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Press Release November 5, 2021NCDHHS Hires First Chief Health Equity Officer
News, Press Release September 22, 2021RALEIGH — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced the hiring of Victor Armstrong as the Department’s first-ever Chief Health Equity Officer. NCDHHS created the position as well as the Office of Health Equity to lead its focus to advance health equity and reduce disparities in opportunity and outcomes for historically marginalized populations.
“Today’s announcement marks another step forward in our commitment to embed equity into every aspect of our work and to promote an inclusive, equitable workplace that reflects the communities we serve, where everyone feels a sense of belonging, and our diverse backgrounds and experiences are valued and recognized as strengths,” said DHHS Secretary Mandy K. Cohen, M.D. “We are fortunate to bring on two leaders with tremendous talent, experience, and dedication to public service.”
As Chief Health Equity Officer, Armstrong will serve as a member of the Department’s executive leadership team and will lead the Department’s overarching strategy and operational goals to promote health equity, diversity, and inclusion across all DHHS health and human services. He will be responsible for developing, implementing, facilitating, and embedding health equity strategic initiatives into every aspect of DHHS’ programs, services, actions, outcomes and internal employee culture; as well as overseeing the Office of Health Equity, Office of Rural Health, and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
“I feel honored to be stepping into the Chief Health Equity Officer role, particularly when a focus on health equity is so badly needed, and I applaud Governor Cooper and Secretary Cohen for taking the initiative to create such a position,” said Armstrong. “Health equity only exists when all people have the opportunity to attain their full health potential, and no one is disadvantaged because of their social position or other socially determined circumstance. We only arrive at health equity through intentionality.”
Armstrong is a current member of the DHHS team, having joined the Department in March 2020 as Director of the NC Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, Substance Abuse Services. He has over 30 years of experience in human services, primarily dedicated to building and strengthening community resources to serve historically marginalized individuals and communities. Armstrong is a nationally recognized speaker on issues regarding health equity and access to healthcare, particularly as it relates to individuals living with mental health challenges.
In addition to the Chief Health Equity Officer, DHHS also welcomes a new Assistant Secretary of Equity and Inclusion. Former State Senator Angela Bryant will work hand in hand with Armstrong to develop, operationalize, and evaluate the Department’s healthy equity work. She also will lead the Department’s internal diversity and inclusion work overseeing the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, as well as stakeholder engagement with community stakeholders.
“This is a very urgent time to focus our resources on maximizing health and wellness for all North Carolinians. I am pleased to be a part of this DHHS team, with Chief Armstrong, to work on the in-depth collaborations that will be needed to accomplish the serious and complex goals needed, both internally and externally, to advance health equity,“ said Senator Bryant.
Senator Bryant served in the NC General Assembly representing various configurations of Halifax, Vance, Warren, Franklin and parts of Wilson and Nash Counties from 2007 to 2018. In addition to serving as an elected official, she has dedicated her career to supporting a broad range of organizations in creating welcoming and successful environments for all cultural groups. She co-founded Visions, Inc. – a non-profit educational organization that has provided diversity and inclusion services to over 100,000 individuals and 600 organizations, including health care organizations and staff – with the mission to empower the creation of environments where differences are recognized, understood, and appreciated.
Governor Cooper Encourages Faith Leaders to Help Strengthen Community Vaccination Efforts
News, Press Release September 22, 2021RALEIGH: Governor Roy Cooper and North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy K. Cohen, M.D. provided an update on the state’s COVID-19 key metrics and trends.
In an open letter to faith leaders, Governor Cooper and Secretary Cohen expressed their gratitude for the faith community’s support throughout the pandemic response and asked for their help reaching North Carolinians who have not yet been vaccinated.
“Getting vaccinated is one of the deepest expressions of our shared values to protect human life and love our neighbor. It is an act of love to our families and our communities. While we have made much progress in the state, too many people are needlessly getting seriously ill, being hospitalized, and dying. Our hospitals are strained, and in other states we’ve seen that care is not readily available for people experiencing non-COVID life-threatening health crises. We need your help,” Governor Cooper and Secretary Cohen wrote.
The letter outlines three actions that faith leaders can take, including directing their congregation and faith community to trustworthy sources about COVID-19 vaccines, serving as vaccine ambassadors, and hosting vaccination events.
Faith leaders from all religious backgrounds can be trusted figures in their communities. Their word can go a long way in encouraging people to talk with doctors and understand that these vaccines are safe and effective. The NC DHHS Healthier Together team is working with houses of worship to sponsor their own vaccine clinics.
Governor Cooper also highlighted a milestone reached this week in North Carolina’s vaccination progress. Ninety percent of North Carolinians age 65 and older have now received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
To date, North Carolina has administered over 11 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, with 63 percent of the adult population fully vaccinated. Sixty-eight percent of adults have received at least one dose of the vaccine, including 90 percent of North Carolinians 65 and over.
Learn more about the state’s vaccine distribution at myspot.nc.gov (English) or Vacunate.nc.gov (Spanish). Use NCDHHS’ online tool Find a Vaccine Location to find a nearby vaccine site. Call the state’s COVID-19 vaccine hotline at 888-675-4567. Ask your doctor about Monoclonal Antibodies or call the Combat COVID Monoclonal Antibodies Call Center at 1-877-332-6585 (English) or 1-877-366-0310 (Spanish).
Food and Nutrition Services Participants Can Now Use Benefits for Online Purchases From Food Lion Through Instacart
Community, News February 12, 2021RALEIGH — North Carolina Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) participants can purchase groceries online using their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards through Instacart.com or the Instacart mobile app, providing access to an additional authorized online EBT retailer, Food Lion. This flexibility will allow participants to buy food while promoting social distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and will help families with transportation and mobility barriers.
Users will be able to access their benefits for online grocery delivery and pickup while shopping through Instacart on the Food Lion storefront. Once items are added to their cart through Instacart.com or the Instacart mobile app, customers will be able to select how much of their benefits they would like to allocate to the order.
“Adding another retailer where people can use their EBT cards for online purchases continues to make the FNS program more accessible and convenient for families to shop safely, practice social distancing and get the nutrition they need during this pandemic,” said NCDHHS Deputy Secretary for Human Services Tara Myers.
To help subsidize costs for EBT FNS beneficiaries, through March 16, 2021, Instacart will waive delivery and/or pickup fees on up to the first three EBT FNS orders for each customer with a valid EBT card associated with their Instacart account.
Instacart’s latest EBT FNS expansion to partner with Food Lion serves as North Carolina’s fifth EBT retailer. In May 2020, North Carolina was one of the first 10 states to implement online purchasing for FNS, which will remain permanently in place beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.
FNS participants will be able to use their benefits to purchase eligible food items from online retailers but will not be able to use their benefits to pay for service or delivery charges. The participant will be required to pay for these charges with another form of payment, such as a debit or credit card.
Online shopping can provide several benefits to the citizens of North Carolina, such as:
- Promoting social distancing and self-isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Limiting personal interactions for individuals at risk due to compromised health issues.
- Increasing access to healthy food for individuals with physical impairments, transportation issues or those living in food deserts.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture must approve retailers who wish to participate in the FNS online purchasing program. NCDHHS encourages other EBT retailers to pursue USDA approval to become authorized online retailers. All EBT retailers in North Carolina have received information from USDA about how to become approved for online FNS purchases. More information for retailers is available on the USDA website.
More information about North Carolina Food and Nutrition Services can be found at https://www.ncdhhs.gov/assistance/low-income-services/food-nutrition-services-food-stamps, and North Carolina individuals and families can apply for FNS at epass.nc.gov.
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News, Press Release November 11, 2020Governor Cooper Announces $35 Million to Support Child Care Programs
News, Press Release October 7, 2020RALEIGH: Governor Roy Cooper announced that the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) is providing $35 million in operational grants from federal Coronavirus Relief Funds to help child care programs providing in-person child care during the COVID-19 pandemic. From April through July, NCDHHS has provided over $80 million in monthly operational grants for child care programs that served over 105,000 children statewide throughout the pandemic.
“These grants will help offset the significant financial strains placed on child care to meet health and safety guidelines while serving fewer children,” said Governor Cooper. “Our child care programs have been on the frontlines since the start of this pandemic, keeping their doors open so other workers could keep our economy running and the public safe. A strong and safe child care system is essential to our recovery.”
“Our response and recovery are dependent upon having a strong, high-quality child care system open and available. These operational grants help families go to work and children’s learning to be nurtured,” said NCDHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen, M.D.
The grants will be awarded to licensed child care providers operating in-person during the months of August through October 2020 to help offset the significant financial strains due to the additional expenses to meet health and safety guidelines, while experiencing reduced revenues from lower enrollment. Providers have the flexibility to use these grants to meet their unique individual business and operational needs.
All eligible licensed child care programs will receive some level of operational grants. Specific grant amounts are based on program size, quality, and whether the program serve infants and toddlers.
Throughout the pandemic, NCDHHS has maintained North Carolina’s long history of investments in child care by providing monthly operational grants since April, child care teacher and staff bonuses in April and May, and an emergency subsidy child care program in April and May.
For more information about child care during COVID-19 in North Carolina, visit www.ncdhhs.gov/divisions/public-health/covid19/child-care.
NC launches isolation supports programs for Covid-19
News, Press Release July 31, 2020RALEIGH: The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) released a Request for Applications (RFA) for regional partner organizations to administer an innovative new program to support individuals in targeted counties who need supports like food and transportation to successfully quarantine or isolate due to COVID-19.
“When people are asked by a health care professional to quarantine or isolate, many can’t do that without some extra support,” said NCDHHS Secretary Mandy K. Cohen M.D., “This innovative program will help people safely isolate and help slow the spread of COVID-19 in our hardest hit rural and underserved communities.”
“Quarantine is a critical part of slowing the spread of COVID-19, but we can’t ignore the strain it puts on people’s everyday lives,” Governor Roy Cooper said. “This program will ease the burden of isolation for North Carolinians in communities that have been disproportionately impacted by this virus.”
In the Isolation Supports program, people in target counties who are directed to quarantine or isolate due to COVID-19 may apply to receive one or more of five social supports to help them do so: nutrition assistance such as home-delivered meals or groceries; a relief payment to offset temporary loss of income or ability to look for work; transportation; medication delivery; and COVID-related supplies such as a mask or cleaning supplies.
DHHS is releasing this RFA today in order to select regional partners who will administer the program in their area, including directly providing or contracting with local organizations that can collectively provide the full array of support services, handling invoicing, reimbursement, and reporting functions related to the delivery of support services, and working closely with local health care professionals who will be referring and coordinating services.
DHHS is prioritizing areas of the state with high per capita COVID-19 case rates for this program, with final target counties selected based on the applications received. This program is temporary and is expected to run until late 2020.
DHHS is accepting applications until August 7. The RFA is available on the DHHS website.
A fact sheet about the Isolation Supports program can be found here.