Newsletter Articles

The state's pre-kindergarten program, which is administered by DHHS, will expand by 1,800 additional 4-year-olds this year, bringing the total number of children enrolled in NC Pre-K to more than 28,000.

Donation bins are available in all state government buildings in Raleigh, businesses that partner with the N.C. Business Committee on Education, and all State Employee Credit Union branch buildings.

The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) recently announced strengthened contracts with Local Management Care Entities/Managed Care Organizations (LME/MCOs) seeking improved outcomes for mental health, developmental disabilities and substance use disorder services.

Nearly 7,000 drug overdoses have been reversed in North Carolina since August 2013, thanks to an antidote for opioid overdoses called naloxone.

Lawrence Holliday, an employee at DHHS' Disability Determination Services, recently appeared on an episode of "Wheel of Fortune." It aired in the Triangle on Nov. 14. Holliday shared how he became a contestant on the game show and what the experience was like.

Black Mountain Promotes Recycling

The Veterans Life Center, a residential program designed to improve the lives of veterans who are experiencing reintegration problems after serving in the military, held a grand opening on Aug. 1. The facility provides temporary housing and services to help veterans achieve self-reliance.

Four local WIC agencies were awarded the Loving Support Award of Excellence (LSA) by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for exemplary breastfeeding support practices. The LSA was received by the local WIC programs in Clay, Gaston, New Hanover and Wilson counties.

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.

DHHS held its first-ever Native American Heritage Month event on Nov. 20 featuring members of the Lumbee tribe from Robeson County who were dressed in full regalia and provided native singing, dancing and storytelling.

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.

In an effort to hear directly from those served through North Carolina's public behavioral health and intellectual and developmental disabilities system, the NC Department of Health and Human Services has scheduled six additional town hall listening sessions.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services celebrated Antibiotic Awareness Week by announcing the winners of the “Be Antibiotics Aware: Smart Use, Best Care Campaign' poster contest.

Officials from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and the NC Department of Public Safety participated with federal, state and local partners in a multi-state Ebola virus disease emergency preparedness exercise Nov. 4–8, 2019.