Topics Related to Secretary's Office

MEDIA ADVISORY — North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley will travel to Buncombe and Henderson counties tomorrow with Senator Jim Burgin to survey damage and meet with people impacted by Hurricane Helene in these counties. They will first stop in Henderson County at the Disaster-SNAP (D-SNAP) Assistance Center in Hendersonville and then travel to the Henderson County Health Department to discuss recovery efforts and hold a brief media availability. Later, they will travel to Buncombe County with stops at the General Public Shelter at the Western NC Agricultural Center and BeLoved Asheville, where there will be a brief media availability.

READOUT — NC Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley traveled with Governor Roy Cooper Friday to Transylvania and Henderson Counties. He first stopped at Pisgah Fish Camp in Pisgah Forest, a family-owned restaurant and landmark in Transylvania County badly damaged by Hurricane Helene. Secretary Kinsley spoke to the owner Mike Hawkins and visited with elected officials including Jaime Laughter, the Transylvania County Manager and Lisa Fletcher, the Superintendent of Schools. Transylvania Schools and Blue Ridge Community College will resume classes and reopen on Monday, Oct. 14. Secretary Kinsley concluded his visit in Transylvania County with a stop at pharmaceutical company Pisgah Labs, a major employer in the area. In Henderson County, the Secretary first stopped at the NC National Guard Warehouse and Operations Center and then toured the damage in Henderson County with Fletcher Mayor, Preston Blakely.

READOUT — NC Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley toured Mitchell and Yancey counties with Governor Roy Cooper on Tuesday, surveying storm damage, meeting with community members and thanking first responders at the Burnsville and Spruce Pine fire departments. The trip concluded with a visit to Sibelco Quartz Mine, a top employer of Mitchell County with about 500 employees. While speaking with members of the media, the Secretary shared updates from the department’s work in collaboration with local, state and federal partners to get the needed care and resources to the hundreds of thousands of people impacted by Hurricane Helene.

MEDIA ADVISORY — As part of the national “Summer of Giving,” North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley will be donating blood on Wednesday, July 10, at The Blood Connection in Raleigh. The Blood Connection, in partnership with GLAAD, has joined the national “Summer of Giving” blood drive campaign to encourage all eligible individuals to donate.

MEDIA ADVISORY — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will host a Spanish-language webinar on Thursday, June 6, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., to discuss the new NCDHHS Community and Partner Engagement Initiative with North Carolina community advocates, partners, leaders and other members of the Hispanic and Latinx community. The public, media and interested organizations are invited to participate in the discussion.

MEDIA ADVISORY — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will host a webinar on Wednesday, May 8, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., to discuss the new NCDHHS Community and Partner Engagement Initiative with North Carolina community members, partners and leaders. The public, media and interested organizations are invited to participate in the discussion.

PRESS RELEASE — The Harnett County EMS team of Morgan Langdon and Jonathan Murphy earned the top spot at the 32nd annual Paramedic Competition held this week in Greensboro, earning the state title for the first time.

PRESS RELEASE — U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra joined Governor Roy Cooper and NC Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley in Raleigh Friday for a Medicaid expansion roundtable with beneficiaries and providers. Together they discussed the monumental impact Medicaid expansion is having for the more than 350,000 individuals who are now enrolled in the program since it launched a little more than two months ago. More than 600,000 people are now eligible and are expected to gain the critical physical and behavioral health care coverage they need over the next two years.

PRESS RELEASE — Today, North Carolina leaders released a new report on the state’s caregiving workforce, announcing the next steps in strengthening this critical group of workers. The report comes from the Caregiving Workforce Strategic Leadership Council, a group convened by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and the North Carolina Department of Commerce of leaders from government agencies, educational institutions and other key organizations deeply engaged in health care. The new report offers a roadmap of initiatives the state will take to strengthen and support its health care workforce.

PRESS RELEASE - The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is pleased to be selected among several entities for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration investment in increasing access to maternal care, addressing maternal mental health and growing the maternal health workforce in North Carolina. The department is committed to addressing the maternal mortality crisis and ongoing disparities among infant and maternal mortality rates, particularly in underserved areas. Black babies in North Carolina are 2.5 times more likely to die than white babies, and Black women experience almost twice the rate of maternal mortality than white women.