Topics Related to Secretary's Office

PRESS RELEASE — Today, North Carolina leaders released a new report on the state’s caregiving workforce, announcing the next steps in strengthening this critical group of workers. The report comes from the Caregiving Workforce Strategic Leadership Council, a group convened by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and the North Carolina Department of Commerce of leaders from government agencies, educational institutions and other key organizations deeply engaged in health care. The new report offers a roadmap of initiatives the state will take to strengthen and support its health care workforce.

PRESS RELEASE - The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is pleased to be selected among several entities for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration investment in increasing access to maternal care, addressing maternal mental health and growing the maternal health workforce in North Carolina. The department is committed to addressing the maternal mortality crisis and ongoing disparities among infant and maternal mortality rates, particularly in underserved areas. Black babies in North Carolina are 2.5 times more likely to die than white babies, and Black women experience almost twice the rate of maternal mortality than white women.

MEDIA ADVISORY - North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley will get the annual flu vaccine, as well as the fall COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, which Governor Roy Cooper has proclaimed at "Get Your Flu Shot Day." Secretary Kinsley will get both vaccines at 2:30 p.m. at a CVS Pharmacy in Raleigh.

MEDIA ADVISORY - Carole Johnson, Administrator for the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will be joined by Kody Kinsley, Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, grantees and families at Wake County Public Health Center on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, to announce new federal funding to combat maternal mortality and improve maternal health, particularly in underserved communities.

PRESS RELEASE - A new report showcases how North Carolina supported and invested in its child care programs so they could remain open during the COVID-19 pandemic, preserving the state’s early childhood education infrastructure and setting it apart from other states.

PRESS RELEASE - Suicide is a statewide and national public health crisis impacting people of all ages across all socioeconomic, racial and ethnic backgrounds. Suicide awareness is key to saving lives, and with September recognized as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services remembers those affected by suicide and is raising awareness of treatments and resources available to everyone in the community.

MEDIA ADVISORY - North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley — alongside NC State Senators Jim Burgin and Norman Sanderson — will host a community discussion in Elizabeth City, N.C, on Sept. 14, at 6 p.m. on improving mental health care in North Carolina. NCDHHS is committed to transforming behavioral health and resilience, as more than three million people in North Carolina have mental health or substance use disorders.

PRESS RELEASE - Medicaid expansion will no longer launch Oct. 1 as the North Carolina General Assembly failed to take needed action to meet that date. The NC Department of Health and Human Services has been working diligently, every day, to be ready for Oct. 1. And now, with five days left and clarity that no votes will be taken, the department is confident that legislators will not sign a budget this month, nor pass separate legislation giving the final authorization to provide health coverage to more than 600,000 North Carolinians. A new launch date will be announced following the needed legislative action, but it will not be Oct. 1.

MEDIA ADVISORY - The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley will hold a media availability on Monday, Aug. 28, to provide an important update about Medicaid Expansion. The Secretary will answer questions following a brief statement about the timeline for implementation.

MEDIA ADVISORY - North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley — alongside NC State Senator Jim Burgin, NC State Representative Howard Penny and Campbell University leadership — will host a community discussion in Lillington, N.C, on Aug. 24, at 6 p.m. on improving the mental health of college students across North Carolina.