Press Releases

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has received a four-year grant totaling $14.8 million from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to support the mental health of children and families in North Carolina. The funding will be directed towards North Carolina’s System of Care which connects young people and their families with needed services and resources, including mental health care so they can be safe and successful at home, at school and in their community.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will host a live Spanish-language Cafecito and tele-town hall on Tuesday, Sept. 26, from 6 to 7 p.m. to discuss common health needs and how to find support. As the event takes place during Hispanic Heritage Month, NCDHHS and participants will honor Hispanic and Latino communities across the state and share health-related information and resources.

PRESS RELEASE — The Julian F. Keith Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Center in Black Mountain, N.C. recently unveiled a new patient care unit and announced an innovative partnership to redefine recovery journeys. JFK is one of two alcohol and drug abuse treatment facilities in North Carolina operated by the NC Department of Health and Human Services. It currently provides inpatient and outpatient services, including medical detox, psychiatric stabilization, substance use disorder and mental health treatment using best practice standards — including Motivational Interviewing, Trauma-Informed Care and "Seeking Safety."

On July 16, 2023, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services celebrated the one-year anniversary of 988, the three-digit suicide and crisis lifeline. 988 connects North Carolinians via call, chat or text to a trained counselor who will listen, offer support and provide community resources 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

As part of the ongoing focus on behavioral health and resilience, changes promoted by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services are improving health and saving lives among people in the state with mental health conditions and/or substance use disorders. New state level data is showing the lowest rate of tobacco use in more than a decade for people in North Carolina who struggle with their mental health or heavy drinking.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, in partnership with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, today released the North Carolina School Behavioral Health Action Plan to address the urgent mental and behavioral health crisis facing youth through key investments in our schools.

With overdose deaths in 2021 increasing 22%, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services continues to extend mobile crisis care, treatment programs and other efforts to improve behavioral health services across the state.

Hundreds of people in North Carolina each day are waiting inside hospital emergency departments for behavioral health care. One reason is that a real-time list of operational beds isn’t available, which makes it difficult to connect people in emergency departments to care in more appropriate settings. To address the growing behavioral health crisis, the NC Department of Health and Human Services is today launching a new tool to help hospitals and other providers quickly find an open bed where people can get the behavioral health treatment they deserve.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will host a Spanish-language Cafecito and tele-town hall on Tuesday, Jan. 31, from 6 to 7 p.m. to discuss Mental Wellness, Aging Adults and the latest COVID-19 Information.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has awarded more than $3.2 million to nine colleges and universities across the state to increase access to recovery services and supports on campuses for students with substance use disorders. These awards address a growing need for behavioral health care among young adults and the Department’s top priority to improve Behavioral health and resilience in North Carolina.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and the Mecklenburg Sheriff’s Office are partnering together to offer a new service at the Mecklenburg County Detention Center. The program serves defendants with a mental illness for whom the court has determined they are Incapable to Proceed (ITP) to trial.

This winter and spring, 130 public schools across North Carolina will receive mental and behavioral health training and consultation through the North Carolina Psychiatry Access Line (NC-PAL).

The national 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is now receiving phone calls. Text and chat service continues uninterrupted.

Eight organizations across the state will now be able to increase their recovery services, supports and accessibility for individuals with substance use disorders.

Suicide is among the top five leading causes of death for people ages 10 to 65 in North Carolina. To address this complex and serious health problem, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today released a coordinated state action plan to reduce injury and death by suicide.

In response to rising mental health needs, another resource is available to behavioral health patients at emergency departments across the state.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services released a new funding opportunity to create collegiate recovery programs that increase access to healthy and supportive environments in colleges and universities for those who are in addiction recovery.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today released two funding opportunities to award a total of $6,755,000 to community-based mental health providers. These programs will help individuals with serious mental illness involved with the criminal justice system, and they reflect the department’s vision to advance innovate solutions that foster independence, improve health and promote well-being for all North Carolinians.