Press Releases

PRESS RELEASE — Governor Roy Cooper declares Aug. 31 Overdose Awareness Day in North Carolina — a day to remember those lost to overdose, honor their families and renew our commitment to ending the crisis.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced a $4.5 million investment in the NC Child Treatment Program, a statewide initiative to train mental health providers in trauma-informed treatment models for children with complex behavioral health needs. NCDHHS is investing to expand access to proven behavioral health treatments so young people and their families receive the support they need sooner, and in the communities where they live and learn.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services recently launched the North Carolina Strategic Housing Plan to help maintain, increase and better utilize affordable supportive housing for people with disabilities across the state. This plan addresses housing needs for individuals with disabilities, including those who are currently receiving or eligible for NCDHHS-funded services as well as those who are experiencing homelessness, currently residing in congregate settings or at risk of entry into these settings.

MEDIA ADVISORY — The federal 988 Director Monica Johnson and leaders from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration are visiting North Carolina Thursday to tour the 988 Call Center (REAL Crisis Center) in Greenville, tour a Community Crisis Center (Recovery Innovations) and later host a roundtable discussion in Durham to learn more about and highlight the success of North Carolina’s 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and Peer Warmline. North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley and NCDHHS Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Use Services Director Kelly Crosbie will accompany Director Johnson to both sites.

PRESS RELEASE — The NC Department of Health and Human Services this week celebrates the second anniversary of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. In the past two years, 988 crisis counselors in North Carolina have responded to nearly 190,000 calls, texts and chats, providing critical access to mental health and substance use crisis support. In its second year of service, the number of North Carolinians contacting 988 each month has nearly doubled.  

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is launching its Behavioral Health and Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities Tailored Plans, a new kind of NC Medicaid Managed Care health plan, on Monday, July 1.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today released a multi-year Direct Support Professional Workforce Plan. This plan aims to address the critical shortage of DSPs who provide in-home and community-based services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in North Carolina. Implementation will begin on July 1.

PRESS RELEASE — Natural disasters and incidents of mass violence continue to impact individuals, families and communities. NCDHHS today launched a new, multilingual Disaster and Behavioral Health Resources Communications Toolkit to provide communities with tips, guidance and resources to support mental and emotional health before, during and after a disaster.

MEDIA ADVISORY — In partnership with the Alamance County Government, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, RHA Health Services, and Vaya Health, the Alamance Behavioral Health Center will offer an array of mental health services, substance use recovery support, and services for individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities.

MEDIA ADVISORY — Leaders from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will join providers, advocates, educators and partners across the state at the Let’s Talk about Different Abilities 2024 conference hosted by Grupo Poder y Esparanza in Charlotte on Saturday, June 1. The Spanish-language conference is an opportunity for Spanish-speaking parents and caregivers of people with disabilities to learn about the systems and resources available to support them and their families in North Carolina.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will host a live, Spanish-language Cafecito and tele-town hall on Tuesday, May 21, from 6 to 7 p.m., to discuss maternal health in North Carolina and provide resources to support physical and mental well-being before, during and after pregnancy.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced the distribution of $6,250,000 to seven counties to provide youth substance use prevention within their communities. NCDHHS applied for and was awarded the funding through the U. S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, as part of its National Drug Control Strategy. North Carolina was one of only 12 states to receive funding for its efforts to invest in behavioral health care prevention.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services this week announced a $1.35 million investment to begin piloting trauma-informed mobile crisis and crisis co-responder services. These services will deploy teams who are trained and experienced to respond to people experiencing a behavioral health emergency, including mental health professionals and peer support specialists who can de-escalate crisis situations and provide appropriate support. This investment is part of the department’s ongoing effort to transform the behavioral health crisis response system to ensure North Carolinians have someone to call, someone to respond and somewhere to go for care. These pilots focus on the second piece of that crisis response system: someone to respond.

MEDIA ADVISORY — Leaders from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and state legislators will join the NC Council on Developmental Disabilities on Thursday, May 2, for a town hall to discuss key priorities for North Carolinians with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including choice and access to community-based services.

MEDIA ADVISORY — North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley will be the keynote speaker at the second annual ‘Why Us Kids?’ rally in Franklin, NC. The event was created by Gracie Parker, an 11-year-old youth mental health activist who shares her lived experience to raise awareness of the ongoing youth mental health crisis and advocate for school-based, trauma-informed support services for students of all ages across the state.

PRESS RELEASE — As part of an ongoing effort to transform North Carolina’s behavioral health crisis response system, the NC Department of Health and Human Services today announced a $22 million investment to expand community crisis centers and peer respite care across the state. This investment will increase North Carolina’s capacity for community-based crisis treatment by 20%, helping to ensure people experiencing a behavioral health crisis have alternative options to emergency departments or community and state psychiatric hospitals when seeking care.

MEDIA ADVISORY — Leaders from the NC Department of Health and Human Services, NC Department of Public Instruction and State Board of Education will join a roundtable with Guilford County Schools on Wednesday, April 24, to discuss the importance of school-based resources in improving physical and behavioral health outcomes for North Carolina children and families. NCDHHS received a historic $835 million to transform behavioral health care in North Carolina, with $80 million specifically focused on children and family well-being. Of that funding, this year, NCDHHS is investing $7 million in services like school-based telehealth to ensure children have better access to behavioral health support and treatment.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) and Disability Rights North Carolina (DRNC) today jointly announce an agreement in the Samantha R. et al. vs. NCDHHS and the State of North Carolina litigation. This development signifies the commitment of both organizations to ensure all North Carolinians with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) have the resources they need to live healthy, independent lives in communities of their choosing.

PRESS RELEASE — Tailored Plans are a new kind of NC Medicaid Managed Care health plan for approximately 210,000 beneficiaries with a serious mental illness, a serious emotional disturbance, a severe substance use disorder, an intellectual/developmental disability or a traumatic brain injury in North Carolina. They will cover doctor visits, prescription drugs and services for mental health, substance use, I/DD and traumatic brain injury in one plan. Eligible North Carolinians who are covered by NC Medicaid Direct will be covered by a Tailored Plan beginning July 1. The name of their Medicaid plan will change but the services covered remain the same. A bilingual toolkit with accessible resources is now available for people impacted by the transition to Tailored Plans.

PRESS RELEASE — As part of an ongoing commitment to improve behavioral health and resilience in North Carolina, the NC Department of Health and Human Services is investing in transforming the state’s behavioral crisis response system to ensure people experiencing a behavioral health emergency have alternatives to emergency departments when seeking the care they need. NCDHHS today announced a two-year plan to invest approximately $15 million in nine behavioral health urgent care centers across North Carolina. This investment will increase the state’s capacity to provide behavioral health urgent care by nearly 50%.