Press Releases

Building on the success of a program in Mecklenburg County, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced the development of pilot community-based programs to restore the capacity of people who the courts determine are Incapable to Proceed (ITP) to trial.

With overdose deaths in 2021 increasing 22%, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services continues to extend mobile crisis care, treatment programs and other efforts to improve behavioral health services across the state.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will host a Spanish-language Cafecito and tele-town hall on Tuesday, Jan. 31, from 6 to 7 p.m. to discuss Mental Wellness, Aging Adults and the latest COVID-19 Information.

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).

As part of a shared commitment to behavioral health and the well-being of children and families, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and UNC Health will partner to convert the R.J. Blackley Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Center in Butner, N.C., into a 54-bed inpatient psychiatric hospital for children and adolescents.

Eight organizations across the state will now be able to increase their recovery services, supports and accessibility for individuals with substance use disorders.

Suicide is among the top five leading causes of death for people ages 10 to 65 in North Carolina. To address this complex and serious health problem, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today released a coordinated state action plan to reduce injury and death by suicide.

In response to rising mental health needs, another resource is available to behavioral health patients at emergency departments across the state.

Starting Saturday, people in mental health crisis can dial 9-8-8 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and get immediately connected to trained crisis counselors 24/7.

People struggling with Opioid Use Disorder will have better access to more treatment options because of funding awarded by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Nearly $16,000,000 across 20 health care centers, treatment clinics and community-based providers will be used across the state to expand evidence-based treatment services, as well as employment, housing and transportation supports through innovative pilot programs to better help treat individuals and support them in their recovery.