Topics Related to Mental Health

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services recently received a five-year, $10-million federal grant to improve the health and well-being of adults and children with challenging mental health issues who live in high need communities.

Unintentional opioid-related overdose resulted in 1,884 deaths in North Carolina last year, a 34 percent increase from the 1,407 deaths attributed to the same cause in 2016, and state health officials say the increase is due to the increase in potent illicit drugs like heroin and fentanyl

Governor Roy Cooper announced today that North Carolina is strengthening its fight against the opioid epidemic by expanding the number of pharmacies participating in the Controlled Substance Reporting System. North Carolina is also activating a digital gateway to provide pharmacists and prescribers one-click access to patient information and data to identify those at risk for prescription drug addiction, overdose and death.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has secured more than $8.5 million in new federal and state funding to support the ongoing behavioral health needs of those impacted by Hurricane Florence. The funds will help make recovery possible for those in the state’s disaster declared counties. 
 

North Carolina today received federal approval to implement the transition to Medicaid managed care and integrate physical health, behavioral health and pharmacy benefits. Receiving approval from the Centers for Medicare; Medicaid Services (CMS) of the amended 1115 Demonstration Waiver application submitted by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services in 2017 is a major milestone in implementing North Carolina's Medicaid Transformation and in moving the state's health care system toward further integration and coordination.

North Carolina will receive $27 million over the next year to fight the state's opioid epidemic by getting people off opioids and preventing others from misusing them, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. Grants include $23 million from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and $4 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will administer both grants.

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

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.
 

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is joining Governor Roy Cooper and many local, state and federal partners in recognizing September as National Recovery Month. Governor Cooper issued a proclamation this week, noting that more than 700,000 people in North Carolina have a substance use disorder.

The North Carolina Payers Council, a group of public and private health care payers formed as part of Governor Roy Cooper’s 2017 North Carolina Opioid Action Plan to identify, align and implement policies to combat the opioid crisis, today released a report that identifies a five-pronged approach to address the epidemic.