Press Releases

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) and Disability Rights North Carolina (DRNC) today jointly announce an agreement in the Samantha R. et al. vs. NCDHHS and the State of North Carolina litigation. This development signifies the commitment of both organizations to ensure all North Carolinians with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) have the resources they need to live healthy, independent lives in communities of their choosing.

PRESS RELEASE — As indicated by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services,  Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza was detected in a dairy herd in North Carolina. HPAI was previously detected in dairy herds in Texas, Kansas, Michigan, Idaho, New Mexico and Ohio. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today issued the following statement in regard to public health concerns:

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today released an update to its Early Childhood Action Plan to address key actions the department is taking to improve early childhood development in North Carolina. As Governor Roy Cooper proclaims this week as Week of the Young Child in North Carolina, the updated action plan and efforts to improve children’s behavioral health in North Carolina support the department’s mission to ensure all children get a healthy start in life and develop to their full potential in safe and nurturing families, schools and communities.

PRESS RELEASE — As part of an ongoing commitment to improve behavioral health and resilience in North Carolina, the NC Department of Health and Human Services is investing in transforming the state’s behavioral crisis response system to ensure people experiencing a behavioral health emergency have alternatives to emergency departments when seeking the care they need. NCDHHS today announced a two-year plan to invest approximately $15 million in nine behavioral health urgent care centers across North Carolina. This investment will increase the state’s capacity to provide behavioral health urgent care by nearly 50%.

MEDIA ADVISORY — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Director of Child Development and Early Education, Ariel Ford will participate in two upcoming child care forums in North Carolina. The events seek to raise awareness to the child care crisis in the state and the need for more child care opportunities in North Carolina which support children’s healthy development and learning, allow parents to work and keep businesses running.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is reporting a statewide increase in mpox cases. Over the past six months, 45 cases have been reported in 12 counties across North Carolina.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today published the 2024-25 Olmstead Plan to improve community inclusion for people with disabilities. Designed in partnership with key stakeholders and people with lived experience across the state, the plan advances the work to ensure people with disabilities have the resources they need to live and thrive in the communities of their choice. 

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is celebrating two years of the Healthy Opportunities Pilots in North Carolina and announcing the intent to expand these life-saving services statewide. The Healthy Opportunities Pilots is a first-of-its-kind innovative program that is described as a “life changer” for thousands of North Carolina families. The program addresses people’s social needs with services like food, housing, transportation and services related to interpersonal violence and toxic stress. Preliminary research also shows a significant savings in medical costs to the state of North Carolina from Healthy Opportunities Pilots participants.

PRESS RELEASE — As warmer weather approaches, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is urging North Carolinians to “Fight the Bite” by taking measures to reduce their risk of tick- and mosquito-borne diseases. In 2023, almost 900 cases of tick- and mosquito-borne illnesses were reported across the state.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is returning control of child welfare services to the Nash County Department of Social Services, effective today. NCDHHS temporarily assumed leadership in September 2023. Since then, the state and county worked collaboratively to stabilize and improve child welfare services and ensure appropriate standards.