Press Releases

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is urging people to get vaccinated against hepatitis A. The department is reporting a sharp increase in the virus associated with an ongoing outbreak that began in April 2018.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced it will issue an automated payment to thousands of eligible households to help with winter heating expenses via the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program. The automated payment will be issued beginning Dec. 1 and is designed to help eligible seniors and people with disabilities access winter heating assistance in a safe and socially distanced manner during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today released the NC Comprehensive Cancer Control Action Plan 2020-2025 to address the cancer challenges and issues that affect North Carolinians. The plan includes strategic actions to address disparities among historically marginalized and rural communities who experience a disproportionate burden of cancer disease, disability and death.

Since September, new COVID-19 cases have been increasing faster in rural counties, according to a new report by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is reporting the state’s highest one day number of COVID-19 cases with 3,119 cases reported. Other key metrics also increased with hospitalizations at 1,246 and the percent of tests that were positive climbing to 7.9 percent.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today added demographic data for hospitalizations to the NC COVID-19 Hospitalizations Demographics Dashboard. Data is provided by age, gender, race and ethnicity for patients who were newly admitted to the hospital and confirmed or suspected to be positive for COVID-19 at the time of admission. The data provides further insight into the different demographic groups being hospitalized due to COVID-19.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is adding new county-level data to the COVID-19 NC Dashboard on the County Map by Cases section of the Summary dashboard page.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is providing guidelines for voters and local polling locations to help protect the health of North Carolinians during the voting process. In addition, NCDHHS and the NC Department of Public Safety Division of Emergency Management provided personal protective equipment to local election boards and locations.

Officials with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services' Division of Public Health today announced the first reported flu-related death of the 2020-21 flu season , which occurred the first week of October and involved an adult over 65 years of age in the central part of the state. NCDHHS staff and leadership extend their sympathies to the family and loved ones of this individual during this difficult time. To protect the privacy of the family, the person's hometown, county, age and gender will not be released.

State leaders from the NC Department of Health and Human Services' Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services (DMHDDSAS) are partnering with UNC-TV and the Governor's Institute to host several virtual town hall meetings during October and November to listen to the concerns and experiences of consumers, family members and advocates of the state's MH/DD/SAS services and system.