Topics Related to Public Health

Wear. Wait. Wash. As North Carolina moves to ease some COVID-19 restrictions at the end of this week, the NC Department of Health and Human Services is asking people to remember these three things to continue to slow the spread of COVID-19 and flatten the curve.

Health care providers and hospitals can use a new portal to request reimbursement for claims associated with COVID-19 testing and treatment of uninsured patients retroactive to Feb. 4, 2020.

Starting today, North Carolina Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) participants will be able to purchase groceries online using their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards at authorized online EBT retailers.

Due to COVID-19, many health care facilities in North Carolina, particularly long-term care facilities, are seeking to urgently hire staff for temporary, part-time or full-time roles. There is an urgent need for Registered Nurses and Certified Nursing Assistants, among other roles to supplement current workers and in some cases fill in for workers affected by COVID-19.

More than half (51.1%) of North Carolina adults are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 because they are 65 or older, have at least one underlying health condition or both, according to data analyzed by the NC Department of Health and Human Services.

NCDHHS plans to leverage Crisis Counseling Program (CCP) dollars to implement additional mental health supports and crisis counseling services for North Carolinians in response to the COVID-19 pandemic through two connected efforts — the Hope4NC Helpline and a Crisis Counseling Program tailored for COVID-19.

The Hope4Healers Helpline (919-226-2002) is being expanded to support the staff who work in North Carolina’s child care programs.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) announces today the Carolina Community Tracing Collaborative, a new partnership with Community Care of North Carolina (CCNC) and the North Carolina Area Health Education Centers (NC AHEC) to help stop the spread of COVID-19. 

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

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has been awarded a $2 million grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to support the state’s behavioral health response to the COVID-19 pandemic.