Press Releases

As COVID-19 cases surged this summer fueled by the Delta variant, hospitalizations and deaths among residents in North Carolina long-term care facilities were significantly lower than during the winter surge, as shown in data from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. The decrease in cases and severe illness can be attributed to vaccination for residents and staff of long-term care facilities and to the work done by long-term care providers to implement measures to protect staff and residents from COVID-19.

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 Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy K. Cohen, M.D. has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) for her work in creating a strategic alignment to bring about critical improvements in health.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has expanded its vaccine data dashboard to provide more statewide demographic data for COVID-19 vaccinations. Users will be able to see vaccination rates by race for age groups and ethnicity for age group. The information will be displayed on a new tab named “Additional NC Demographic Data” on the dashboard.

Nearly all 10,000 employees at state-operated healthcare facilities are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and compliant with a mandatory vaccination requirement, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. The department’s Division of State Operated Healthcare Facilities (DSOHF), a state-operated health care system comprised of 14 facilities, moved to mandatory COVID-19 vaccination in July.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced a significant milestone in the fight against COVID-19. Seventy percent of North Carolinians age 18 and older have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

Today, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services updated North Carolina county vaccination data from the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Indian Health Services and Federal Bureau of Prisons to reflect the county of residence for the person vaccinated. This will result in the vaccination rate changing for several counties on the North Carolina COVID-19 Dashboard.

Beginning Oct. 4, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ COVID-19 Support Services Program, along with the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina will provide food assistance to North Carolinians in 34 counties who face food insecurity resulting from the need to isolate or quarantine due to COVID-19. Additionally, NCDHHS is expanding program eligibility to North Carolinians in those counties who are at high risk for severe illness due to COVID-19, as defined by the CDC.

Residents in three western counties impacted by the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred can apply for help buying food through the Disaster Food and Nutrition Services (D-FNS), or Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) beginning Monday, Oct. 4, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today, Sept. 30, at 5 p.m. will host a live fireside chat and tele-town hall on NC Medicaid and COVID-19 testing, treatment and prevention, including safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines.