Press Releases

With hospitalizations due to COVID-19 rising, getting a booster of the COVID-19 vaccine remains the most important thing North Carolinians can do to keep themselves and their loved ones out of the hospital, officials with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced.

North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy K. Cohen, M.D. today issued the below Secretarial Advisory, urging the following actions to prevent serious illness, hospitalization and death from COVID-19.

Health experts are warning that the highly contagious COVID-19 variant, Omicron, is expected to cause the greatest surge in COVID-19 infections to date in the coming months. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services urge people to get vaccinated with an mRNA vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna) as soon as possible and to get a booster as soon as they are eligible to help prevent serious illness, hospitalization and death.

Programs that provide overdose prevention and syringe access are serving more people and potentially saving more lives, according to the 2020-2021 North Carolina Safer Syringe Initiative Annual Report released by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

In order to better reach those with substance use disorders, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is awarding $4.4 million in funding for 15 mobile units to provide screening, assessment, treatment, primary care and recovery support services.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today released a funding opportunity to award a total of $4 million to up to 10 organizations to increase access to high-quality substance use disorder (SUD) treatment for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). Using federal funds designated for SUD treatment, NCDHHS is prioritizing individuals with I/DD as beneficiaries of this funding.

A temporary mobile vaccination unit that operated across Western North Carolina since July has ended its operations this week after providing more than 9,300 vaccinations, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced it has received approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to continue the Student Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) food assistance program for eligible K-12 students through the 2021-22 school year under new rules. North Carolina is still awaiting federal approval for Child Care P-EBT (previously called “Children Under 6”) and cannot issue benefits to this group until USDA approval is received.

Officials with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced the first reported flu-related death of the 2021–22 flu season. An adult in the western part of the state died due to complications of influenza during the second week of December.

Eligibility for Pfizer’s COVID-19 booster shot has been expanded to include 16- and 17-year-olds, making safe and effective boosters now available for everyone ages 16 and older.

Governor Roy Cooper and North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy K. Cohen, M.D., today highlighted changes in federal law that make obtaining insurance through the federal Health Insurance Marketplace more affordable and available to more than 100,000 additional people in the state.

Healthier Together, a public-private partnership between the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and NC Counts Coalition, has awarded $500,000 in the second round of grants to support a new cohort of local community groups to support equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines throughout North Carolina.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced a new dental public health training program: Oral Health Training Program for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD). The program, launched by NCDHHS’s Division of Public Health’s Oral Health Section, aligns with its mission to improve the oral health of North Carolinians and to support dental public health workforce development.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will begin accepting applications through county social services departments for the state's Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) today.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced the State of North Carolina has been awarded more than $38 million in federal funding to establish a new water assistance program for households affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today added COVID-19 vaccine administration data on additional and booster doses to its vaccine data dashboard, allowing dashboard users to see the number of doses administered following a recipient’s primary series.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will host a live Cafecito and tele-town hall on Nov. 16, 6–7 p.m. to discuss the safety and effectiveness of the recently authorized Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Rural Health is proud to recognize the selfless, community-minded spirit of health professionals and volunteers in North Carolina communities during National Rural Health Day 2021. National Rural Health Day falls on the third Thursday in November each year and recognizes the efforts of those serving the health needs of an estimated 57 million people across the nation.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced that Behavioral Health and Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) Tailored Plans will launch Dec. 1, 2022, instead of July 1, 2022.