Public Health Snapshot: Montgomery County, NC

Policy Recommendations

Based on the current health snapshot of Montgomery County, local leaders and advocates should consider the following interventions to improve maternal and child health outcomes:

• Expand Care Infrastructure: With only one practicing obstetric care provider in the county, ensuring funding and support for doulas and community health workers is crucial to connect rural residents to timely first-trimester prenatal care (currently at 70.7%).
• Specialized Interventions for High-Risk Pregnancies: The county faces an exceptionally High Maternal Vulnerability Index (91), alongside 11.3% Preterm Births and 9.2% Low Birth Weight rates. Direct public health funding toward group prenatal care models (like CenteringPregnancy) and wraparound maternal support services. Establishing maternal medical homes that provide nutritional support, blood pressure monitoring, and stress reduction can help mitigate preterm births and severe labor complications.
• Fund Community-Based Doula Programs: To address the infant mortality rate (7.5) and severe maternal vulnerability index (91), subsidize doula and lactation consultant services, which are proven to improve birth outcomes and can help boost the current breastfeeding initiation rate of 80.3%.
• Invest in Comprehensive Youth Reproductive Health Education: The Teen Birth Rate sits at 18.5 per 1,000. Partner with local school districts and community centers to implement evidence-based, comprehensive reproductive health education. Expand access to youth-friendly family planning services and local clinics offering long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) at no or low cost to teens.