10/13-10/27 North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Updates
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Date
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Updates
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Wednesday
10/21
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- Governor Roy Cooper announced that North Carolina will remain paused in Phase 3 for three more weeks as health officials continue to monitor North Carolina’s viral trends. North Carolina has seen increased hospitalizations and trajectory of cases in recent weeks. Governor Cooper underscored the importance of wearing masks, social distancing, and using good judgment despite fatigue or frustration with the pandemic.
- With North Carolina’s COVID-19 trends moving in the wrong direction, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and the NC Department of Public Safety sent a letter to local leaders asking them to help slow the spread of the virus by promoting the 3 Ws and considering local actions to improve compliance with executive orders. Read the press release.
- In the past two weeks, North Carolina has seen an increase in COVID-19 clusters from social events and other gatherings such as parties, family gatherings, weddings and funerals according to a new weekly report the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services added to the NC COVID-19 Dashboard. The department has also released new guidance for private gatherings.
- The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Division of Health Benefits (NC Medicaid) is extending temporary provider rate increases related to COVID-19 through the end of the federal COVID-19 public health emergency, which goes through Jan. 21, 2021. Read the press release.
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Tuesday
10/20
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- The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today added demographic data for hospitalizations to the NC COVID-19 Hospitalizations Demographics Dashboard. Data is provided by age, gender, race and ethnicity for patients who were newly admitted to the hospital and confirmed or suspected to be positive for COVID-19 at the time of admission. The data provides further insight into the different demographic groups being hospitalized due to COVID-19.
- All North Carolina teachers and parents are invited to attend a free virtual conference on October 28 to help them navigate technology and remote learning. The REAL 2.0 (Remote Education & Learning) Conference is hosted by the North Carolina Business Committee for Education (NCBCE), a business-led, education nonprofit housed in the Governor’s Office. It will build upon the initial REAL Conference attended by more than 1,300 educators in August to learn about best practices for remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Educators from across the state are serving as content advisers for REAL 2.0. Sessions for parents will be available in both English and Spanish, and all sessions will include closed captioning.
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Friday
10/16
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- North Carolina submitted to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention its COVID-19 Vaccination Plan. North Carolina’s vaccine plan reflects five principles that guide the planning for and distribution of one or more COVID-19 vaccines in the state. The principles include:
- All North Carolinians have equitable access to vaccines.
- Vaccine planning and distribution is inclusive; actively engages state and local government, public and private partners; and draws upon the experience and expertise of leaders from historically marginalized populations.
- Transparent, accurate and frequent public communications is essential to building trust.
- Data is used to promote equity, track progress and guide decision-making.
- Appropriate stewardship of resources and continuous evaluation and improvement drive successful implementation.
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Thursday
10/15
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- NCDHHS provided guidelines for voters and local polling locations to help protect the health of North Carolinians during the voting process. In addition, NCDHHS and the NC Department of Public Safety Division of Emergency Management provided personal protective equipment to local election boards and locations. North Carolina residents who plan to vote in-person should wear a face mask and keep it on throughout the voting process, stay 6 feet apart from others while at the polling location, and wash their hands with soap and water for 20 seconds before and after voting. Interim Guidance for Election Voting Locations and guidelines for Voting Safely During COVID-19 can be found at https://covid19.ncdhhs.gov/guidance#election-voting.
- Governor Roy Cooper announced that applications are now being accepted for the N.C. Housing Opportunities and Prevention of Evictions (HOPE) Program, which will assist eligible low- and- moderate-income renters experiencing financial hardship due to COVID-19. The new program seeks to promote housing stability during the ongoing pandemic by providing rent and utility assistance to prevent evictions and utility disconnections.
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Wednesday
10/14
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- North Carolina has upcoming testing events scheduled in Alamance, Brunswick, Cabarrus, Chatham, Chowan, Cumberland, Davidson, Duplin, Durham, Edgecombe, Forsyth, Gaston, Gates, Greene, Guilford, Hoke, Iredell, Lee, Lenoir, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Moore, New Hanover, Onslow, Orange, Randolph, Rowan, Sampson, Stanly, Wake, Warren and Wayne counties. For an up-to-date list of events, visit the Community Testing Events webpage. Many events offer testing at no cost. For more details about a specific event, call ahead before you go for a test.
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Tuesday
10/13
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- State leaders from the NC Department of Health and Human Services' Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services (DMHDDSAS) are partnering with UNC-TV and the Governor’s Institute to host several virtual town hall meetings during October and November to listen to the concerns and experiences of consumers, family members and advocates of the state’s MH/DD/SAS services and system. Each virtual town hall can be accessed via Facebook live on the NC Governor’s Institute Facebook Live page, and the next event will be Oct. 15 at 6 p.m.
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9/25-9/30 North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Updates
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Date
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Updates
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Wednesday
9/29
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- NCDHHS announced a milestone in the use of telehealth and telephonic visits by NC Medicaid enrollees during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since establishing telehealth flexibility policies in early March, NC Medicaid has processed claims for approximately more than 1.1 million telehealth and 350,000 telephonic visits.
- North Carolina has distributed over $2.6 billion in coronavirus relief funds as of September 21 and continues to work to administer remaining funds in coordination with federal requirements. In May 2020, Governor Cooper established the NC Pandemic Recovery Office (NCPRO) to oversee and coordinate the fiscal response to the COVID-19 pandemic. NC PRO is responsible for overseeing the distribution of the $3.5 billion ($3,585,391,176.20) in Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF) from the U.S. Treasury to provide support to state agencies, local governments, nonprofits, hospitals, educational institutions, and research organizations.
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Tuesday
9/28
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- As North Carolina’s key metrics continue to remain stable and strong infection prevention and control requirements remain in place, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services issued a Secretarial Order updating visitation guidelines for nursing homes to allow indoor visitation. Read the press release.
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8/26-9/1 North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Updates
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Date
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Updates
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Tuesday
9/1
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Monday
8/31
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- · In an effort to continue slowing the spread of COVID-19, Governor Roy Cooper signed Executive Order 162 to extend the limited hours on the sale of alcoholic drinks in North Carolina. As the state continues to fight the spread of COVID-19, the Order requires restaurants to end the sale of alcoholic beverages at 11 pm. This Order will remain in effect through October 2, 2020.
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Saturday
8/29
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- The total new lab-confirmed cases on the NCDHHS COVID-19 Data Dashboard for Aug. 29 reflected an increase caused, in part, by approximately 1,000 positive tests from dates in the first half of the month that were reported to NCDHHS by LabCorp in the past 24 hours. The Department is working with LabCorp to understand the cause of the delayed reporting; however, LabCorp confirmed that individuals were not delayed in receiving their results.
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Thursday
8/27
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Wednesday
8/26
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- NCDHHS has added new data to the COVID-19 Data Dashboard – average turnaround time for COVID-19 testing. Located on the Dashboard's Testing page, the graph shows the average daily turnaround time based on data from all laboratories that report electronically to NCDHHS. Individual laboratories may have shorter or longer turnaround times and, therefore, people’s individual experiences may vary.
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8/19-8/26 North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Updates
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Date
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Updates
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Wednesday
8/26
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- NCDHHS has added new data to the COVID-19 Data Dashboard – average turnaround time for COVID-19 testing. Located on the Dashboard's Testing page, the graph shows the average daily turnaround time based on data from all laboratories that report electronically to NCDHHS. Individual laboratories may have shorter or longer turnaround times and, therefore, people’s individual experiences may vary.
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Tuesday
8/25
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- NCDHHS released a Partner COVID-19 Testing Toolkit designed for organizations seeking to host community testing events. The comprehensive toolkit comes in response to widespread interest among North Carolina organizations such as community-based organizations, churches and nonprofits. The toolkit is available in English and Spanish.
- NCDHHS awarded four contracts to regional organizations to administer its new COVID-19 Support Services program. The program will support North Carolinians in 20 targeted counties who are asked to isolate or quarantine due to COVID-19 and need assistance such as food, relief payments, or access to primary medical care.
- Governor Roy Cooper announced $175 million to help North Carolinians with rental and utility payment support in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Monday
8/24
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- NCDHHS launched the "¡Recuerda las 3Ms!” (Know your 3Ms) campaign as part of a larger public outreach campaign designed to reach historically marginalized populations disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. This campaign, which will run in parallel with the “Know Your 3Ws!” English-language campaign, is designed to increase awareness of preventative measures for Spanish-speaking North Carolinians. The 3Ms campaign, originating in Spanish and created by native Spanish speakers, is an authentic and memorable interpretation of the three key steps to prevention, known in English as: Wear. Wait. Wash. Read the press release in English and in Spanish.
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Friday
8/21
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- NCDHHS updated guidance for institutions of higher education, further emphasizing that colleges and universities must work to reduce risk of viral spread of COVID-19 both on and off campus. In compliance with existing Executive Orders, colleges and universities should be requiring and enforcing that students and staff wear cloth masks that cover the mouth and nose and limit social gatherings — whether students are on campus or off campus. The guidance also recommends limiting on-campus housing, closing communal dining settings and implementing procedures to isolate and quarantine cases appropriately to slow the spread of the virus.
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Thursday
8/20
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- People living and working in 11 rural counties will get expanded high-speed internet service thanks to more than $12 million in grants awarded by Governor Roy Cooper’s administration. Governor Cooper, along with the NC Department of Information Technology (NCDIT) and its Broadband Infrastructure Office (BIO), announced the award of the 2019-2020 Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) grant and COVID-19 Recovery Act funding.
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Wednesday
8/19
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- NCDHHS announced its selection of an additional vendor — StarMed Urgent and Family Care, P.A. — based in North Carolina, to continue surging COVID-19 testing capacity in the state. The new sites will be located in seven counties: Forsyth, Guilford, Iredell, Mecklenburg, Onslow, Orange and Randolph counties. NCDHHS selected locations for the additional testing sites based on epidemiological trends and reports from local health departments.
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8/12-8/19 North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Updates
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Date
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Updates
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Wednesday
8/19
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- NCDHHS announced its selection of an additional vendor — StarMed Urgent and Family Care, P.A. — based in North Carolina, to continue surging COVID-19 testing capacity in the state. The new sites will be located in seven counties: Forsyth, Guilford, Iredell, Mecklenburg, Onslow, Orange and Randolph counties. NCDHHS selected locations for the additional testing sites based on epidemiological trends and reports from local health departments.
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Tuesday
8/18
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- Due to concern for the health and safety of its customers and staff during the coronavirus outbreak, the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles will consolidate in-person services to offices large enough to maintain social distancing as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), effective Wednesday, until further notice.
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Monday
8/17
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- Returning to school looks different this year. If your child is returning to in-person learning, know what to expect and how to prepare yourself and your children. Read more in English and in Spanish.
- With schools opening in-person and remotely across the state under new health and safety procedures, NCDHHS is expanding the Hope4Healers Helpline (919-226-2002) to serve NC’s teachers, school personnel and their families. Hope4Healers can provide mental health and resilience supports, and is available 24 hours per day, 7 days a week. When teachers, school personnel or family members call the helpline, they will speak to someone who is trained to listen and offer support.
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Friday
8/14
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Thursday
8/13
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- NC is making progress and while that is encouraging we have to keep working to fight the disease, make our schools strong and rebuild our economy. Staying safe and halting virus spread must continue to be a top priority. The Department of Public Safety is sharing direction to law enforcement across the state and on our college campuses about the importance of enforcing the face mask order and limits on large gatherings. It's important for the health and safety of our communities that we all do our part.
- Governor Cooper announced that NC Department of Commerce is accepting applications for a program to help businesses and nonprofits that have seen a dip in services due to COVID-19 keep employees on payroll. Applications are due Sept. 1.
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Wednesday
8/12
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- NCDHHS announced corrections to the state’s daily and cumulative completed COVID-19 test counts after discovering a discrepancy between electronic and manual reporting of testing data that had been submitted by LabCorp. The LabCorp data error resulted in a higher count of total COVID-19 tests performed. The reporting error does NOT affect the key COVID-19 NC Dashboard trends North Carolina uses to monitor this pandemic, including the number of new positive cases and percent of tests that are positive. This error did not impact reporting of results to patients or doctors. Read the press release.
- Governor Roy Cooper issued Executive Order 156 extending, but not waiving, proof-of-immunization and health assessment documentation deadlines for school and child-care facilities. With health care visits limited in some cases due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the order will give students and families more time to get their required vaccines and health assessments completed. Read the press release.
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7/8-7/15 North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Updates
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Date
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Updates
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Tuesday
7/14
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- North Carolina will continue to stay paused in Safer at Home Phase 2 when the governor’s current executive order expires on Friday, July 17. The order will be extended for three weeks until Aug. 7.
- North Carolina schools will open in the fall for both in-person and remote learning with key safety precautions to protect the health of students, teachers, staff and families. Read the summary.
- StrongSchoolsNC Public Health Guidance
- School Children and COVID-19
- NCDHHS announced community testing events in Edgecombe, Halifax, Hertford, Johnston, Northampton, Sampson and Wake counties as part of the initiative to increase access to free COVID-19 testing for historically marginalized communities that currently have limited testing sites. There is no cost for testing. For an up-to-date list of events, visit the Community Testing Events page of the NCDHHS COVID-19 website. Events associated with this initiative are listed under the name of their coordinating vendor, Vidant Health or Orig3n, Inc. Read the press release.
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Monday
7/13
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- If you have symptoms of COVID-19, have been close to confirmed cases, live/work in a congregate living situation, are a front-line/essential worker, work in health care, have a higher risk of severe illness, are a member of a historically marginalized population, such as the African American and Hispanic-Latinx communities, you no longer need to wait for a provider referral to get tested. This also applies to people who have attended protests, rallies or other mass gatherings. Need a COVID-19 test, but haven’t found a site nearby? There are new community testing events added every day. Many are free or will bill your health insurance.
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Saturday
7/11
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Friday
7/10
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- Need a COVID-19 test, but haven’t found a site nearby? There are new community testing events added every day. Many are free or will bill your health insurance. Check daily for new sites.
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Thursday
7/9
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- Today is our highest day of hospitalizations and second highest day of cases. While North Carolina is not in dire straits like some states around us, we have reason to be concerned and need to remain vigilant in slowing the spread of the virus.
- NCDHHS seeks a vendor to provide 250 Community Health Workers to help with COVID-19 outreach to historically underserved communities with high caseloads.
- The Student Response Corps is a new virtual internship program matching students in need of work experience with local governments and nonprofits needing additional support for COVID-19 response. Learn more.
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6/29-7/8 North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Updates
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Date
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Updates
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Tuesday
7/7
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- NCDHHS took action to decrease barriers to COVID-19 testing by issuing a Statewide Standing Order for COVID-19 Diagnostic Testing, as well as a State Health Director Temporary Order on COVID-19 Diagnostic Test Reporting. The Statewide Standing Order allows testing sites to collect and submit samples to a laboratory for COVID-19 testing without requiring a specific order and authorizes testing sites to receive results directly from laboratories. This will facilitate community-based testing sites and reduce barriers to testing, especially for members of historically marginalized populations who may be less likely to have a medical home. Read the press release.
- NCDHHS launched the Community testing in High-priority And Marginalized Populations (CHAMP) Initiative to increase access to no-cost COVID-19 testing for African American, LatinX/Hispanic and American Indian communities that currently have limited testing sites. As many as 300 temporary testing sites will be deployed throughout the month of July, including drive-thru and walk-up sites. Read more.
- NCDHHS joins the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in alerting consumers of adverse health effects associated with methanol-contaminated hand sanitizers. Read the press release and learn more about ways you can stay healthy.
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Monday
7/6
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Friday
7/3
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- NCDHHS reported the state’s highest one-day number of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases with 2,099 cases reported. Hospitalizations were also at a record high with 951 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19.
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Friday
7/2
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- NCDHHS Secretary Cohen shared an update on North Carolina's trends. North Carolina’s trajectory of lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases and surveillance data continues to increase. The trajectory in percent of tests returning positive remains steady at about 9 percent and the trajectory of hospitalizations is also leveling.
- NCDHHS is launching a new social media marketing campaign as part of a larger public outreach campaign designed to reach historically marginalized populations disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Read more.
- Please stay safe and don’t forget to practice the 3 Ws as you celebrate Independence Day this weekend: WEAR a cloth covering over your nose and mouth, WAIT 6 feet apart and WASH your hands or use hand sanitizer.
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Wednesday
7/1
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- Governor Roy Cooper shared that North Carolina will continue working with schools, teachers, parents and health experts to ensure that plans for school this coming year will protect everybody, especially those at high-risk. “Let me be clear: We want our schools open for in-person instruction in August,” he said. Read the press release.
- Today was the highest day of confirmed COVID-19 cases with 1,843 new cases. Visit our COVID-19 dashboard for daily updates.
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Tuesday
6/30
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- NCDHHS will partner with Omnicare, a CVS Health company, to make facility-wide testing available to residents and staff in all North Carolina skilled nursing facilities. There are over 400 nursing homes in the state with approximately 36,000 residents and more than 30,000 staff. Testing will begin in July and continue through August. Read the press release.
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Monday
6/29
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6/10-6/17 North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Updates
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Date
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Updates
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Tuesday
6/16
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- Governor Roy Cooper proclaimed June 15, 2020, as Healthcare Heroes Day to recognize the daily heroic sacrifices made by health care professionals, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. In honor of our frontline heroes, a special flag will be raised in front of the North Carolina State Capitol and will fly until July 15.
- NCDHHS is allocating $35 million in federal funding to local health departments to support the COVID-19 response. Per federal guidelines, counties will be able to use these funds to support COVID-19 staffing, infection controls, testing and tracing, IT infrastructure and data sharing and visualization.
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Monday
6/15
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- NCDHHS is targeting additional testing and tracing resources to nine counties (Mecklenburg, Wake, Durham, Johnston, Alamance, Guilford, Forsyth, Lee and Duplin) that have some of the highest COVID-19 case rates.
- NCDHHS announced that the state’s Community Action Agencies (CAAs) have begun to receive flexible funds that can be used to help low-income individuals and families meet a variety of needs caused by the economic disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic. These funds are part of the federal Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) and can, among other allowable uses, help eligible residents facing eviction with unmet rent and utility expenses.
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Friday
6/12
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- Today is North Carolina’s highest day of new cases (1,768) since the pandemic started. COVID-19 remains a serious threat to our state and the trends are concerning. We have the tools to respond to this crisis and slow the spread of the virus – but we all have to work together to make this happen. Practice the 3 Ws - wear a cloth face covering, wait six feet apart and wash your hands frequently.
- If you think you’ve been exposed to COVID-19, get tested – even if you don’t have symptoms. If you attended a mass gathering or a protest, work in a setting where you’re at a higher risk of exposure, or at a high-risk setting like a food processing facility – get tested. In addition to the Test Site Finder, North Carolinians may find single or multi-day pop-up testing events in their community.
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Wednesday
6/10
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6/03-6/10 North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Updates
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Date
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Updates
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Tuesday
6/09
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- NCDHHS released updated guidance for doctors and clinicians on who should be tested for COVID-19.
- NCDHHS issued an Abatement Order requiring ACE Speedway to immediately close their facility and halt operations. The Speedway’s recent actions constitute an imminent hazard for the spread of COVID-19, an acute threat to North Carolinians which must not continue. Read more.
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Monday
6/08
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- New health guidance was released today outlining requirements and recommendations for schools to re-open their doors. Opening school buildings on time could be affected by a failure to slow the spread. Read the press release.
- NCDHHS announced that child protective services and adult protective services workers are designated as first responders. This classification will help these critical workers access Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) needed while working in situations that require face-to-face contact with adults, children and families amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Saturday
6/06
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- NCDHHS reported the state’s highest one day number of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases with 1,370 cases reported. Other metrics that the state is watching also increased. The percent of tests that were positive climbed to 10 percent. This metric is based only on labs that report electronically to the state. In addition, hospitalizations have exceeded 700 for three of the past five days.
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Friday
6/05
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- NCDHHS reported the first COVID-19-associated pediatric death in North Carolina. A child in the central part of the state died June 1 from complications associated with COVID-19 infection.
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Thursday
6/04
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- NCDHHS launched new initiatives to expand COVID-19 testing and contact tracing across the state. Two new online tools can help people determine if they need to be tested and find a nearby testing place. Check My Symptoms (ncdhhs.gov/symptoms) helps those who feel uncertain about whether they should get tested. Find My Testing Place (ncdhhs.gov/testingplace) is a resource for anyone who needs to locate a testing site.
- COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted communities of color. Governor Cooper signed Executive Order 143 to address these disparities. The order will:
- Create the Andrea Harris Social, Economic, Environmental and Health Equity Task Force. The task force will focus on access to health care; patient engagement in health care settings; economic opportunities in business development and employment; environmental justice and inclusion; and education. NC Department of Administration Secretary Machelle Sanders will lead the group of a diverse panel of experts, state agency leaders and community members of these five focus areas.
- Directs the NC Pandemic Recovery Office to ensure that COVID-19 relief funds are fairly distributed. It also expands the capacity of our NC Historically Underutilized Business Office to provide those businesses access to opportunities and resources.
- Directs NCDHHS, in partnership with community health centers, local health departments, rural health centers and free and charitable clinics, to provide COVID-19 testing and related health care to uninsured North Carolinians.
- Provides direction for other state agencies.
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5/27-6/03 North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Updates
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Date
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Updates
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Wed
6/03
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- NCDHHS is extending the deadline for questions for its Request for Qualifications (RFQ) that seeks to create a pool of qualified vendors to support the response to COVID-19. Vendors may now submit questions in writing until 2 p.m. on June 4.
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Tues
6/02
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- NCDHHS Secretary Cohen shared an update on North Carolina’s COVID-19 trends. The state's trajectory of lab-confirmed cases continues to increase. While more testing is happening, this data also shows there is more viral spread in our communities. North Carolina's trajectory in percent of tests returning positive remains level, while the trajectory of hospitalizations has increased slightly since entering Phase 2. There is hospital capacity, but the data will have to be monitored for any regional patterns.
- NCDHHS is continuing to increase testing and tracing of known infections. North Carolina now has 32 labs analyzing testing samples and there are now more than 400 verified sites that are collecting those samples. Learn more about testing.
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Mon
6/01
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- North Carolina held a Day of Mourning to grieve those who have lost their lives to COVID-19.
- Testing and contact tracing are how we can best protect ourselves and our loved ones and slow the spread of this virus. This is especially important within historically marginalized populations, who are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. Our communities of color face real barriers to basic disease prevention tools. NCDHHS is focused on addressing these barriers and ensuring this is front and center in our efforts to respond to COVID-19. As we have expanded our contact tracing capacity, we are focused on hiring candidates that reflect the communities they serve.
- NCDHHS is seeking to create a pool of qualified vendors to support the response to COVID-19. The Request for Qualifications (RFQ) was issued on May 29 for diagnostic and antibody testing including specimen collection and laboratory processing, reserving potential laboratory capacity and contact tracing. Testing and tracing are part of North Carolina’s strategy to responsibly ease restrictions, while slowing the spread of COVID-19 and protecting North Carolinians. Vendors can apply to be qualified for individual or multiple components that support testing and lab capacity and contact and tracing.
- June 1 marks the first day of the 2020 Hurricane Season. Now is the time to make sure your family is ready for the season. This year, make sure to include hand sanitizer, face coverings and sanitizing wipes in your emergency kit.
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Sat
5/30
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- Governor Roy Cooper signed Executive Order No. 142 to extend the prohibition of utility shut-offs and implement a moratorium on evictions. The Order goes into effect today with the Governor’s signature. Read the press release and the FAQ.
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Fri
5/29
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- NCDHHS is requesting Congressional support to extend the Pandemic-Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) program to provide food for children beyond the traditional school calendar year. Extending P-EBT benefits through the summer months would help provide the families of nearly half of North Carolina school children about $250 in additional support per child to buy groceries.
- Governor Cooper announced that North Carolina received a $6 million federal grant to support jobs and workforce training to help address the impacts of COVID-19.
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Thurs
5/28
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Wed
5/27
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- NCDHHS is using radio and video messages to reach historically marginalized populations to share important messages about reducing risks for COVID-19. The messages are part of the Department’s focus during the COVID-19 response to address the underlying causes of long-standing health disparities impacting communities of color across North Carolina.
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5/20-5/27 North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Updates
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Date
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Updates
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Sat
5/23
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- NCDHHS reported the state’s highest one-day number of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases with 1,107 cases reported on May 23.
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Fri
5/22
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- Today at 5 p.m., North Carolina moves into Safer At Home Phase 2. See more about Phase 2. Restaurants, swimming pools, and personal care businesses, such as salons and barber shops, can re-open at 50 percent capacity, with distancing and cleaning requirements. See guidance for these businesses.
- NCDHHS, North Carolina Restaurant & Lodging Association, NC State Extension and Visit North Carolina have partnered to create the Count on Me NC initiative, a free online training for restaurant managers and staff that is focused on advanced cleaning, disinfection, social distancing, and hygiene practices to protect the public from COVID-19. So far, more 3,500 businesses have already completed the training. Find a list of Count on Me businesses and sign the Guest Pledge at CountOnMenc.org.
- NCDHHS began distributing a one-time supplemental payment to families enrolled in the Work First Cash Assistance program with one or more children. These payments are intended to help vulnerable families during the economic disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Thurs
5/21
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- As North Carolina heads into Phase 2 (Safer at Home), the state recorded 738 new cases of COVID-19 since yesterday. This is another high number of cases over one day and underscores the need to proceed cautiously as we ease restrictions.
- NCDHHS reported its first case of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) associated with COVID-19. While children generally experience mild symptoms with COVID-19, recently a possible link has been found between COVID-19 and a serious inflammatory disease in some children and teenagers who have current or recent infections.
- School nutrition sites in all 115 school districts have provided 23 million meals (breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner) since schools closed on March 16. There are currently 1,000 pick-up/drive-through meal sites and 2,100 yellow school buses delivering meals around the state.
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Wed
5/20
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- Governor Roy Cooper and NCDHHS Secretary Cohen announced that North Carolina will move into Safer At Home Phase 2 on Friday, May 22 at 5 p.m. After two weeks in Phase 1, the state’s overall key indicators remain stable but the continued increases in daily case counts signal a need to take a more modest step forward in Phase 2 than originally envisioned. Read the FAQs and view the Phase 2 Guidance.
- NCDHHS unveiled an updated COVID-19 Dashboard. The interactive dashboard includes an enhanced NC map, sections on COVID-like illness surveillance, cases, testing, hospitalizations, contact tracing, personal protective equipment (PPE) and congregate living settings. There is also a section on weekly reports that currently includes presumed recoveries and risk factors for severe illness for North Carolinians.
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5/06-5/13 North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Updates
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Date
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Updates
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Mon
5/08
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- As Phase 1 begins, NCDHHS is focused on testing, tracing and trends. North Carolina ranks 15th in the nation regarding total number of tests completed, and 8 out of the 10 past days, has reached the goal of 5,000 to 7,000 tests completed per day. While testing is on right track, it needs to increase, especially for North Carolina’s underserved communities. Securing sample collection supplies from the federal government, additional testing sites and expanded lab capacity will help meet testing goals.
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Fri
5/07
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- Wear. Wait. Wash. As North Carolina moves to ease some COVID-19 restrictions at the end of this week, NCDHHS is asking people to remember these three things to continue to slow the spread of COVID-19 and flatten the curve.
- Health care providers and hospitals can use a new portal to request reimbursement for claims associated with COVID-19 testing and treatment of uninsured patients retroactive to Feb. 4, 2020. The Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) COVID-19 Uninsured Program Portal was launched by the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to support health care providers in delivering COVID-19 diagnostic testing and treatment at no cost to patients. It can be accessed at COVIDUninsuredClaim.linkhealth.com.
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Wed
5/06
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- In Phase 1, retail businesses that pose a lower risk can open with 50 percent capacity, although protective measures will be in place to ensure safety. Staying at home is still the best way to slow the spread of COVID- 19, but if you must go out, Know Your Ws: wear a face covering; wait 6 feet apart from others; and wash your hands often.
- Due to COVID-19, many health care facilities, particularly long-term care facilities, are seeking to urgently hire staff for temporary, part-time or full-time roles. Interested health care employees with the ability to pick up extra shifts or who may have been laid off from facilities and are seeking full-time roles can register at https://nc.readyop.com/fs/4cjq/697b
- North Carolina Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) participants will be able to purchase groceries online using their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards at authorized online EBT retailers.
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