Press Releases

North Carolina’s Medicaid program received a 2022 Medicaid Innovation Award presented by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the National Academy for State Health Policy. The nonpartisan award recognizes states for demonstrating creativity, leadership and progress in their Medicaid programs despite significant public health challenges in recent years.

Suicide is among the top five leading causes of death for people ages 10 to 65 in North Carolina. To address this complex and serious health problem, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today released a coordinated state action plan to reduce injury and death by suicide.

Grant support to boost compensation for North Carolina’s early care and learning teachers and staff will continue through December 2023, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced today.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is warning families and caregivers not to purchase Mother’s Touch Formula or give it to infants under their care. According to the Food and Drug Administration, Mother’s Touch Formula does not meet the nutrient requirements for infant formula and is not fully tested for potentially harmful bacteria.

In response to rising mental health needs, another resource is available to behavioral health patients at emergency departments across the state.

With evolving case trends and increasing supply, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is expanding eligibility for the monkeypox vaccine. Vaccinations are a key tool to keep individuals healthy, prevent spread, and protect communities.

Updated boosters are becoming available in North Carolina, following the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) announcement this week that people 12 and older can receive an updated booster to protect against the latest COVID-19 variants. Vaccines are beginning to arrive in the state and vaccine appointments will be more widely available starting next week.

Wednesday, the FDA authorized both the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent COVID-19 booster dose, which protects against the original as well as the Omicron strain.

Health equity, education and economic stability for all North Carolinians are key strategies in the 2022 North Carolina State Health Improvement Plan (NC SHIP), which the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services released today.

Today, new interactive online dashboards show how North Carolina’s children from birth to age 5 receive services like child care, food benefits and protective services, providing insight into program successes and elevating continued needs.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will host a live fireside chat and tele-town hall on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 6–7 p.m., to discuss COVID-19 vaccines for everyone ages 6 months and older, boosters, testing and treatment.

Providers can continue treating uninsured patients with the monoclonal antibody bebtelovimab after the product went on the commercial market last week because of a plan implemented by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

Thanks to a pilot program from the White House and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to offer additional vaccines to states hosting large LGBTQI+ events, Mecklenburg County Public Health will be distributing monkeypox vaccines at Charlotte Pride events this weekend.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will host a live Spanish-language Cafecito and tele-town hall on Tuesday, Aug. 16, from 7–8 p.m. to discuss COVID-19 vaccines for everyone ages 6 months and older, boosters, testing and treatment.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services kicks off the Know Before You Go campaign today, a statewide initiative reminding North Carolinians to stay up to date on COVID-19 vaccines and boosters in time for the start of the 2022-2023 school year, fall festivities, large gatherings and end-of-year celebrations and holidays.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today released a report of the state’s monkeypox data, including how many vaccines have been administered across the state since July. This data shows that while 70% of cases are in Black men, Black North Carolinians have received less than a quarter of the vaccinations so far.

Some North Carolinians can now have free COVID-19 tests shipped directly to them, thanks to the expansion of a partnership between the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and the Rockefeller Foundation through Project ACT.

As children across North Carolina head back to school this month, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reminds families that vaccinations are an important part of back-to-school success and overall health and well-being.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Humans Services has expanded the list of higher-risk people who are eligible to receive the monkeypox vaccine to help prevent spread in the state.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has begun issuing Pandemic-EBT benefits for summer 2022. Between July 20 and 30, the families of approximately 948,000 children in the state will each receive a one-time payment of $391 to purchase healthy meals during summer break.