Press Releases

PRESS RELEASE — October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is committed to raising awareness of the contributions made by employees with disabilities through its continued focus on building a strong and inclusive workforce across North Carolina.

MEDIA ADVISORY — In celebration of NC Farm to School and Early Care and Education Month, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services leaders will join the annual NC Crunch on Wednesday, Oct. 18. NC Crunch recognizes the importance of healthy eating habits in supporting child and family well-being while promoting North Carolina agriculture by crunching into locally grown fruits and vegetables.

PRESS RELEASE — Today, on World Mental Health Day, the North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services is celebrating an unprecedented $835 million investment in behavioral health. These funds are transformative and will make it possible for more North Carolinians to receive care when and where they need it.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will host a live Spanish-language Cafecito and tele-town hall on Thursday, Oct. 12, from 6 to 7 p.m. to discuss common health needs in Hispanic/Latino communities, including the importance of Semana Binacional de Salud, preventative care and breast cancer awareness.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Newborn Screening Program has been awarded a federal grant that supports enhancements to the state's newborn screening system. This funding is intended to improve health outcomes for newborns and children with disorders identified through newborn screening, and will improve access to treatment and follow-up care for babies born in North Carolina.

PRESS RELEASE — Beginning Dec. 1, 2023, more than 600,000 people in North Carolina will be able to apply for health coverage through NC Medicaid. To ensure people know about the expanded eligibility for NC Medicaid, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services launched a new website with a toolkit of resources for organizations to spread the word to their communities.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has received a four-year grant totaling $14.8 million from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to support the mental health of children and families in North Carolina. The funding will be directed towards North Carolina’s System of Care which connects young people and their families with needed services and resources, including mental health care so they can be safe and successful at home, at school and in their community.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will host a live fireside chat and tele-town hall on Thursday, Oct. 5, from 6 to 7 p.m. to discuss how aging adults, particularly those living in rural communities in the state, can support their health and access the care they need.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help prevent the spread of rabies. Starting this week, Wildlife Services will be distributing oral rabies vaccine for wild raccoons in Western North Carolina.

PRESS RELEASE — State health leaders met at the Governor’s Mansion on Sept. 20 to discuss increasing affordable access for some breast cancer screenings.

PRESS RELEASE — For the first time, North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services is joining with the American Society on Aging to acknowledge the newly established Ageism Awareness Day on Oct. 7, 2023. Modeled after the United Nation’s International Day of Older Persons, Ageism Awareness Day provides an opportunity to draw attention to the existence and impact of ageism in our society.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Rural Health, in partnership with East Carolina University and North Carolina State University, has been awarded a highly competitive Community Partnerships to Advance Science for Society award from the National Institutes of Health for the proposed Agricultural Workers Digital Equity Initiative. The five-year, nearly $6 million award strives to advance health equity by promoting digital inclusion for agricultural workers and their families in North Carolina.

MEDIA ADVISORY - A community job fair will be held at WorkSource West in Morganton on Oct. 5, 2023. The event is being hosted by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services.

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will host a live Spanish-language Cafecito and tele-town hall on Tuesday, Sept. 26, from 6 to 7 p.m. to discuss common health needs and how to find support. As the event takes place during Hispanic Heritage Month, NCDHHS and participants will honor Hispanic and Latino communities across the state and share health-related information and resources.

PRESS RELEASE — Governor Roy Cooper and NC Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley today announced NCDHHS will launch Medicaid Expansion on Dec. 1, 2023, giving more than 600,000 North Carolinians access to health care.

PRESS RELEASE — The Julian F. Keith Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Center in Black Mountain, N.C. recently unveiled a new patient care unit and announced an innovative partnership to redefine recovery journeys. JFK is one of two alcohol and drug abuse treatment facilities in North Carolina operated by the NC Department of Health and Human Services. It currently provides inpatient and outpatient services, including medical detox, psychiatric stabilization, substance use disorder and mental health treatment using best practice standards — including Motivational Interviewing, Trauma-Informed Care and "Seeking Safety."

PRESS RELEASE - The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is pleased to be selected among several entities for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration investment in increasing access to maternal care, addressing maternal mental health and growing the maternal health workforce in North Carolina. The department is committed to addressing the maternal mortality crisis and ongoing disparities among infant and maternal mortality rates, particularly in underserved areas. Black babies in North Carolina are 2.5 times more likely to die than white babies, and Black women experience almost twice the rate of maternal mortality than white women.

PRESS RELEASE - The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reminds people to take precautions against mosquito bites following recent reports of West Nile virus infection in the state. Late summer and early autumn are the most common time to become infected with mosquito-borne diseases in North Carolina like WNV.

MEDIA ADVISORY - North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley will get the annual flu vaccine, as well as the fall COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, which Governor Roy Cooper has proclaimed at "Get Your Flu Shot Day." Secretary Kinsley will get both vaccines at 2:30 p.m. at a CVS Pharmacy in Raleigh.

PRESS RELEASE - The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is launching the Inclusion Works initiative to promote competitive integrated employment for people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, because everyone in North Carolina has a right to work in an integrated setting for fair pay if that is their choice. Inclusion Works offers resources for people with disabilities seeking employment, those who are currently employed and employers who hire and retain staff with an intellectual or developmental disability.