVID-19, such as rising rates of child mental health issues, instability in the early care and education system, and food insecurity, accelerated during the pandemic. The health and well-being of children and families have been uniquely and disproportionately impacted. Children are paying the price as our strained child behavioral health, child welfare, and early care and education systems reach breaking points. The solutions that children and families need to recover stronger will require a whole-child and whole-family approach to health that addresses their physical, behavioral, and social needs. The articles in this edition of the NCMJ describe the scope of the challenges facing children and families in North Carolina and approaches to improving their health and well-being in priority areas including behavioral health, child welfare, early care and education, and nutrition.