Summarizing months of preparation and response efforts, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is releasing a 2022 Monkeypox Outbreak Response Plan to provide a quick and easily accessible summary of the information and tools North Carolinians need.
Press Releases
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today launched Raise North Carolina, a public education campaign about the value of the state’s early care and learning network to support children’s healthy development as well as families’ participation in the workforce.
The federal government has allocated North Carolina 444 doses of Jynneos, a vaccine that can prevent illness or lead to less severe symptoms if given within two weeks after someone is exposed to monkeypox. Those doses have been allocated to seven local health departments to ensure access across the state. As additional doses become available, more locations will be added.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is doubling down on at-home testing — establishing Community Access Points in all counties to provide free and easy COVID-19 tests for home use. Starting July 1, people will be able to find home tests at covid19.ncdhhs.gov/FindTests.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will host a live fireside chat and tele-town hall on Tuesday, June 28, 6–7 p.m., to discuss COVID-19 vaccines for children under 5 years of age.
People combatting opioid use disorder in Western North Carolina are gaining expanded access to lifesaving outpatient services. Beginning July 1, Julian F. Keith Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Center will add additional services to its existing outpatient program. With financial support from and a partnership with Dogwood Health Trust, many individuals who receive inpatient treatment will now gain access to effective, evidence-based Medication Assisted Treatment, housing assistance and outpatient treatment and support services.
At the end of 2021, an estimated 4,000 people were living with HIV in North Carolina and unaware of their HIV+ status. Getting tested routinely and knowing their status means people can get treatment quicker.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is reporting the first case of monkeypox virus infection in a North Carolina resident, identified by testing at the State Laboratory of Public Health. Monkeypox is a rare but potentially serious, viral illness that typically involves flu-like symptoms, swelling of the lymph nodes and a rash that includes bumps that are initially filled with fluid before scabbing over. Illness could be confused with a sexually transmitted infection like syphilis or herpes, or with varicella zoster virus (chickenpox). Most infections last two to four weeks.
Eligible North Carolina children will receive additional benefits over the summer to ensure they have access to nutritious food. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services recently received approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to continue the Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer food assistance program through Summer 2022.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will host a live Cafecito and Spanish-language tele-town hall on Thursday from 7 to 8 p.m. to discuss COVID-19 vaccines for children under 5 years of age.
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 two funding opportunities to award a total of $6,000,000 for tuition scholarships to improve behavioral health outcomes and substance use disorder treatment across the state.
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.
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 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.
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.