Hundreds of people in North Carolina each day are waiting inside hospital emergency departments for behavioral health care. One reason is that a real-time list of operational beds isn’t available, which makes it difficult to connect people in emergency departments to care in more appropriate settings. To address the growing behavioral health crisis, the NC Department of Health and Human Services is today launching a new tool to help hospitals and other providers quickly find an open bed where people can get the behavioral health treatment they deserve.
Press Releases
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.
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.
This winter and spring, 130 public schools across North Carolina will receive mental and behavioral health training and consultation through the North Carolina Psychiatry Access Line (NC-PAL).
The national 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is now receiving phone calls. Text and chat service continues uninterrupted.
NCDHHS is appealing the Superior Court ruling in the Samantha R. et al. vs. NCDHHS and the state of North Carolina court case.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services released an updated North Carolina Dental Opioid Action Plan to provide clear steps and solutions for dentists and their staff, patients, families and communities to address the opioid epidemic.
With the goal of keeping families and communities safe from firearm injury and death, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is releasing a white paper describing public health strategies to reduce firearm violence and misuse.