Press Releases

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced it is proposing a change to blood donor eligibility by using gender-inclusive, individual risk-based questions to reduce the risk of transfusion-transmitted HIV.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will host a live fireside chat and tele-town hall on Wednesday, Jan. 25, from 6 to 7 p.m. to discuss Navigating Mental Wellness, Aging, Caregiving and the Impacts of COVID-19.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has awarded more than $3.2 million to nine colleges and universities across the state to increase access to recovery services and supports on campuses for students with substance use disorders. These awards address a growing need for behavioral health care among young adults and the Department’s top priority to improve Behavioral health and resilience in North Carolina.

In North Carolina and nationally, emergency allotments for COVID-19 in the Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) program will end in March 2023. Households that have been receiving extra FNS benefits (called "emergency allotments") each month since March 2020 or after will see a reduction in benefits because of a federal change that ends emergency allotments for all states.

Governor Roy Cooper proclaimed January as National Radon Action Month to help educate people about how to reduce their risk of lung cancer from radon. Because testing is the only way to know if your family is at risk, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is providing 3,000 free radon test kits available now at radon.ncdhhs.gov.

Moore County residents who receive Food and Nutrition Services and lost food due to power outages from vandalism to an electrical substation on Dec. 3, 2022, will receive replacement benefits, thanks to two waivers approved by the United States Department of Agriculture.

A recall has been issued for any shell and shucked oysters harvested in the southeastern Galveston Bay known as TX1 between Nov. 17 and Dec. 7, 2022. North Carolina restaurants and stores may be impacted by this recall, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced.

People who test positive for COVID-19, particularly those who are uninsured or don’t have a primary care doctor, will have better access to treatments thanks to a time-limited telemedicine program launched by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services in partnership with StarMed Healthcare. After a positive test, early treatment is key to avoiding severe illness and hospitalizations, and treatment may even reduce complications from post-COVID conditions, also called long COVID.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and the Mecklenburg Sheriff’s Office are partnering together to offer a new service at the Mecklenburg County Detention Center. The program serves defendants with a mental illness for whom the court has determined they are Incapable to Proceed (ITP) to trial.

Most children 6 months to 4 years are now eligible for their updated COVID-19 vaccine, which protects against COVID-19 variants. These vaccine doses are becoming available in North Carolina this week following the Food and Drug Administration’s emergency use authorization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation.