Press Releases

READOUT — North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai traveled to western North Carolina this week to participate in a Day of Service in coordination with Governor Stein and other Cabinet leaders to show their commitment to Hurricane Helene recovery one year after the storm. The Secretary also met with Buncombe County Health and Human Services and Lincoln County Department of Social Services to learn more about the successes and challenges they face at the county level.

MEDIA ADVISORY — Credentialed media are invited to attend the “Stronger Together Conference” on Sept. 20, 2025, in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. The conference is an interactive experience centered on cultural connection, creative expression and community care. It is designed to offer culturally competent and trauma-informed resources to support wellness for Black youth and young adults.

MEDIA ADVISORY — Credentialed media are invited to attend the "Responding to the Opioid and Substance Use Crisis in North Carolina’s Rural Coastal Communities" conference on September 19, 2025, in Morehead City. Kelly Crosbie, Director of the Division of Mental Health/Developmental Disabilities/Substance Use Services at the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, will deliver the keynote address on how opioid use impacts rural coastal communities.

MEDIA ADVISORY — North Carolina Governor Josh Stein and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services invite members of the media to attend a virtual press conference at 3:15 p.m. today, Sept. 12, to discuss access to COVID-19 vaccines.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Caregiving Workforce Strategic Leadership Council reconvened Thursday, Sept. 11, to celebrate achievements and reaffirm its commitment to strengthen the state’s caregiving workforce, specifically in the fields of nursing, direct care, and mental health and substance use.

PRESS RELEASE — North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is celebrating national 988 Day and commemorating the second anniversary of American Sign Language (ASL) service being available through the national 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

MEDIA ADVISORY — Credentialed media are invited to attend a ceremony on Sept. 8, 2025, commemorating 988 Day and the second anniversary of ASL being offered through the nationwide 988 service. The event will be held at the REAL Crisis Center in Greenville, which is the state center for answering calls to the national 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, in partnership with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and University of California, San Francisco recently launched the Juul Labs Document Repository, a public archive of nearly 5 million internal company records. This project, funded by North Carolina’s settlement with Juul Labs, offers an inside look at the marketing, product development and business strategies that fueled the youth vaping epidemic.

MEDIA ADVISORY — Credentialed media and members of the public are invited to attend Ignite Your Future: A Project Spark Event, hosted by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Project Spark was created by NCDHHS to help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) explore, prepare for and keep a job in their community and is paid for by the U.S. Department of Education. Project Spark also helps people with I/DD transition from subminimum wage jobs to competitive, integrated employment alongside their peers.

PRESS RELEASE — Today at Cherry Hospital, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services celebrated the launch of an electronic health record powered by Epic for North Carolina’s 13 state-operated healthcare facilities. These facilities provide critical medical and behavioral treatment of adults and children with mental illness, developmental disabilities, substance use disorders, and neuro-medical conditions. This advancement in patient care will allow for improved and more comprehensive care, streamlined processes for staff, enhanced security for protection of patient data, and