Newsletter Articles

Aligned with NCDHHS' priority to build a strong and inclusive workforce, the Division of Public Health (DPH) launched a targeted recruitment effort for internship placement in partnership with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) in May 2022.

In its first quarter report, covering January through March 2022, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services outlined the state’s progress in initiating the implementation of priorities outlined in its Olmstead Plan.

This year, the theme for National Breastfeeding Month is Together We Can Do Great Things, which celebrates the power and impact of our collective efforts. The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee’s vision of thriving families and communities cannot be achieved by any one person, or by just one organization. It happens with daily effort by us all, and by working together to make change. We look forward to celebrating all efforts in service to babies, families, and human milk feeding during August.

In recognition of the 23rd anniversary of the Olmstead ruling, NCDHHS is spotlighting stories that embody the principles of Olmstead in partnership with the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities and First in Families of North Carolina.

DHHS' Chief Deputy Secretary for Opportunity and Well-Being, Susan Gale Perry, recently spoke to human services leaders from across the country at the American Public Health Services Association (APHSA) National Health and Human Services 2022 Summit. Perry shared her personal journey with human services and celebrated NCDHHS’ accomplishments during a TED-style talk as part of a session on “Advancing Economic and Social Mobility.”

Debra Farrington has stepped into a new role at NCDHHS, becoming its next Chief Health Equity Officer. She previously served as chief of staff for NC Medicaid, where she received the 2022 John R. Larkins Award for her commitment to justice and equality in the workplace and the community. She shares some of the insights she’s gained from working in public health and observing challenges to receiving health care.

In an effort led by the Communicable Disease Branch in NCDHHS' Division of Public Health (DPH), a team consisting of epidemiologists, entomologists, and veterinarians from NCDHHS, North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill recently assembled to conduct entomologic surveillance and collected more than 600 ticks over around six acres in Nash County. 

Dr. Zack Moore and all of North Carolina's 85 local health directors were recognized by their peers for their extraordinary accomplishments with the Ron H Levine Public Health Award at the annual North Carolina Public Health Leader’s Conference on May 19 in Raleigh, NC.

NCDHHS' Toxicology Laboratory for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) has achieved national re-accreditation from the American Board of Forensic Toxicology (ABFT).

NCDHHS is joining partners across the state in celebrating Older Americans Month 2022. Older adults play vital, positive roles in our communities – as family members, friends, mentors, volunteers, civic leaders, members of the workforce and more. That’s why the theme for Older Americans Month 2022 is Age My Way.

May is melanoma and skin cancer awareness month. Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States. Melanoma is the third most common type of skin cancer that begins in the melanocytes. These cells give you your skin color. Melanoma may begin as a mole.

Employees from NCDHHS’ Divisions of Social Services, Public Health, and Child and Family Well-Being came together on April 26 at the Division of Public Health’s campus in Raleigh to recognize Child Abuse Prevention Month.

NCDHHS'  Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (DVRS) provides a program to assist North Carolinians with disabilities in achieving their goal of competitive integrated employment. As a part of that program, DVRS can help people with disabilities find an internship in the career field of their choice to help them build job skills that will help them gain and maintain employment.

Each year, the NC Division of Aging and Adult Services (DAAS) presents awards to recognize individuals, organizations, programs, and communities that have made significant contributions in support of the division’s efforts to enhance resources, services, and opportunities for our state’s older citizens.

In celebration of National Breastfeeding Month, NCDHHS’ Division of Public Health (DPH) recently launched its North Carolina Breastfeeding-Friendly Child Care Designation application period.