1. RICHES
Adopt‐A‐Mom
Before some of them smiled, crawled, walked or uttered their first word in 2009, 7.9 infants per 1,000
live births in North Carolina died before their first birthday. There were 1, 006 infant deaths in 2009,
which equates to more than two deaths per day. Charmaine Purdum, RICHES member and Executive
Director of the Guilford County Coalition on Infant Mortality, is all too familiar with the state’s infant
mortality rate. For nearly 18 years, Purdum has worked tirelessly to improve the birth outcomes in
Guilford County through community education
and advocacy.
t
Purdum’s drive comes from her passion for babies
and making a difference in the lives of others. “I
struggled with infertility for almost 10 years and I
felt that if I could never get pregnant at least I
could help others have a healthy baby,” she said.
Established in 1990, the Guilford County Coalition
on Infant Mortality formed in response to North
Carolina’s ranking in the late 80’s as the worst
state in the nation for infant deaths. Purdum
believes the Coalition’s Adopt‐A‐Mom program
has played a significant role in reducing the infan
mortality rate in Guilford County. The Adopt‐A‐
Mom program, which has received funding from
the North Carolina Healthy Start Foundation Small
Community Grants program in the past, offers prenatal care to women who are not eligible for Medicaid
or lack private insurance or personal funds to pay for prenatal care.
“Prematurity and low birthweight are the leading causes of death among children less than one year of
age in Guilford County,” she said. “This program ensures that all moms in Guilford County have access to
prenatal care.” Since its inception the Adopt‐A‐Mom program has served 4, 174 women in Guilford
County. Of those who completed the program an overwhelming 90 percent of the infants were born full‐
term.
Purdum encourages her clients to join the Moms Matter “Centering” Interconception group. This new
Coalition program hosts meetings of mothers who meet on a regular basis during and after pregnancy to
support each other and their babies. Participants learn about the importance of prenatal vitamins,
maintaining a healthy diet while pregnant, and the benefits of breastfeeding. Purdam says the Coalition
plans to incorporate information from the NCHSF’s RICHES Health Journal Tool Kit and use the

2. My Health Journal to better educate
participants on important women’s health
issues and help them keep track of their
medical information.
ishing more in the future.
As a recipient of the Monroe E Trout Premier
Cares Award for the improvement of
healthcare for the medically underserved,
Purdum is proud of what the Coalition has
achieved thus far, but looks forward to
accompl
“As a mother of two adopted boys, life is good and I am so happy and grateful to help others have a
happy ending,” she said. “It’s exciting to be in the arena of making a difference in the overall health of
your community.”