Resources on
this list are not endorsed or recommended, and the
quality of information, service or referral that the
resource provides is in no way guaranteed. The resources
named here are examples. The omission of others does
not mean that they are unavailable or unsatisfactory.
(Please note that providing legal information, which
some resources listed here will do, is not the same
as giving legal advice.)
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
A national hotline (1 800 799-SAFE
[7233]) refers callers to a local program or shelter.
During normal business hours the North Carolina
Coalition Against Domestic Violence (919) 956-9124,
also refers callers to local programs. Most domestic
violence programs in North Carolina offer 24-hour
hotlines, court advocacy, support groups and shelter.
PREGNANCY AND PARENTING
The Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention
Coalition of North Carolina (APPC-NC) works
to prevent adolescent pregnancy and help adolescent
parents and their children through statewide publicity
campaigns, a resource center and lending library,
regional meetings and state conferences, and teen
parent and male partner networks. Anyone living
in North Carolina may borrow material from the library
and staff are often able to find statistics on teen
pregnancy in North Carolina. APPC-NC is a private
nonprofit agency located at 10001 Main St., Suite
D, Chapel Hill, NC 27516, (919) 932-9885, nc4facts@appcnc.org, www.appcnc.org/
Adolescent Parenting Programs accept minors 17 or younger who are pregnant or
are the parent of one child. They encourage teens
to delay a second pregnancy, finish secondary education,
and strengthen parenting skills. Program staff monitor
prenatal care and the minor's child's physical and
emotional health, help a teen find other services,
and connect her or him to peers and to the community.
Programs are located in these counties: Alamance,
Anson, Caldwell, Chatham, Craven, Cumberland, Duplin,
Durham, Edgecombe, Forsyth, Gaston, Greene, Guilford,
Henderson, Hertford (open to Gates residents also),
Johnston, Lenoir McDowell, Mecklenburg, New Hanover,
Onslow, Orange, Pender, Richmond, Robeson, Stanly,
Swain (open to Graham residents), Union, Vance,
and Wake. The state director, Sydney Atkinson, can
be reached at (919) 715-8432.
CARE-LINE, 1-800, 662-7030,
tells callers about human services offered by government,
nonprofit and support groups. Health referrals include
referral to nonprofit agencies including those that
provide abortion. CARE-LINE's ombudsman oversees
the handling of callers' problems, complaints or
inquiries about services offered by the NC Dep't.
of Health and Human Services. The Office of Citizen
Services, NC Department of Health and Human Services,
operates CARE-LINE. Spanish translation is available
for callers and there is a separate line (1-877
452-2514) for hearing-impaired callers.
Family Health Resource Line, 1-800
367-2229, answers questions about some health
services-for example, the WIC and Baby Love programs--and
about eligibility for them. Callers asking about
family planning are referred to clinics. Callers
asking about abortion are referred to Planned Parenthood
or local health departments. Five agencies sponsor
the line, including the NC Division of Medical Assistance
and the Women's and Children's Health Section of
the NC Division of Public Health.
Maternity homes, where a woman
can live during a pregnancy, can be located by contacting
a local department of social services or an adoption
agency, although not everyone who stays in a maternity
home places her child for adoption. DSS and other
agencies can also explain who qualifies for financial
assistance from the state maternity home fund, which
pays for a maternity home stay for eligible women.
REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH
County and district health departments-These
public agencies offer pregnancy diagnosis, prenatal
care and referral for delivery. Some offer counseling
on all pregnancy options including abortion and
abortion referral.
Planned Parenthood-These private
nonprofit agencies operate clinics in Asheville,
Chapel Hill, Charlotte, Greensboro, Durham, Raleigh,
Wilmington and Winston-Salem. The clinics provide
comprehensive reproductive health care including
counseling on all pregnancy options and referral.
A few clinics provide abortions. 1-800 230-PLAN
[7526] connects a caller to the nearest Planned
Parenthood clinic. The web site is www.plannedparenthood.org.
Raleigh Women's Health Organization,
(919) 783-0444 or 1-800 532-5383 offers gynecological
services including contraception, sterilization,
and abortion. The clinic is a private for-profit
agency and one of a number nationwide operated by
the National Women's Health Organization, www.nwho.com.
WELFARE RESOURCES
Local departments of social services investigate possible child maltreatment. They can
also determine a minor's eligibility for numerous
services that could help with pregnancy or parenting.
COURT PROCEDURES
North Carolina's courts control certain
matters affecting pregnant and parenting minors.
For example, courts rule on emancipation, decide
whether a 14- or 15-year old may marry, issue civil
protection orders for victims of domestic violence,
terminate parental rights, approve adoptions, and
permit minors to obtain abortions without parental
consent. For information on filing petitions on
these subjects, a minor or her attorney may visit
or call the office of the clerk of superior court.
There is no standard way to find the number of the
clerk of superior court in telephone directories.
Often, though, the number is in the blue or white
pages under the name of the county.
TELEPHONE LISTINGS
Resources that an adolescent may seek
can be hard to locate in telephone directories.
The "Abortion Alternatives" listing in directory yellow pages contains agencies that
do not provide abortions or abortion referrals.
These agencies, whose names may also include "pregnancy
support" or "crisis pregnancy" usually offer counseling
or assistance with prenatal care, childbirth or
adoption.
"Abortion Providers" or "Abortion
Services" listings in yellow pages name agencies
that counsel on pregnancy options and/or perform
abortions, or refer to agencies that perform abortions.
"Pregnancy Counseling" is a
yellow page listing that may contain different kinds
of service providers--some who counsel and may provide
services to women considering all options including
abortion, and some who assist only with prenatal
care and childbirth.
Adoption-county departments
of social services (see next listing) arrange adoptions.
Private for-profit or non-profit adoption agencies
are often listed in yellow pages under "Adoption
Services."
Local departments of social services are often listed in yellow pages under "Social Services"
and in blue pages under the name of the county.
Public mental health agencies may be listed in yellow pages under "Mental Health
Services" or in blue or white pages under the name
of the county. Sometimes they are called simply
"area center," with no mental health designation.
PUBLICATIONS
ACLU-NC, Know Your Rights: A Guide
for Public School Students in North Carolina.
Available at www.acluofnorthcarolina.org/
ACLU-NC, Reproductive Rights: A
Guide for Women in North Carolina. Available
at www.acluofnorthcarolina.org/
Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention
Coalition of North Carolina, Hispanic Outreach Prevention
Portfolio. (120-page desk reference for health
providers, $30-available from APPC-NC, for contact
information see PREGNANCY AND PARENTING)
Center for Adolescent Health &
the Law-publishes material on health insurance
and services for children, health care consent and
confidentiality, and participation by adolescents
in research. Available from the Center, (919) 968-8850
or its web site, www.adolescenthealthlaw.org.
Manson, Andrea Bazan and Verbiest,
Sarah Zuber, Hispanics and the North Carolina
Health Care System. National Association of Social
Workers-North Carolina: Raleigh 1994. This
publication describes the state's Latino population
including its major health issues, contains Spanish
translations of provider/patient interviews and
lists resources. Available for $7 to NASW-NC members
and $10 to nonmembers by phone 1 (800) 280-6207
or email NASW-NC@aol.com.
Manson, Andrea Bazan, et al., Latina
Reproductive Health in North Carolina: Demographics,
Health Status, and Programs. NC Office of
Minority Health, OMH No. 20, 1999. Single copies
are available from the Office, (919) 715-0992.
Janet Mason, Reporting Child
Abuse and Neglect in North Carolina. Institute
of Government: Chapel Hill NC, 1996. $8.00. Available
from the Institute, (919) 966-4119
Project Esperanza: A Guide to Working
with Battered Latinas. $25. Available from Jan
Capps, Latino Outreach Coordinator, NC Coalition
Against Domestic Violence, (919) 956-9124. (The
guide is being revised.)
LEGAL INFORMATION
Anne Dellinger
Law on minors' pregnancy and parenting
Institute of Government, UNC CH
CB# 3330, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3330
(919) 966-4168, dellinger@sog.unc.edu
Arlene Davis
Dept of Social Medicine, UNC CH
Law on minors' pregnancy and parenting
CB# 7240, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7240
(919) 843-8079, davisam@med.unc.edu
Janet Mason
Juvenile law and court proceedings
Institute of Government, UNC CH
CB# 3330, Chapel Hill NC 27599-3330
(919) 966-4253, mason@sog.unc.edu
Laurie Mesibov
Public school students (rights and responsibilities
regarding enrollment, attendance, discipline, accomodations,
special education, curriculum), schools' relationships
with other public entities, confidentiality of education
records
Institute of Government, UNC CH
CB# 3330, Chapel Hill NC 27599-3330
(919) 966-4253, mesibov@sog.unc.edu
Jill Moore
Law of minors' treatment, confidentiality of medical
information, communicable disease control, and immigrants'access
to health care
Institute of Government, UNC Chapel Hill
CB# 3330, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3330
(919) 966-4442; moore@sog.unc.edu
Jane Perkins
Medicaid eligibility and services, services to adolescents
with limited English proficiency
National Health Law Program
211 N. Columbia Street
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
(919) 968-6308; perkins@healthlaw.org
Deborah Ross
Access to abortion and other reproductive services;
students' rights in public schools
American Civil Liberties Union-North Carolina
P. O. Box 28004
Raleigh NC 27611-8004
(919) 834-3466; aclunc@aol.com
Jane Thompson
Adoption law; child abuse and neglect
NC Attorney General's Office
310 E. Third St., Suite 200
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
(336) 761-2320,, extension 42
jane.thompson@ncmail.net
MEDICAL GUIDELINES AND ORGANIZATIONS'
POLICY STATEMENTS ON CARE OF ADOLESCENTS
