Press Releases

Heading to a beach, lake, river or pool this holiday weekend? Officials at the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services caution swimmers to take steps to ensure water safety, including keeping a close watch on children and young adults and avoiding rip currents at the coast.

With sweltering temperatures forecast over much of North Carolina for the Memorial Day holiday weekend, public health officials with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services are urging people to take steps to protect themselves from heat-related illnesses. 

To help those struggling with substance use disorders and enhance public health prevention efforts, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is focusing efforts to reach patients at risk for hepatitis A in the state-operated Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Centers.

To boost North Carolina’s response to the opioid crisis, R.J. Blackley Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Center in Butner recently became certified as an opioid treatment program for people with opioid use disorder. 

With multiple measles outbreaks occurring in the United States, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is encouraging preventive measures and reminding everyone that vaccination is the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones against measles.

“The cost of doing nothing is not nothing,” John Owen, mental health consumer, told Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen, M.D, at a roundtable to discuss the impact of untreated behavioral health on communities and the challenges of accessing care for those who need it.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is seeking job applicants to work at the new Broughton Hospital in Morganton, following final acceptance of the new state psychiatric hospital by the State Construction Office.

Chronic viral hepatitis affects more than 230,000 people in North Carolina, and because many more may have hepatitis but do not realize they are infected until they have symptoms, Governor Roy Cooper has proclaimed May as Hepatitis Awareness Month, and May 19 as Hepatitis Testing Day.

As warmer weather arrives in North Carolina, the Division of Aging and Adult Services is partnering with the N.C. Area Agencies on Aging and local service providers to distribute fans to eligible recipients through Operation Fan Heat Relief May 1 – Oct. 31.

We know that events like this are stressful and there is no right or wrong way to feel. People can experience a wide range of emotions as anxiety manifests differently in everybody. Signs of distress can include: changes in sleep, appetite, energy or substance/medication use and physical manifestations such as headaches or stomach aches. The important thing to know is that there are resources to help people cope with the ramifications of traumatic events.