Care Ring

05/08/2026

Exciting new resource! We are proud to partner with to provide a free Maternal Mental Health Support Group for expectant and new mothers. Community members interested in registering can scan the QR code for the form. If they have questions, please reach out to our Care Ring staff member Karen J. Bryant, at the number listed on the flyer.

05/07/2026

Our celebration of Nurses Week continues as we recognize the phenomenal Nurse Practitioners who serve patients in our Care Ring Clinic: Maria Medina MSN FNP-C, Steffanie Sullivan, FNP, Ayanna Puryear, DNP, FNP-C, and Bety Nelson, FNP.

They provide compassionate, high quality primary care and chronic disease management, making sure each patient feels heard and seen, and that they understand their conditions and treatment. Using a holistic approach, they asses the whole patient and provide referrals to additional resources such as our food pantry, mental health services, NC MedAssist, or other community supports. Steffanie and Bety also see patients in our Two Generation Clinic program, which provides post-partum care for mom and baby in the same visit, providing convenient and critical care during this important period.

We salute these extraordinary providers who care so deeply about our patients' well being!

05/06/2026

May 6-12 is National Nurses Week! Today we are recognizing the incredible nurses who serve in our Nurse-Family Partnership program. They form strong, caring bonds with the mothers and babies they serve, creating lasting relationships that support their clients to have healthier pregnancy and post-partum outcomes, healthier and thriving babies, and be successful in all areas of life. But don't take our word for it, check out what their clients had to say in a recent satisfaction survey about the program.

05/01/2026

Five of the Community Health Workers with our A Guided Journey program along with AGJ Supervisor Omeika Dhanpaul have been undergoing rigorous training for the past several weeks to also become Doulas. This will greatly enhance the services they provide to pregnant and newly post-partum women in our program, once they are done with training in June. They've been training with Novant Health Presbyterian Hospital, by the amazing Lugenia Grider.

Pictured L to R: Blanca Labrada, Zaynab Hamin Gilliam, Erika McCloud, Lugenia Grider, Omeika Dhanpaul, Emilia Arispe, and Toni Gibson.

04/30/2026

DYK that we are a MedServe Fellow host clinic? MedServe's mission is to engage future health professionals in primary care and develop life-long champions of equity and health in underserved communities. They pair recent college graduates who have completed a pre-medical curriculum and are taking time off before medical school with primary care practices leading innovative community health initiatives. ​Fellows spend two years as full-time, active helpers in these communities.

Our most recent MedServe Fellows have been Dana Carreno (pictured, left) and Brianna Reyes Soto (pictured, right), whose service during the past two years have been invaluable to our Care Ring Clinic operations. Dana has been accepted into her dream school, UNC School of Medicine, and Brianna is studying hard for the MCAT and wants to become a pediatrician. They were celebrated with a "Donut Forget About Us" goodbye party this week. We wish both of these phenomenal women continued success!

*Picture 3 is some of our Clinic staff with Dana and Brianna - Medical Director Kaaren Sailer, MD; Jessica V. Gonzalez, PharmD, Steffanie Sullivan, NP; Natalia Flores (who is also currently a MedServe Fellow), Maria Alexandra Medina MSN FNP-C, and Anngiselle Vallejo, Medical Assistant

04/29/2026

Incredibly proud of what we have accomplished in the first year of our being a Nourish Up Client Choice Food Pantry!

🍎1,107 Families comprised of 3,404 Individuals receiving vital nutrition.

🥦Hundreds of volunteers, many serving numerous times, giving compassionate and caring service.

🫐AND WE'RE ADDING A DAY! Starting in May, we will ALSO be open for service on the 2nd & 4th WEDNESDAY of each month.

Wanna help? Learn more at: careringnc.org/food-pantry or visit the link in our bio

04/27/2026

Last week, our Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) and A Guided Journey (AGJ) teams attended a Home Visiting Professionals event hosted by the Smart Start of Mecklenburg County Home Visiting Collaborative at Camino Salud in honor of National Home Visiting Week.

Community Health Worker Erika McCloud (picture 1, left) with AGJ was presented with Home Visitor of the Year for her team by Care Ring's AGJ Supervisor, Omeika Dhanpaul. Nurse Home Visitor Paula Knight (picture 2, left), was presented with Home Visitor of the Year for her team by Care Ring's Nurse Supervisor Megan Dunn.

The NFP and AGJ teams also attended to enjoy fellowship with the other home visitors from across the county and to cheer on their teammates. Congratulations to Erika and Paula on their recognition and to all home visitors who dedicate their lives to uplifting pregnant and new mothers and their babies to be healthy and to thrive. They make a tremendous positive impact every day!

04/24/2026

Aggie Pride! Some members of the Queen City Charlotte Alumni of North Carolina A&T State University volunteered at our food pantry on Tuesday and Thursday as part of the University's designated Day of Service in honor of their distinguished alumnus, Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. Care Ring's Project Manager, Norika Fisher (photos 1 and 2, far right) is a chapter member and helped to organize the volunteers.

04/23/2026

We are fortunate to be a Community Health & Wellness Grant recipient from Mecklenburg County Alcoholic Beverage Control Board. A portion of purchases from ABC stores helped to fund a variety of programs across our shared Charlotte-Mecklenburg community. At Care Ring, our grant helps to provide therapy services for women in our maternal-child health programs who may need additional support for a variety of mental health needs during the critical pregnancy and post-partum period. This provides a vital link in the continuum of care our clients receive to empower them to become successful caregivers for themselves and their babies.

04/15/2026

We have added 2 more positions we are seeking qualified applicants for: Certified Medical Assistant Level 2 and an Administrative Assistant for our Nurse-Family Partnership program. We are also accepting applicants for a Clinical Nurse Coordinator and Part-time Medical Director.

Check them out and apply here: https://careringinc.applytojob.com/apply/

04/14/2026

Thank you to Queen City News/WJZY-TV and reporter Matt Stell for covering our 3rd Annual Maternal Health Conference last Thursday. Interviewed were Tchernavia Montgomery, MSW, Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, PhD, NC Senator Natalie Murdock (Natalie for NC Senate), and Care Ring client and Healthy Start Consortium member Chanel Alvarez. The Congresswoman and Senator Murdock also gave remarks during the conference discussing the state of maternal health in our state and legislative actions being proposed to combat the maternal mortality and morbidity crisis.

Care Ring hosted its third annual Maternal Health Conference to address disparities in maternal healthcare, particularly among Black mothers, and to promote the “Momnibus Act” which inv…