Press Releases

MEDIA ADVISORY — Credentialed media are invited to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony for a new peer respite mental health wellness center in western North Carolina on Oct. 23, 2025, in Henderson County.

MEDIA ADVISORY — The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, Trillium Health Resources and Integrated Family Services PLLC are hosting a ribbon-cutting on Monday, Oct. 20, for a new Behavioral Health Urgent Care (BHUC) in Pitt County. The facility is scheduled to open on Monday, Oct. 27.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced the creation of the AdvaNCe Health Together Learning Community, a new initiative developed in partnership with national consulting firm Open Minds and Trillium Health Resources, a North Carolina LME/MCO. AdvaNCe Health Together is a training and collaboration model that will help Community Behavioral Health Clinics prepare to meet certification standards in their goal to increase access to care across North Carolina.

PRESS RELEASE — Governor Josh Stein and NC Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai announced today that through North Carolina’s Medical Debt Relief Program, more than $6.5 billion in medical debt has been relieved for more than 2.5 million North Carolinians over the past year. 

PRESS RELEASE — Governor Josh Stein, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities along with members of the community celebrated October as National Disability Employment Awareness Month on Friday at a reception at the Executive Mansion in Raleigh. The event highlighted the personal stories of workers with disabilities and employers who are building a strong and disability-inclusive workforce in North Carolina.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and the North Carolina Social Work Coalition on Workforce Development are partnering to create a Public Service Leadership Program (PSLP) that will strengthen the state’s social work workforce.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced the first reported flu-related death of the 2025-2026 flu season. An adult in the western part of the state died due to complications of flu during the first week of October. To protect the privacy of the family, no additional information will be released.

PRESS RELEASE — As the federal government shutdown stretches into its second week, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is actively working with local, state and federal partners to understand and navigate the evolving impacts on essential services. Despite the uncertainty, North Carolinians who rely on federal food assistance programs will continue receiving benefits through October.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will rescind the State Health Director’s standing orders that allowed people to receive COVID-19 vaccines in pharmacies following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s approval of updated recommendations that allow for vaccination without a prescription. The standing orders will be rescinded on Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, to give North Carolina pharmacies time to adopt protocols that align with the approved recommendations.

PRESS RELEASE — Governor Josh Stein and NC Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai got their annual flu shots today at Walgreens in Raleigh, North Carolina and encourage North Carolinians to get vaccinated against seasonal viruses to best protect themselves from serious illness and hospitalization. Flu, COVID-19 and RSV vaccines are available at a variety of locations including pharmacies, where many North Carolinians choose to receive their vaccines. October is a great time to get vaccinated to have the strongest protection during peak respiratory virus season through winter.