Press Releases

With flu season's arrival, health officials with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services are encouraging residents to protect themselves, their families and other people around them by getting vaccinated against the flu.

Due to the increased populations of mosquitoes caused by flooding from Hurricane Florence, Governor Roy Cooper ordered $4 million to fund mosquito control efforts in counties currently under a major disaster declaration.

Today, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced that people currently receiving help buying food through the Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) program may be eligible for extra help in 27 counties heavily impacted by Hurricane Florence. Those counties are Bladen, Beaufort, Brunswick, Carteret, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Duplin, Harnett, Hoke, Hyde, Johnston, Jones, Lee, Lenoir, Moore, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico, Pender, Pitt, Richmond, Robeson, Sampson, Scotland, Wayne and Wilson. 
 

As early as Friday, residents in 27 counties impacted by Hurricane Florence can apply for help buying food through the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or “D-SNAP”, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services received federal authority to implement the program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

Today, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced additional flexibilities to expand its efforts to ensure Medicaid and NC Health Choice services can be quickly delivered to those impacted by Hurricane Florence. These new flexibilities will help people in Medicaid receive care without disruption and give health care providers leeway to deliver services with fewer limits.

As North Carolinians begin to clean up debris and building interiors that may have been exposed to flooding or standing water caused by Hurricane Florence, state health officials are cautioning them to be mindful of the hazards associated with mold and other contaminants that may be present inside homes and other buildings.
 

As flooding continues in parts of North Carolina and recedes in others, public health officials are recommending caution, particularly while people return to their homes in some areas to start the process of debris removal and cleanup in the wake of Hurricane Florence.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, officials with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services are encouraging nurses, physicians, behavioral health professionals and others interested in volunteering to help people impacted by the storm to get connected with the appropriate resources and organizations

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has announced flexibility for families enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program to help those affected by Hurricane Florence. This temporary flexibility will apply to participants enrolled in the WIC program whose WIC office is closed or experiencing hardships related to impacts from the hurricane.

Caswell Developmental Center, a state-operated developmental center in Kinston that serves the state's eastern region, is experiencing a phone outage due to its service provider, CenturyLink, having widespread outages. Caswell Developmental Center has maintained frequent and regular contact with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, which operates the center, and DHHS has reached out to guardians to notify them of the outage. All residents are currently doing well, and should any individual concerns arise, guardians will be contacted.