Press Releases

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.

In North Carolina and nationally, emergency allotments for COVID-19 in the Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) program will end in March 2023. Households that have been receiving extra FNS benefits (called "emergency allotments") each month since March 2020 or after will see a reduction in benefits because of a federal change that ends emergency allotments for all states.

Governor Roy Cooper proclaimed January as National Radon Action Month to help educate people about how to reduce their risk of lung cancer from radon. Because testing is the only way to know if your family is at risk, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is providing 3,000 free radon test kits available now at radon.ncdhhs.gov.

Moore County residents who receive Food and Nutrition Services and lost food due to power outages from vandalism to an electrical substation on Dec. 3, 2022, will receive replacement benefits, thanks to two waivers approved by the United States Department of Agriculture.

A recall has been issued for any shell and shucked oysters harvested in the southeastern Galveston Bay known as TX1 between Nov. 17 and Dec. 7, 2022. North Carolina restaurants and stores may be impacted by this recall, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced.

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.

People who test positive for COVID-19, particularly those who are uninsured or don’t have a primary care doctor, will have better access to treatments thanks to a time-limited telemedicine program launched by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services in partnership with StarMed Healthcare. After a positive test, early treatment is key to avoiding severe illness and hospitalizations, and treatment may even reduce complications from post-COVID conditions, also called long COVID.

Most children 6 months to 4 years are now eligible for their updated COVID-19 vaccine, which protects against COVID-19 variants. These vaccine doses are becoming available in North Carolina this week following the Food and Drug Administration’s emergency use authorization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation.

As part of a shared commitment to behavioral health and the well-being of children and families, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and UNC Health will partner to convert the R.J. Blackley Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Center in Butner, N.C., into a 54-bed inpatient psychiatric hospital for children and adolescents.

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).

Residents in Moore County who have missed the Dec. 7 deadline to join, switch or drop a Medicare health plan or drug plan coverage due to the widespread power outage will still be able to sign up after today.

Older adults and people with disabilities can now apply for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ Low Income Energy Assistance Program. The state began accepting applications from this group of residents on Dec. 1.

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

NCDHHS is appealing the Superior Court ruling in the Samantha R. et al. vs. NCDHHS and the state of North Carolina court case.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services released an updated North Carolina Dental Opioid Action Plan to provide clear steps and solutions for dentists and their staff, patients, families and communities to address the opioid epidemic.

With the goal of keeping families and communities safe from firearm injury and death, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is releasing a white paper describing public health strategies to reduce firearm violence and misuse.

In observance of Family Engagement Month this November, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is proud to announce new early learning resources for families with young children.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will host a live fireside chat and tele-town hall on Monday, Nov. 14, from 6 to 7 p.m., to discuss diabetes prevention and management, the impacts of COVID-19 for people with diabetes and the importance of protection from the virus.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Rural Health is proud to recognize the selfless, community-minded spirit of health professionals and volunteers in North Carolina communities during National Rural Health Day 2022.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is refreshing the COVID-19 dashboards to enhance design and user experience.