Press Releases

More than $9 million remains available to help eligible households pay their heating bills through the state-administered Low-Income Energy Assistance Program. The federally funded program helps keep families safe and healthy by providing a one-time payment directly to the utility company.

With flu activity in North Carolina remaining widespread, state health officials are continuing to encourage North Carolinians to get vaccinated. Interim estimates of vaccine effectiveness released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show the vaccine is approximately 36 percent effective this season and 59 percent effective for children 6 months to 8 years old.

Foster youth of legal driving age and their caregivers can now be reimbursed for costs related to obtaining a driver's license through a new pilot program.

Governor Roy Cooper today urged all North Carolinians to take extra precautions to avoid catching or spreading the flu virus during peak flu season. Influenza has claimed the lives of at least 140 North Carolinians since flu season began in October.

The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services submitted its Behavioral Health Strategic Plan to the NC General Assembly, providing an informed vision for the future of North Carolina's behavioral health system.

Today at the Cardinal Innovations Board meeting in Winston-Salem, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services transitioned leadership and governance of the organization to the new board and to the Cardinal Innovations executive leadership team.

The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services today announced that the newly appointed board for Cardinal Innovations will meet to hold its first official board meeting this weekend. The new board will convene on Friday evening, Jan. 26, for another training session and will come into session for its first official board meeting on Saturday, Jan. 27. At this board meeting, DHHS intends to transition leadership and governance of the organization to the new board and the Cardinal Innovations executive leadership team.

Governor Roy Cooper today announced the next wave of funding to combat the opioid crisis from the 21st Century Cures Act/State Targeted Response to the Opioid Crisis Grant that North Carolina received in May 2017. Since May, 3,200 individuals have benefited from these programs, and the funds announced today are expected to treat an additional 3,300 North Carolinians with an opioid use disorder.

The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services is reporting the state's first child death from flu for the 2017-18 flu season. A child in the central part of the state died last week from complications associated with influenza infection. To protect the family's privacy, the child's hometown, county and gender are not being released.

Governor Roy Cooper issued a proclamation recognizing Dec. 1 as World AIDS Day in North Carolina and the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services' Division of Public Health joins in this observance. World AIDS Day renews opportunities for health service agencies to collaborate with partners, raise awareness about HIV and move closer to an AIDS-free generation.