Press Releases

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Rural Health is hosting six meetings across the state to gather stakeholder input regarding the J-1 Visa Waiver program and NC’s Loan Repayment and Incentive Programs under N.C. General Assembly Session Law HB 998. The meetings are open to the public and are intended to gather feedback about current processes and possible program modifications to help ensure maximum benefits to rural North Carolina communities. 

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is partnering with the Mountain Area Health Education Center to increase the number of doctors who graduate from North Carolina residency programs with the training necessary to provide medication-assisted treatment for patients with opioid use disorder through a grant awarded to the state by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is surveying people living near Chemours’ Fayetteville Works Facility about their concerns related to GenX and other per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

As families button up their homes to guard against winter's chill it is an ideal time to make plans to test for radon, the odorless, colorless gas that is our nation's second leading cause of lung cancer. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), radon causes more than 21,000 deaths each year, making it the second most common cause of lung cancer deaths in the United States and the number one cause among non-smokers.

Because of the federal shutdown, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has instructed states to issue February’s Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) benefits by Sunday, Jan. 20. Benefits would normally be available to families between the 3rd and 21st of February.

North Carolina health leaders are promoting new oral health guidance to advance maternal and infant health. In 2016, the Division of Public Health, focusing on better birth outcomes and the reduction of infant mortality, convened the NC Perinatal Oral Health Task Force, which includes representatives from public health and state-funded medical and dental training institutions.

Unintentional opioid-related overdose resulted in 1,884 deaths in North Carolina last year, a 34 percent increase from the 1,407 deaths attributed to the same cause in 2016, and state health officials say the increase is due to the increase in potent illicit drugs like heroin and fentanyl

With the holiday season gearing up, now is a good time for people who use tobacco to make a plan to quit and give the gift of health to themselves and their loved ones.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has extended the public input period for the draft North Carolina Early Childhood Action Plan from Nov. 30 to Dec. 21. 

Governor Roy Cooper announced today that North Carolina is strengthening its fight against the opioid epidemic by expanding the number of pharmacies participating in the Controlled Substance Reporting System. North Carolina is also activating a digital gateway to provide pharmacists and prescribers one-click access to patient information and data to identify those at risk for prescription drug addiction, overdose and death.