Press Releases

Children ages 6 months and older can now receive a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends all children who are eligible receive a COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine is available in North Carolina following the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) emergency use authorization and the CDC’s recommendation.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is preparing for COVID-19 vaccine distribution for children under 5 years old and to ensure families across the state have the information they need to access vaccines for their young children. Children are vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus just like everyone else.

Temperatures are climbing this week as summer arrives, and the National Weather Service has issued a Heat Advisory for most of Central and Eastern North Carolina. Public health officials with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services are advising North Carolinians take precautions to protect themselves and their children from heat-related illness as temperatures across the state rise and remain high throughout the summer.

People struggling with Opioid Use Disorder will have better access to more treatment options because of funding awarded by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Nearly $16,000,000 across 20 health care centers, treatment clinics and community-based providers will be used across the state to expand evidence-based treatment services, as well as employment, housing and transportation supports through innovative pilot programs to better help treat individuals and support them in their recovery.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services released a new funding opportunity to create collegiate recovery programs that increase access to healthy and supportive environments in colleges and universities for those who are in addiction recovery.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today released two funding opportunities to award a total of $6,755,000 to community-based mental health providers. These programs will help individuals with serious mental illness involved with the criminal justice system, and they reflect the department’s vision to advance innovate solutions that foster independence, improve health and promote well-being for all North Carolinians.

Families participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) can now use their benefits for a much wider variety of infant formula brands and types, helping them access the formula available in stores during the nationwide shortage when Gerber products are not available. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has made 55 additional formula products temporarily available for WIC recipients today as part of its efforts to support families during the shortage. This is in addition to eight options added last week for different sizes and types of Gerber products.

A group of students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) stepped into offices across the Division of Public Health within the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today, perhaps marking the first day of a career in public health.

Families participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) can now purchase more sizes and types of Gerber formula thanks to efforts by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to support families during the ongoing infant formula shortage.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will host a live fireside chat and tele-town hall on Wednesday, June 1, from 6-7 p.m. to discuss COVID-19 recovery, ways to prevent and overcome long-term complications, and available treatments, and to hear firsthand accounts from North Carolinians who experienced varying severity of COVID-19 symptoms.

As North Carolinians start their summer voyages to beaches, lakes, rivers and pools this holiday weekend, officials at the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services offer suggestions to maximize the health benefits of swimming and other water-based activities while minimizing the risk of illness, injury and death.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is advising people to not eat or serve certain Jif brand peanut butter products that are being recalled due to potential Salmonella contamination.

Children ages 5 to 11 years old can receive a COVID-19 booster five months after the date of their most recent Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine dose.

Amidst the nationwide infant formula shortage, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is connecting families with resources and sharing recommendations to help navigate supply issues safely. NCDHHS is also broadening access to formula for families who use the federal Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).

Due to the high prevalence and underdiagnosis of viral hepatitis, the NC Department of Health and Human Services recognizes May as Hepatitis Awareness Month and May 19 as Hepatitis Testing Day.

Effective Monday, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will temporarily assume leadership of child welfare services at the Bertie County Department of Social Services, as authorized under state law.

Next week, North Carolina’s youngest children who are eligible for food assistance benefits will begin to receive extra monthly benefits tied to the COVID-19 pandemic for the 2021-2022 school year.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today published Governmental Public Health: Workforce and Infrastructure Improvement in Action, a review of the public health workforce and infrastructure across North Carolina. The paper provides an overview of select programs and opportunities within the NCDHHS Division of Public Health that aim to strengthen the public health infrastructure and support workforce development while reducing disparities and advancing equity.