Newsletter Articles

Employees with the NC Department of Health and Human Services participated in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve’s 72nd annual Toys for Tots drive this year, gathering hundreds of toys for children in the community who may not otherwise receive a Christmas gift.

The NC Department of Health and Human Services is partnering this year with the NC Department of Transportation and its annual Bicycle Helmet Initiative to reduce bicycle injuries and deaths. The initiative distributes free helmets through various agencies sponsoring bicycle safety events.

A North Carolina agency that developed a traumatic brain injury crisis management and de-escalation training video for first responders recently won national recognition for the project, which was funded by DHHS through a grant from the federal Administration for Community Living.

The Social Security Administration reports that Social Security impersonation scams were on the rise in 2019 and have become the leading type of fraud reported to the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Federal Trade Commission.

The NC Medicaid Annual Report for State Fiscal Year 2019 is now available, offering a look at how NC Medicaid makes a difference in North Carolina.

North Carolina's Office of Emergency Medical Services (NCOEMS) Mobile Disaster Hospital was deployed Dec. 16 to aid Atlanta's Grady Memorial Hospital after a burst water pipe damaged more than 200 rooms.

State employees from across North Carolina, including many from the Department of Health and Human Services, attended the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Observance Program and John R. Larkins Award Ceremony on Jan. 17 in Raleigh. The annual event commemorates the life of Dr. King and celebrates the value of public service. This year's ceremony featured former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, the first African American woman to hold this federal appointment.

January marks the 10th anniversary of when North Carolina's smoke-free restaurants and bars law went into effect. A decade later, the law remains the strongest in the Southeast.

The North Carolina and U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services teamed up for town hall on Jan. 22 to educate health care and IT professionals about managing cybersecurity threats and protecting patients.

A documentary about Black ASL, the unique dialect of American Sign Language (ASL) that developed within historically segregated African American Deaf communities, was produced through a non-profit at NC State University and will be screened throughout North Carolina.

In an effort to hear directly from those served through North Carolina's public behavioral health and intellectual and developmental disabilities system, the NC Department of Health and Human Services has scheduled six additional town hall listening sessions.

The Veterans Life Center, a residential program designed to improve the lives of veterans who are experiencing reintegration problems after serving in the military, held a grand opening on Aug. 1. The facility provides temporary housing and services to help veterans achieve self-reliance.

Four local WIC agencies were awarded the Loving Support Award of Excellence (LSA) by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for exemplary breastfeeding support practices. The LSA was received by the local WIC programs in Clay, Gaston, New Hanover and Wilson counties.

Staff from the Elizabeth City, Washington and Wilmington unit offices of DHHS' Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (DVRS) recently delivered supplies to the local YMCA in Bertie County to help residents who were impacted by Hurricane Isaias in early August.