Press Releases

Low-income households with a person 60 or older or someone receiving disability benefits and services through the Division of Aging and Adult Services that need help covering the cost of heating their home this winter can apply for assistance starting Dec. 3.

More than 720,000 North Carolinians in 304,000 households affected by Hurricane Florence received assistance buying food over the past seven weeks, Governor Roy Cooper announced today.

The North Carolina Office of Rural Health, the oldest in the United States, today celebrates 45 years of service improving access to health care for the people of North Carolina. In honor of the milestone, Governor Roy Cooper proclaimed November 15 Rural Health Day in the state.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today released an analysis of four categories of birth defects in Bladen, Brunswick, Cumberland, New Hanover and Pender counties from 2003-2014 using data from the North Carolina Birth Defects Monitoring Program. The analysis was done to address concerns raised during the state’s ongoing investigation into GenX and other per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also referred to as PFAS. 

North Carolina’s infant mortality rate decreased to 7.1 deaths per 1,000 births, compared with a 2016 rate of 7.2 and a 2015 rate of 7.3, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services' 2017 infant mortality rates. While the racial disparity between birth outcomes for white infants and African-American infants remains unacceptably high, there was a reduction in the gap in birth outcomes.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has confirmed the first death related to an ongoing outbreak of hepatitis A affecting parts of North Carolina. The death occurred in October. To protect the privacy of the family, additional details about the case are not being released.

Officials with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Public Health today announced the first reported flu-related death of the 2018-19 flu season, which occurred last week and involved an adult in the central part of the state. To protect the privacy of the family, the person's hometown, county, age and gender will not be released.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today released a draft of the state’s Early Childhood Action Plan, following Governor Roy Cooper’s Executive Order in August directing DHHS to spearhead the development of a statewide early childhood plan. The public is encouraged to review and comment on the draft plan by Nov. 30. 

Twenty-two local health departments in North Carolina will receive a share of $1.8 million to implement high-impact, community-level strategies to address the opioid crisis based on the NC Opioid Action Plan.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has secured more than $8.5 million in new federal and state funding to support the ongoing behavioral health needs of those impacted by Hurricane Florence. The funds will help make recovery possible for those in the state's disaster declared counties.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is reminding North Carolinians that more than $30 million in funds are available for families who need emergency help heating their homes through the Crisis Intervention Program.

North Carolina today received federal approval to implement the transition to Medicaid managed care and integrate physical health, behavioral health and pharmacy benefits. Receiving approval from the Centers for Medicare; Medicaid Services (CMS) of the amended 1115 Demonstration Waiver application submitted by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services in 2017 is a major milestone in implementing North Carolina's Medicaid Transformation and in moving the state's health care system toward further integration and coordination.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced today that people who receive help buying food through the Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) program or cash assistance through the Work First program can now access account information through a free mobile application called ebt EDGE.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced that it has received results from blood and urine samples of 30 people living near Chemours’ Fayetteville Works facility who rely on well water and were evaluated for the presence of GenX and 16 other per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also referred to as PFAS.

North Carolina will receive $27 million over the next year to fight the state's opioid epidemic by getting people off opioids and preventing others from misusing them, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. Grants include $23 million from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and $4 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will administer both grants.

To further the Hurricane Florence recovery effort, Governor Roy Cooper has ordered the North Carolina Vital Records Office to temporarily waive its fees for North Carolinians who have been impacted by the storm and need replacement vital records. 

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is reminding people impacted by Hurricane Florence that applications for help buying food through the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or “D-SNAP,' will be accepted no later than Thursday, Oct. 11 in Greene County.
Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center's AirCare team of Roger Horton and Barry McMillian claimed the title at the 28th Annual Paramedic Competition held this week in Greensboro, marking the second time in four years that the AirCare team from Wake Forest Baptist has won the event. The victory marked the fourth in the past decade for Horton and McMillian, who also triumphed at the competition in 2009 and 2010 while working for Surry County.

With flu season's arrival, health officials with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services are encouraging residents to protect themselves, their families and other people around them by getting vaccinated against the flu.

Due to the increased populations of mosquitoes caused by flooding from Hurricane Florence, Governor Roy Cooper ordered $4 million to fund mosquito control efforts in counties currently under a major disaster declaration.