Press Releases

NCDHHS Releases Final Report on 2019 Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak in Western North Carolina

Thursday, January 30, 2020

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today released the final report on the public health investigation into an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in people who attended the NC Mountain State Fair held Sept. 6–15, 2019 at the Western North Carolina Agricultural Center in Fletcher, NC.

NC Medicaid Celebrates 50 Years of Improving Health for North Carolina

Thursday, January 30, 2020

This year marks the 50th anniversary of North Carolina’s Medicaid program, which provides health coverage for low-income adults, children, pregnant women, seniors and people with disabilities throughout the state. The NC Department of Health and Human Services will celebrate the milestone throughout the year with #NCMedicaidAt50 and by collecting stories on the impact of Medicaid in North Carolina.

NCDHHS Coronavirus Update, No Confirmed Cases in North Carolina

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services' Division of Public Health is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), local health departments and health care providers to closely monitor the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) that originated in Wuhan, China.

DHHS Holds Mental Health Town Hall Meetings to Hear Directly from those Receiving Services

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Mental health leaders will be traveling across North Carolina over the next several months on a town hall listening tour to listen to the concerns and experiences of consumers, families and advocates. Meetings will be held in Wilmington, Winston-Salem and five other locations to be announced.

Test Results Negative for Possible Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in North Carolina

Saturday, January 25, 2020

The North Carolina Division of Public Health (NC DPH) is reporting that a patient who was being tested for the novel (new) 2019 coronavirus is not infected with the virus. Negative results were received this evening from testing performed at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

DHHS Investigating Possible Case of Coronavirus in North Carolina

Friday, January 24, 2020

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is investigating a possible case of infection with the newly discovered 2019 coronavirus. The individual recently traveled to China and passed through Wuhan City, where the outbreak originated, but had not visited the seafood and animal market that was linked to many early cases.

MEDIA ADVISORY: North Carolina’s Opioid Response Getting National Attention; State Leaders to Testify at Congressional Hearing

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Deputy Secretary for Behavioral Health & Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Kody H. Kinsley from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will testify Tuesday, Jan. 14  at 10 a.m. at the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations on “A Public Health Emergency: State Efforts to Curb the Opioid Crisis.”

Free Radon Test Kits Available During January

Friday, January 10, 2020 In conjunction with National Radon Action Month, the North Carolina Radon Program is distributing 3,000 radon test kits at no charge this month. Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that is invisible, odorless and tasteless. It is released from the ground into outdoor air but can accumulate and reach harmful levels when trapped in homes and other buildings. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that radon is responsible for more than 22,000 lung cancer deaths per year in the United States.

DHHS Announces $2.1 Million to 23 Health Departments to Address the Opioid Crisis

Friday, January 10, 2020 Twenty-three local health departments in North Carolina will receive a share of a $2.1 million award annually for up to three years to implement high-impact, community-level strategies to address the opioid crisis.

Statement from NCDHHS on Preliminary OCME Findings after Recent Infant Deaths in Durham

Thursday, January 9, 2020

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) typically does not release individual autopsy reports and information prior to the completion of the case. However, given the public health concerns surrounding the Durham Housing Authority’s McDougald Terrace location, DHHS is sharing information about the carbon monoxide laboratory results today related to three infant deaths in Durham County.