Press Releases

PRESS RELEASE — North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and NC Health and Human Services Secretary Kody Kinsley today gave an update at Care Ring in Charlotte on their plan to incentivize hospitals to relieve medical debt for millions of low- and middle-income North Carolinians. Participants spoke about the impact of relieving up to $4 billion in medical debt for people in the state, as well as the program’s potential reach in the Mecklenburg County area.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will host a live Spanish-language Cafecito and tele-town hall on Tuesday, Aug. 6, from 6 to 7 p.m., to discuss who is newly eligible for Medicaid under expansion, ways to apply, how to access application support in Spanish and which qualified immigration statuses are eligible for health care coverage.

PRESS RELEASE — Today, Governor Roy Cooper joined North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services leadership and a representative from Walgreens for an announcement on Medicaid coverage in Chapel Hill. As part of NCDHHS and the Governor’s continued work to expand access to reproductive health services, NC Medicaid will begin covering over-the-counter contraception in pharmacies across the state. Starting Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, the oral contraceptive Opill will be available through local and retail pharmacies without a prescription, at no cost for NC Medicaid beneficiaries. Opill is the first over-the-counter oral contraception that has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will host a live fireside chat and tele-town hall on Thursday, Aug. 1, from 6 to 7 p.m., to discuss how Medicaid expansion supports the health of American Indian communities.

PRESS RELEASE — Millions of low- and middle- income North Carolinians are one step closer to medical debt relief. The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved on Friday, July 26 Governor Roy Cooper and the NC Department of Health and Human Services’ plan to use the state's Medicaid program to incentivize hospitals to relieve more than a decade of existing medical debt for eligible North Carolinians and prevent accumulation of new debt going forward.

PRESS RELEASE — After conducting water quality monitoring along Lake Gaston and the waters that feed into the lake, and in coordination with Virginia partners of observations of the plume, officials have determined that no contaminants have reached North Carolina waters at a measurable level. Based on sampling and observations from both Virginia and North Carolina environmental officials, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services recommended local health departments in the areas surrounding Lake Gaston lift recreational and fish consumption advisories for the Roanoke River near the North Carolina state line sent on July 13.

PRESS RELEASE — Today Governor Roy Cooper visited Trinity Moravian Church to learn more about their efforts relieving medical debt through the Debt Jubilee Project. The visit included a roundtable discussion to better understand how recent actions to relieve medical debt could benefit millions of North Carolinians. Roundtable participants included Undue Medical Debt, NC Department of Health and Human Services leadership and an individual that has benefited from debt relief.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has been awarded a $2.5 million grant from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to expand school-based health care in North Carolina. The grant will support NCDHHS’ ongoing work to ensure school-aged children and their families have equitable access to health care and behavioral health services readily available in the same places where they learn and grow.

Press Release — The North Carolina State Emergency Response Team is in close coordination with agencies in Virginia regarding the ongoing environmental issue resulting from the South Hill, VA Warehouse Fire that occurred on July 6, 2024. The warehouse facility contained a large quantity of agricultural chemicals and runoff from the firefighting efforts has entered several water systems in southern Virginia, including the Meherrin River from its confluence with Mountain Creek, and the Miles and Dockery Creeks, upstream of the Roanoke River (Lake Gaston).

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced an $11 million investment in treatment services designed to keep children who have complex behavioral health needs in homes and communities, and out of inappropriate boarding. The department is partnering with Rapid Resources for Families to expand access to family-based therapeutic programs, enabling children to receive trauma-informed treatment in a home-based setting.

PRESS RELEASE — The NC Department of Health and Human Services this week celebrates the second anniversary of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. In the past two years, 988 crisis counselors in North Carolina have responded to nearly 190,000 calls, texts and chats, providing critical access to mental health and substance use crisis support. In its second year of service, the number of North Carolinians contacting 988 each month has nearly doubled.  

PRESS RELEASE — More than half a million North Carolinians have now enrolled in Medicaid expansion since the program began seven months ago. Beneficiaries are now able get the quality health care they need at low cost. Governor Roy Cooper was joined by North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kody Kinsley, Dr. Karen L. Smith MD, FAAFP, a family physician in Raeford and Verlina Lomick,CHW-IV, Director of Community Outreach & Advocacy for Kintegra Health and health care advocates to celebrate reaching this major milestone, which had originally been projected to take as long as two years.

PRESS RELEASE — As temperatures remain high, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is encouraging residents to enjoy recreational waters safely and be aware of possible health risks, including harmful algal blooms. Certain infections are also more common during summer such as primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), vibriosis and cryptosporidiosis.

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.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services continues to respond to the recent increase in syphilis and congenital syphilis cases with NC Medicaid now covering point of care rapid testing for syphilis and HIV. This new coverage, effective Jan. 1, 2024, allows Medicaid recipients to access rapid testing directly from their Medicaid-enrolled provider.

PRESS RELEASE — Today, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and the NC Department of Health and Human Services announced new actions leveraging the state’s Medicaid program that will encourage hospitals to relieve a potential $4 billion in existing medical debt for approximately two million low and middle-income North Carolinians and ease the burden of medical debt in the future.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is launching its Behavioral Health and Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities Tailored Plans, a new kind of NC Medicaid Managed Care health plan, on Monday, July 1.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today released a multi-year Direct Support Professional Workforce Plan. This plan aims to address the critical shortage of DSPs who provide in-home and community-based services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in North Carolina. Implementation will begin on July 1.

PRESS RELEASE — Natural disasters and incidents of mass violence continue to impact individuals, families and communities. NCDHHS today launched a new, multilingual Disaster and Behavioral Health Resources Communications Toolkit to provide communities with tips, guidance and resources to support mental and emotional health before, during and after a disaster.

MEDIA ADVISORY — In partnership with the Alamance County Government, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, RHA Health Services, and Vaya Health, the Alamance Behavioral Health Center will offer an array of mental health services, substance use recovery support, and services for individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities.