Press Releases

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.

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 — 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.

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 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 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 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.

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

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Into the Mouths of Babes program, a partnership that delivers preventive oral health services to young children insured by NC Medicaid. Since 2000, this program has helped medical providers across the state give infants and toddlers early dental evaluations, preventive oral health care and other dental services that lay the foundation for good health.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will host a live fireside chat and tele-town hall on Tuesday, Jan. 28, from 6 to 7 p.m. to discuss how people can support their mental well-being, find resources and get help for themselves or someone else experiencing a mental health crisis.

READOUT — North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai traveled to western North Carolina today to participate in a Day of Service in coordination with Governor Josh Stein and other cabinet leaders. Recovery efforts continue to assist the more than four and a half million people who live in the 39 counties included in the federal disaster declaration following Hurricane Helene.

PRESS RELEASE — Dr. Devdutta “Dev” Sangvai was sworn in as the new Secretary for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services on Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. Dr. Sangvai was selected by Governor Josh Stein to lead the department as the state’s 19th Secretary for Health and Human Services. The swearing-in ceremony was held at Dorothea Dix Park where the department is currently headquartered.

PRESS RELEASE — As Kody H. Kinsley closes out his tenure as North Carolina’s Secretary of Health and Human Services, the department celebrates the lasting accomplishments achieved under his leadership. Guided by his vision to make the health system easier to navigate for families and more effective at promoting health, Secretary Kinsley drove collaboration across the department and with broad coalitions of external partners to deliver on foundational changes that will improve health for generations to come.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ Low Income Household Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) began accepting applications from the general public for the Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) on Jan. 2, 2025. For the 25 counties that were heavily impacted by Hurricane Helene, additional Disaster Energy Assistance funding has been appropriated by the NC General Assembly to assist households with heating costs and repairs during the colder winter months.

PRESS RELEASE — In recognition of National Radon Action Month, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is providing 2,000 free radon test kits available beginning Jan. 1, 2025, at radon.ncdhhs.gov. Radon exposure is preventable, and testing is the only way to know if you or your family is at increased risk.