Press Releases

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, in partnership with North Carolina’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities, is hosting a mental health summit to assess the mental health needs of minority students on campus and the effects of the impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services encourages North Carolinians to seek mental health support through the Hope4NC helpline (1-855-587-3463) available 24/7 via call, text or chat.

In order to better reach those with substance use disorders, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is awarding $4.4 million in funding for 15 mobile units to provide screening, assessment, treatment, primary care and recovery support services.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today released a funding opportunity that will award a total of $5.8 million to at least nine organizations statewide to increase access to high-quality opioid use disorder treatment for people in the criminal justice system.

North Carolina leaders, including Governor Roy Cooper and Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy K. Cohen, M.D. will take the virtual stage at the 2021 Opioid Misuse and Overdose Prevention Summit on May 4-6, 2021. Hundreds of national, state and local community leaders are coming together to discuss the integral role North Carolina’s communities play in prevention and response efforts across the state.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services' Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services has been awarded the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline's 988 State Planning Grant through Vibrant Emotional Health, the nonprofit administrator of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (Lifeline). This grant, totaling $129,555, provides support to begin implementing the Lifeline's new 988 number.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services released the COVID-19 Community Readiness toolkit to help individuals find mental and behavioral health supports and resources in their communities.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services launched a new online tool to help North Carolinians know when they will be eligible to get their vaccine. Find My Vaccine Group walks users through a series of questions to determine which vaccine group they are in. People can then sign up to be notified when their group can get vaccinated.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced it has received $870,000 per year over the next five years for suicide prevention. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's new Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Program is the first to take a comprehensive public health approach which addresses data-informed family, community and societal issues that contribute to suicide.

NCDHHS plans to leverage Crisis Counseling Program (CCP) dollars to implement additional mental health supports and crisis counseling services for North Carolinians in response to the COVID-19 pandemic through two connected efforts — the Hope4NC Helpline and a Crisis Counseling Program tailored for COVID-19.