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At the 2021 Opioid Misuse and Overdose Prevention Summit on May 4-6, 2021, North Carolina leaders, including Governor Roy Cooper and Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy K. Cohen, M.D., highlighted the states progress in addressing the opioid epidemic, the impact of COVID-19 on the opioid epidemic and launched the updated Opioid and Substance Use Action Plan.

Five NCDHHS employees were recently honored with the 2021 Richard Caswell Award for 45 years of public service. The NCDHHS employees join 12 other state employees in the honor and collectively make up more than 765 years of public service.

Approximately 1.6 million of the current 2.5 million Medicaid beneficiaries will transition to NC Medicaid Managed Care on July 1, 2021. Under Managed Care, the State is contracting with insurance companies, called Prepaid Health Plans (PHPs). PHPs will be paid a capitated rate, which is a pre-determined set rate per person to provide health care services.

North Carolina’s future prosperity depends on the success of its young children today – that’s why early childhood has been a key priority of both Governor Roy Cooper and NCDHHS. When the COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented challenges for all North Carolinians, including families with young children, North Carolina’s Division of Child Development and Early Education took bold, early action to stabilize the state’s child care industry, supporting families, child care providers and educators who have remained open for business.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is joining the North Carolina Department of Revenue to encourage families with children who have not already received $335 in coronavirus relief funding to apply for a payment before the May 31, 2021 deadline.

Employees from across NCDHHS were honored with the annual NCDHHS Team Recognition Awards in a virtual event on March 25. The awards recognized NCDHHS teams who have gone above and beyond to further our mission and demonstrated the NCDHHS values during 2020.

Each year, the NC Department of Health and Human Services' Division of Aging and Adult Services awards individuals, organizations, programs and communities that have made significant contributions in support of the division's efforts to enhance resources, services and opportunities for the state's older citizens.

The Governor's Award for Excellence is the highest honor a state employee can receive for dedicated service to the State of North Carolina and its citizens. The Governor's Awards for Excellence program acknowledges and expresses appreciation for outstanding accomplishments that do not fall entirely within the scope of normal duties but are in the nature of a major contribution reflecting credit on the person and state service.

The COVID-19 crisis has provided an important moment for NCDHHS' Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE) to lead the country by offering innovative, digital professional development supports to all NC Pre-Kindergarten (NC Pre-K) teachers across the state. While in-person learning is strongly recommended for all NC Pre-K children, DCDEE is working proactively to ensure that families who may need to quarantine are able to continue to readily support their child's learning and stay aligned to their classmates.

Staff from the Elizabeth City, Washington and Wilmington unit offices of DHHS' Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (DVRS) recently delivered supplies to the local YMCA in Bertie County to help residents who were impacted by Hurricane Isaias in early August.