Press Releases

As early as Friday, residents in 27 counties impacted by Hurricane Florence can apply for help buying food through the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or “D-SNAP”, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services received federal authority to implement the program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

Today, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced additional flexibilities to expand its efforts to ensure Medicaid and NC Health Choice services can be quickly delivered to those impacted by Hurricane Florence. These new flexibilities will help people in Medicaid receive care without disruption and give health care providers leeway to deliver services with fewer limits.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, officials with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services are encouraging nurses, physicians, behavioral health professionals and others interested in volunteering to help people impacted by the storm to get connected with the appropriate resources and organizations

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has announced flexibility for families enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program to help those affected by Hurricane Florence. This temporary flexibility will apply to participants enrolled in the WIC program whose WIC office is closed or experiencing hardships related to impacts from the hurricane.

Caswell Developmental Center, a state-operated developmental center in Kinston that serves the state's eastern region, is experiencing a phone outage due to its service provider, CenturyLink, having widespread outages. Caswell Developmental Center has maintained frequent and regular contact with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, which operates the center, and DHHS has reached out to guardians to notify them of the outage. All residents are currently doing well, and should any individual concerns arise, guardians will be contacted.
 

Today, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced two new flexibilities for people and families in the Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) program to help those affected by Hurricane Florence.

Today, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced broad efforts to work with federal and county partners to provide additional flexibility to people enrolled in the Medicaid program and their health care providers during and after Hurricane Florence.

As North Carolinians prepare for Hurricane Florence, officials with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services are cautioning people about the risks of using gasoline-powered generators and outdoor grills and camp stoves that use charcoal or propane gas in enclosed spaces.

The North Carolina Payers Council, a group of public and private health care payers formed as part of Governor Roy Cooper's 2017 North Carolina Opioid Action Plan to identify, align and implement policies to combat the opioid crisis, today released a report that identifies a five-pronged approach to address the epidemic.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is joining Governor Roy Cooper and many local, state and federal partners in recognizing September as National Recovery Month. Governor Cooper issued a proclamation this week, noting that more than 700,000 people in North Carolina have a substance use disorder.