Press Releases

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced the statewide expansion of Success Coach, an innovative program designed to help families stay together and thrive after exiting foster care. With this program, the North Carolina child welfare system is transitioning from offering post-adoption services to providing a comprehensive permanency support model, ensuring that all families – whether adoptive, reunified, in guardianship, or kinship care – have access to resources that promote long-term stability and well-being.

PRESS RELEASE — Today, Governor Josh Stein and North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai joined rural health providers and community leaders for a roundtable discussion on how access to health care coverage through NC Medicaid is a lifeline for rural communities. With Congress considering cuts to the program, leaders noted rural communities would be particularly hard hit.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is working in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services to prevent and eliminate the spread of rabies. Starting this week, Wildlife Services will be distributing the annual oral rabies vaccine for raccoons in Western North Carolina. This oral rabies distribution program typically takes place annually each fall but was delayed in 2024 due to Hurricane Helene.

PRESS RELEASE — As measles cases continue to rise across the country, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is taking proactive steps to ensure the state remains prepared for any potential cases or outbreaks. While there have been no reported cases of measles in North Carolina so far in 2025, public health officials are urging residents, health care providers and child care centers to take the necessary precautions to protect themselves, their communities and those at highest risk, especially unvaccinated children.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services along with Positive Childhood Alliance is holding an event as Governor Josh Stein proclaims April as Child Abuse Prevention Month in North Carolina. Recognizing the role everyone plays in helping North Carolina’s children reach their full potential, this Child Abuse Prevention Month, community organizations, government agencies, businesses, faith groups and other stakeholders will come together to amplify a message of hope for strong families and supportive communities. A free family-friendly public event will be held on Tuesday, April 1st at Pullen Park in Raleigh, North Carolina from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and includes free food and entertainment while supplies last.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced students across North Carolina will soon have access to high-quality, virtual mental health care through Hazel Health. This initiative, supported through an investment by UnitedHealthcare, is part of a broader effort announced last year to provide virtual school-centered mental health care for up to one million students across select states nationwide.

PRESS RELEASE — Former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and former State Health Director Dr. Betsey Tilson were recognized for their exemplary accomplishments in public health with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Ron H. Levine Public Health Award at the annual North Carolina Public Health Leaders’ Conference on March 13.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will host a live Spanish-language Cafecito and tele-town hall on Thursday, March 13, from 6 to 7 p.m., to discuss how people can support their mental well-being, find resources for youth and adults in North Carolina and get help for themselves or someone else experiencing a mental health crisis.

PRESS RELEASE — Today, Governor Josh Stein and North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Dev Sangvai hosted a roundtable with health care professionals and Medicaid beneficiaries to highlight the lifesaving impacts of Medicaid and discuss the importance of protecting Medicaid funding from federal cuts.

PRESS RELEASE — The 2023 Infant and Child Mortality Data from the North Carolina Child Fatality Task Force Report shows non-Hispanic Black and American Indian children have higher mortality rates compared to other racial and ethnic groups. In 2023, the disparity worsened, with Black infants dying at rates three times higher than white infants. When compared to other states, North Carolina had the 10th highest infant mortality rate in the country, highlighting the critical need for the Department of Health and Human Services efforts to ensure the health and well-being of children and families.

MEDIA ADVISORY — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services recently updated its weekly Respiratory Virus Summary Dashboard, which shows an increase in flu-related deaths, bringing the total number of deaths reported this season to 362. This is the highest number of flu deaths reported since the 2017-2018 flu season.

PRESS RELEASE — This week, the success of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Healthy Opportunities Pilots was featured in the Journal of the American Medical Association. In just under three years, the first-of-its kind innovative program has been described as a "life changer" for thousands of North Carolina families. Healthy Opportunities proves the best way to lower health care costs and create healthier communities is to reduce the need for medical care in the first place.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services received a report that an Industrial Radiography Camera containing radioactive material was stolen in Kernersville, North Carolina. Because radioactive material can cause physical harm if handled, the department is advising caution and requesting anyone with information to call law enforcement immediately.

READOUT — North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai traveled to western North Carolina this week to meet with health care and social services partners to learn more about the status of Hurricane Helene recovery efforts and discuss the impacts of staffing shortages and other challenges they face. Together, we are committed to recovery efforts and supporting staff as we continue to create a healthier North Carolina for all.

PRESS RELEASE — As part of its Direct Support Professional Workforce Plan, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is announcing $3 million to recruit and retain direct support professionals. This workforce is critical in helping people with intellectual and developmental disabilities live, work and thrive in communities of their choice. They provide a wide range of supports from daily tasks like bathing, eating and taking medications to connecting people with community resources and opportunities.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is reporting two pediatric flu-related deaths, the first for the 2024-2025 flu season. One child in the Eastern region and another in the Central region of the state recently died due to complications of influenza. To protect both families’ privacy, additional information will not be released about these cases.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced more than $11 million in funding to community-based diversion programs and reentry services that strengthen support for people involved in the justice system. Providing alternatives to incarceration when appropriate and supporting people upon their release with things like housing and employment are critical to stop the cycle of justice system involvement, which improves health outcomes for people and efficiency across our health and justice systems.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today updated its weekly Respiratory Virus Summary Dashboard, which shows an increase in flu activity and flu-related deaths, bringing the total number of deaths this season to 117.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services received approval from the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services to continue the Healthcare Access and Stabilization Program (HASP) that makes hospital incentives for the state’s medical debt relief initiative possible. The first two years were approved in July 2024. This new approval supports the state’s work to relieve more than $4 billion and a decade’s worth of medical debt for nearly 2 million low-and middle-income North Carolinians and prevent accumulation of new debt going forward.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is investing $3 million to expand access to Child First, an evidence-based, early childhood intervention program proven to reduce the risk of child maltreatment and prevent young children and families from entering the foster care system. This investment, awarded to Alliance Health, Trillium Health Resources and Vaya Health, will expand Child First services to additional counties across the state, providing critical, community-based access to behavioral health care and family support services.