Press Releases

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, J. Iverson Riddle Developmental Center (JIRDC) has cancelled their 46th annual holiday parade, scheduled for Dec. 2, to ensure the health, safety and well-being of the residents they serve. However, the Center will hold their annual holiday display Dec. 3–31, to be lighted daily from 5:30 p.m. until 10 p.m.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced its selection of an additional vendor, Optum Serve, to continue surging COVID-19 testing capacity in the state.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has been awarded a $35 million State Opioid Response (SOR) grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). These funds will be used to continue the state's efforts to turn the tide on the opioid epidemic by providing treatment and supporting North Carolina's Opioid Action Plan 2.0. Previously, NCDHHS has received a total of $58 million in SOR grants, which to date, has provided more than 14,000 individuals with treatment and recovery services.
Health officials with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services are urging North Carolina residents to protect themselves, their families and those around them by getting vaccinated against Influenza as the state enters flu season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The United States Department of Agriculture approved North Carolina's waiver request to issue automatic replacement benefits to people who receive Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) in 11 North Carolina counties impacted by Hurricane Isaias.
Since Friday, Sept. 4, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has experienced continued technical and submission issues with hospital systems' data, which have been exacerbated by the holiday weekend, resulting in incomplete hospitalization data.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) is developing a COVID-19 Exposure Notification app called ‘SlowCOVIDNC' that will launch across the state in September 2020. The app will help North Carolinians slow the spread of the virus by alerting them when they may have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.
The total new lab-confirmed cases on the NCDHHS COVID-19 Data Dashboard for Aug. 29 reflects an increase caused, in part, by approximately 1,000 positive tests from dates in the first half of the month that were reported to NCDHHS by LabCorp in the past 24 hours.
The NC Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) is pleased to announce that once again court rulings affirm the integrity and fairness of the Departments' managed care procurement process.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) has added new data to the COVID-19 Data Dashboard – average turnaround time for COVID-19 testing. Located on the Testing page, the graph shows the average daily turnaround time based on data from all laboratories that report electronically to NCDHHS.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) today released a Partner COVID-19 Testing Toolkit designed for organizations seeking to host community testing events.
NCDHHS awarded four contracts to regional organizations to administer its new COVID-19 Support Services program. The program will support North Carolinians in 20 targeted counties who are asked to isolate or quarantine due to COVID-19 and need assistance such as food, relief payments, or access to primary medical care.

Today, the "¡Recuerda las 3Ms!” (Know your 3Ms) campaign is being launched by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) as part of a larger public outreach campaign designed to reach historically marginalized populations disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services updated guidance for institutions of higher education, further emphasizing that colleges and universities must work to reduce risk of viral spread of COVID-19 both on and off campus.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced its selection of an additional vendor — StarMed Urgent and Family Care, P.A. — based in North Carolina, to continue surging COVID-19 testing capacity in the state.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is encouraging North Carolinians who are enrolled in the federal Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) to use their food benefits during COVID-19 to support good nutrition for their families. All WIC participants are getting monthly food benefits automatically added to their eWIC account because of the pandemic.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced corrections to the state’s daily and cumulative completed COVID-19 test counts after discovering a discrepancy between electronic and manual reporting of testing data that had been submitted by LabCorp.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper issued Executive Order 156 extending, but not waiving, proof-of-immunization and health assessment documentation deadlines for school and child-care facilities.

The North Carolina Department of Public Safety, Division of Emergency Management and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced a new, expedited reimbursement program that aims to expand non-congregate sheltering options in communities across the state.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has received its first reported case of a confirmed SARS-CoV-2 positive dog in North Carolina. SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes COVID-19 in humans.