Press Releases

PRESS RELEASE - Increases in COVID-19 metrics have been seen in North Carolina and nationally during recent weeks, including in the early warning wastewater monitoring system. North Carolina’s COVID-19 metrics had been trending down throughout 2023 to the lowest levels since the pandemic began. Along with wastewater, increases have been seen in other COVID-19 metrics, including hospital admissions and emergency department visits, according to data on the North Carolina Respiratory Virus Dashboard.

PRESS RELEASE - The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced the launch of BreastfeedNC.com, a new website dedicated to providing comprehensive information and resources to support mothers and families across North Carolina who are interested in breastfeeding.

MEDIA ADVISORY - The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will join the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities for a statewide virtual and in-person town hall on Aug. 10 at 6 p.m.

PRESS RELEASE - The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will host a live fireside chat and tele-town hall on Thursday, Aug. 3, from 6 to 7 p.m. to discuss substance use, overdose prevention and how we can support teens and young adults in North Carolina.

MEDIA ADVISORY - The American Red Cross begins accepting donations Monday, Aug. 7, from newly eligible individuals, many in the LGBTQ+ community, under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration expanded eligibility recommendations. North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley will be donating blood under these rules in Raleigh on Monday. State Health Director and NCDHHS Chief Medical Officer Elizabeth Cuervo Tilson, M.D., will also be donating blood.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is encouraging North Carolinians to be aware of the potential dangers of having wounds or cuts open to saltwater or brackish water following reports of three deaths due to Vibrio infections in North Carolina residents.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is moving forward with Medicaid expansion and announcing the anticipated start date of Oct. 1, 2023. This announcement is part of a compromise agreement NCDHHS obtained from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that will allow the department to move forward with the required public notices for beneficiaries, counties and providers while still awaiting authority from the NC General Assembly.

On July 16, 2023, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services celebrated the one-year anniversary of 988, the three-digit suicide and crisis lifeline. 988 connects North Carolinians via call, chat or text to a trained counselor who will listen, offer support and provide community resources 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services' Radon Program is offering 12 free, four-hour classes for licensed real estate brokers so they can ensure their clients understand the importance of radon testing of the homes or other buildings they may purchase.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is recommending limits on consumption of certain freshwater fish from the middle and lower Cape Fear River based on concerns about exposure to perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) found in fish sampled from that area.