Press Releases

Influenza activity is rising in North Carolina as we move closer to the peak of the 2018-19 flu season. Although vaccination early in the season is preferred, it is never too late to get vaccinated and help protect yourself and others from the spread of this dangerous, sometimes deadly virus.

Today, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced the selection of Prepaid Health Plans that will participate in Medicaid managed care when the program launches in November 2019. Contracts were awarded after careful evaluation of all responses to the Request for Proposal issued by DHHS on Aug. 9, 2018.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Rural Health is hosting six meetings across the state to gather stakeholder input regarding the J-1 Visa Waiver program and NC’s Loan Repayment and Incentive Programs under N.C. General Assembly Session Law HB 998. The meetings are open to the public and are intended to gather feedback about current processes and possible program modifications to help ensure maximum benefits to rural North Carolina communities. 

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is partnering with the Mountain Area Health Education Center to increase the number of doctors who graduate from North Carolina residency programs with the training necessary to provide medication-assisted treatment for patients with opioid use disorder through a grant awarded to the state by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is surveying people living near Chemours’ Fayetteville Works Facility about their concerns related to GenX and other per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

As families button up their homes to guard against winter's chill it is an ideal time to make plans to test for radon, the odorless, colorless gas that is our nation's second leading cause of lung cancer. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), radon causes more than 21,000 deaths each year, making it the second most common cause of lung cancer deaths in the United States and the number one cause among non-smokers.

Because of the federal shutdown, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has instructed states to issue February’s Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) benefits by Sunday, Jan. 20. Benefits would normally be available to families between the 3rd and 21st of February.

North Carolina health leaders are promoting new oral health guidance to advance maternal and infant health. In 2016, the Division of Public Health, focusing on better birth outcomes and the reduction of infant mortality, convened the NC Perinatal Oral Health Task Force, which includes representatives from public health and state-funded medical and dental training institutions.

Unintentional opioid-related overdose resulted in 1,884 deaths in North Carolina last year, a 34 percent increase from the 1,407 deaths attributed to the same cause in 2016, and state health officials say the increase is due to the increase in potent illicit drugs like heroin and fentanyl

With the holiday season gearing up, now is a good time for people who use tobacco to make a plan to quit and give the gift of health to themselves and their loved ones.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has extended the public input period for the draft North Carolina Early Childhood Action Plan from Nov. 30 to Dec. 21. 

Governor Roy Cooper announced today that North Carolina is strengthening its fight against the opioid epidemic by expanding the number of pharmacies participating in the Controlled Substance Reporting System. North Carolina is also activating a digital gateway to provide pharmacists and prescribers one-click access to patient information and data to identify those at risk for prescription drug addiction, overdose and death.

Low-income households with a person 60 or older or someone receiving disability benefits and services through the Division of Aging and Adult Services that need help covering the cost of heating their home this winter can apply for assistance starting Dec. 3.

More than 720,000 North Carolinians in 304,000 households affected by Hurricane Florence received assistance buying food over the past seven weeks, Governor Roy Cooper announced today.

The North Carolina Office of Rural Health, the oldest in the United States, today celebrates 45 years of service improving access to health care for the people of North Carolina. In honor of the milestone, Governor Roy Cooper proclaimed November 15 Rural Health Day in the state.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today released an analysis of four categories of birth defects in Bladen, Brunswick, Cumberland, New Hanover and Pender counties from 2003-2014 using data from the North Carolina Birth Defects Monitoring Program. The analysis was done to address concerns raised during the state’s ongoing investigation into GenX and other per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also referred to as PFAS. 

North Carolina’s infant mortality rate decreased to 7.1 deaths per 1,000 births, compared with a 2016 rate of 7.2 and a 2015 rate of 7.3, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services' 2017 infant mortality rates. While the racial disparity between birth outcomes for white infants and African-American infants remains unacceptably high, there was a reduction in the gap in birth outcomes.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has confirmed the first death related to an ongoing outbreak of hepatitis A affecting parts of North Carolina. The death occurred in October. To protect the privacy of the family, additional details about the case are not being released.

Officials with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Public Health today announced the first reported flu-related death of the 2018-19 flu season, which occurred last week and involved an adult in the central part of the state. To protect the privacy of the family, the person's hometown, county, age and gender will not be released.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today released a draft of the state’s Early Childhood Action Plan, following Governor Roy Cooper’s Executive Order in August directing DHHS to spearhead the development of a statewide early childhood plan. The public is encouraged to review and comment on the draft plan by Nov. 30.