Press Releases

North Carolina households receiving Food and Nutrition Services benefits will continue to receive the maximum amount for their household size for the month of February, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced. FNS recipients have been receiving the maximum allotment, though they may qualify for less, since March 2020 to help families access food during the COVID-19 pandemic and compensate for financial and economic hardships resulting from the pandemic and widespread business and industry closures.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated vaccination data from the U.S. Department of Defense and Federal Bureau of Prisons to more accurately reflect the county of residence for the person vaccinated. The updated data will result in the vaccination rate changing for the state and for several counties on the North Carolina COVID-19 Dashboard.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today launched its first online data dashboard visualizing information and trends about the statewide early care and learning network.

On Jan. 19, 2022, the North Carolina Court of Appeals granted a request from two insurance providers to voluntarily dismiss appeals of their suit over contracts awarded for NC Medicaid Managed Care by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

The COVID-19 mass testing site at the Greensboro Coliseum will be staffed by a new federally supplied testing services provider beginning tomorrow, Jan. 22, in response to a recent request from North Carolina state officials to the Federal government.

People who received their COVID-19 vaccine or booster in North Carolina from a pharmacy or grocery store participating in the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program are now able to access their COVID-19 vaccine information in the NC COVID-19 Vaccine Portal.

The highly contagious Omicron variant of COVID-19 is sending record numbers of people to North Carolina hospitals, straining hospital capacity. As hospitals continue to take steps to protect their ability to provide patient care in the face of nationwide COVID-19 related staffing shortages, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and North Carolina Emergency Management are requesting federal support for the Charlotte region to help alleviate capacity constraints.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced the launch of Promoting and Expanding Competitive Integrated Employment for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Strategic Plan.

The rate of COVID-19 infections is once again disproportionately impacting Black and Hispanic North Carolinians. Since Dec. 26, the rate of infections was twice as high among the Black population as compared to the white population and as much as 57% higher among the Hispanic population as compared to the non-Hispanic population, according to an analysis of positive cases reported to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has taken action to ensure NC Medicaid beneficiaries have access to free at-home tests for COVID-19. In alignment with the Biden administration’s requirement last week to provide free at-home tests for COVID-19, State Health Director and NCDHHS Chief Medical Officer Elizabeth Cuervo Tilson, M.D., signed an order on Jan. 14, 2022, enabling NC Medicaid beneficiaries to receive free at-home COVID-19 tests from their local pharmacies.

The recently adopted North Carolina state budget includes funds to give a one-time bonus to eligible home- and community-based direct care workers and support staff who provide services to Medicaid and NC Health Choice beneficiaries. The budget also includes a provision to implement a home- and community-based direct care worker wage increase for eligible employees who provide services to Medicaid and NC Health Choice beneficiaries.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will host a live fireside chat and tele-town hall on Jan. 20 from 6 to 7 p.m. to discuss COVID-19 vaccines, boosters, testing and more.

Debra Farrington, chief of staff for NC Medicaid, was honored today as the recipient of the 2022 John R. Larkins Award. Established in 1988, the award recognizes commitment to justice and equality in the workplace and in the community and was announced during the state’s annual North Carolina State Employees’ Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Observance Program. The ceremony was presented virtually due to the ongoing pandemic, and the award will be provided to Farrington at an event to follow.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today updated the COVID-19 vaccination dashboard to better show how many people in North Carolina are up to date with current COVID-19 vaccination recommendations.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services published its Olmstead Plan, designed to assist people with disabilities who receive or are eligible for publicly-funded services to reside in and experience the full benefit of being part of day-to-day life in communities alongside those without disabilities. Developed with stakeholders from across the state, the plan’s goal is to divert people from entering institutions and to support those wishing to leave.

In the face of nationwide competition for testing supplies and shortages of testing staff, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is pulling all available levers to support existing testing sites, to open more sites across the state and to increase access to at-home collection kits.

The FDA now authorizes and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends individuals who received the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine get a booster dose after five months. This announcement from federal agencies comes just three days after the announcement of a shortened wait time for a booster from six months to five months for individuals who received the Pfizer vaccine.

With COVID-19 cases reaching pandemic highs, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services urges K-12 schools to promote vaccination and boosters for students and staff and require students and staff wear masks indoors to keep students in the classroom and limit the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention yesterday announced it recommends the Pfizer COVID-19 booster for children ages 12 to 15 to further protect them from COVID-19. The CDC also recommends a third dose of Pfizer for children ages 5 to 11 who have compromised immune systems. In addition, the wait time for boosters for anyone who received Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinations has been reduced from six months to five months. People who received two doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine should receive their booster in six months. People who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine should receive their booster two months after their vaccination.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced it will issue the first round of Student Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer benefits next week for students eligible between the months of September and November 2021.