PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today released an update to its Early Childhood Action Plan to address key actions the department is taking to improve early childhood development in North Carolina. As Governor Roy Cooper proclaims this week as Week of the Young Child in North Carolina, the updated action plan and efforts to improve children’s behavioral health in North Carolina support the department’s mission to ensure all children get a healthy start in life and develop to their full potential in safe and nurturing families, schools and communities.
Press Releases
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%.
MEDIA ADVISORY — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Director of Child Development and Early Education, Ariel Ford will participate in two upcoming child care forums in North Carolina. The events seek to raise awareness to the child care crisis in the state and the need for more child care opportunities in North Carolina which support children’s healthy development and learning, allow parents to work and keep businesses running.
PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today published the 2024-25 Olmstead Plan to improve community inclusion for people with disabilities. Designed in partnership with key stakeholders and people with lived experience across the state, the plan advances the work to ensure people with disabilities have the resources they need to live and thrive in the communities of their choice.
PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is reporting a statewide increase in mpox cases. Over the past six months, 45 cases have been reported in 12 counties across North Carolina.
PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is celebrating two years of the Healthy Opportunities Pilots in North Carolina and announcing the intent to expand these life-saving services statewide. The Healthy Opportunities Pilots is a first-of-its-kind innovative program that is described as a “life changer” for thousands of North Carolina families. The program addresses people’s social needs with services like food, housing, transportation and services related to interpersonal violence and toxic stress. Preliminary research also shows a significant savings in medical costs to the state of North Carolina from Healthy Opportunities Pilots participants.
PRESS RELEASE — As warmer weather approaches, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is urging North Carolinians to “Fight the Bite” by taking measures to reduce their risk of tick- and mosquito-borne diseases. In 2023, almost 900 cases of tick- and mosquito-borne illnesses were reported across the state.
PRESS RELEASE — Recognizing the role everyone plays in helping North Carolina’s children reach their full potential, Governor Roy Cooper declared April as Child Abuse Prevention Month. This Child Abuse Prevention Month, community organizations, government agencies, businesses, faith groups and other stakeholders will come together to focus on creating partnerships to prevent child maltreatment from occurring and the importance of building hope for children and families.
PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is returning control of child welfare services to the Nash County Department of Social Services, effective today. NCDHHS temporarily assumed leadership in September 2023. Since then, the state and county worked collaboratively to stabilize and improve child welfare services and ensure appropriate standards.
PRESS RELEASE — Approximately 14,000 North Carolina veterans and their families are likely eligible for the state’s newly expanded Medicaid benefits. To ensure North Carolina veterans receive the support they are eligible for, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will help veterans who are newly eligible for Medicaid apply to Food and Nutrition Services (also known as food stamps or SNAP), a benefit program that helps pay for groceries.