Press Releases

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services' Division of Public Health is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), local health departments and health care providers to closely monitor the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) that originated in Wuhan, China.

State leaders from the Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services will be traveling across North Carolina over the next several months on a town hall listening tour to listen to the concerns and experiences of consumers, families and advocates. Meetings will be held in Wilmington, Winston-Salem and five other locations to be announced.

The North Carolina Division of Public Health (NC DPH) is reporting that a patient who was being tested for the novel (new) 2019 coronavirus is not infected with the virus. Negative results were received this evening from testing performed at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In conjunction with National Radon Action Month, the North Carolina Radon Program is distributing 3,000 radon test kits at no charge this month.

Twenty-three local health departments in North Carolina will receive a share of a $2.1 million award annually for up to three years to implement high-impact, community-level strategies to address the opioid crisis.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is reporting the first influenza-associated pediatric death for the 2019–2020 flu season. A child in the western part of the state died in December from complications associated with influenza infection.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) typically does not release individual autopsy reports and information prior to the completion of the case. However, given the public health concerns surrounding the Durham Housing Authority’s McDougald Terrace location, DHHS is sharing information about the carbon monoxide laboratory results today related to three infant deaths in Durham County.

Governor Roy Cooper announced today that North Carolina will receive $56 million in federal funding over the next seven years to support children’s health and well-being, improve access to high-quality early learning for families across the state and invest in the state’s early childhood workforce.

On Monday, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that the HealthCare.gov 2020 enrollment period reopened and North Carolinians now have until 3 a.m. on Dec. 18 to sign up for health insurance coverage.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will begin accepting applications through county social services departments for the state's Low-Income Energy Assistance Program on Monday, Dec. 2, 2019.

A new federal grant will help North Carolina partner with local justice systems — including local law enforcement, courts and others — to prevent opioid overdoses and connect people to treatment. Governor Roy Cooper announced today that the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services was awarded $6.5 million over the next three years by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance.

Governor Roy Cooper announced today that the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) Office of Rural Health (ORH) has awarded 23 grants for disaster preparedness to health care providers affected by Hurricane Florence.

The NC Department of Health and Human Services has released county data for the 10 goals and more than 50 measures that are part of the state’s Early Childhood Action Plan. These new data reports are available for all 100 counties and cover issues such as infant mortality, food and housing security, emergency room visits, child health, foster care, early learning and early literacy.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services submitted an annual report to the legislature on Nov. 1 highlighting significant progress in the Transition to Community Living Initiative (TCLI) to assist people with mental illness find housing and services in the community.

Officials from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and the NC Department of Public Safety will be participating with federal, state and local officials in a multi-state Ebola virus disease  emergency preparedness exercise Nov. 4–8, 2019.