Press Releases

Press Release — Ahead of Radon Action Month in January, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is releasing county-level data and resources on radon levels across the state. In North Carolina, radon is the number one environmental cause of lung cancer, and an estimated 480 residents die each year due to radon-induced lung cancer. Persons who have smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lives are ten times more susceptible to the impacts of radon.

PRESS RELEASE — Today Governor Stein is directing the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) to restore Medicaid reimbursement rates to September 30, 2025, levels. The legislature’s failure to fully fund Medicaid forced cuts to the program in October, and the months-long budget stalemate between the legislative chambers has resulted in a wave of litigation against the state. Recent court orders have now made it untenable to continue with rate reductions.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is reporting an increase in flu activity and flu-related deaths. Three flu-related deaths were reported during the past week, bringing the total number of deaths this season to nine. This is a greater number of flu-related deaths so far compared to this time last season. North Carolina reported 542 flu-related deaths for the 2024-2025 respiratory virus season which was the highest number of statewide flu deaths recorded since reporting began in 2009. No flu-related deaths in children have been reported in North

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has received funding for the 2026 Low Income Home and Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) from federal partners. While the funding was delayed following the federal government shutdown, NCDHHS and county staff have been preparing so they would be ready to open for new Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) applications once federal funds were received. LIEAP and the Crisis Intervention Program (CIP) are two programs supported by LIHEAP block grant funding. North Carolinians who are eligible for LIEAP assistance

PRESS RELEASE — To address the severe staffing shortage that is a key contributor to the state’s child care crisis, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) is partnering with 16 North Carolina institutions of higher learning to establish "Child Care Academies," a shortened intensive training and certification that prepares participants for careers in child care at no cost to them. This workforce initiative is funded by the Division of Child Development and Early Education using funds from a federal Preschool Development Grant.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Health and Human Services initiative called Project Spark is launching 10 new locations across the state to expand access to the services and supports that help individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) be successful in finding competitive integrated employment (CIE). CIE means working in the community alongside other employees without disabilities, earning at least minimum wage and getting the same workplace benefits and opportunities as other employees doing the same job. A non-CIE work setting is an organization or environment

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced the launch of the Children and Families Specialty Plan (CFSP), a first of its kind statewide health plan to ensure access to comprehensive physical and mental health services for Medicaid-enrolled children, youth and young adults currently and formerly served by the child welfare system. With approval from and at the direction of the North Carolina General Assembly and in partnership with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC), the CFSP went live on Dec. 1, 2025. The name of the

PRESS RELEASE — Today Governor Stein and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services celebrate two years since the implementation of Medicaid expansion in North Carolina. More than 690,000 newly eligible North Carolinians have gained access to affordable health care through Medicaid expansion, including veterans and workers in child care, construction, hospitality, home health care, and other industries essential to our state’s success.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced the launch of the Licensed Workforce Loan Repayment Program, a $20 million initiative to recruit and retain licensed professionals who provide mental health, substance use, intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), and traumatic brain injury (TBI) services in rural and underserved communities.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced the opening of the state’s second Mobile Opioid Treatment Program. The unit is operated by New Season Treatment Center in Greensboro and will serve Greensboro and surrounding areas in the Triad. Mobile OTPs dispense medicine for people with a substance use disorder, which is considered the most effective treatment. Morse Clinics launched the first mobile OTP unit in Wake County in the summer.