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Limit Fish Consumption in Parts of Cape Fear River
NCDHHS is recommending people limit their consumption of certain freshwater fish from the middle and lower Cape Fear River based on concerns about exposure to perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) found in fish sampled from that area. Fish advisories are issued to help people weigh the health benefits of catching and eating fish with the risks of pollutants fish absorb from their environment. Women of childbearing age (15 to 44 years), pregnant women, nursing mothers and children should limit the consumption of American Shad, Blue Catfish and Channel Catfish to no more than one meal per year combined for all species, and should not eat Bluegill, Flathead Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Striped Bass or Redear. All other individuals should consider limiting their consumption of American Shad, Blue Catfish and Channel Catfish to no more than seven meals per year, and their consumption of Bluegill, Flathead Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Striped Bass or Redear to no more than one meal per year. PFOS is part of a group of chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are often called “forever chemicals” because they do not break down in the environment. For more information regarding state efforts to address PFAS, please visit the NCDHHS PFAS webpage and the NCDEQ PFAS webpage. |
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NCDHHS Campaign Helps People with Behavioral Health Disorders Stop Tobacco Use
An NCDHHS initiative called Breathe Easy NC is helping people who struggle with mental health conditions and/or substance use disorders stop using tobacco. New state-level data is showing the lowest rate of tobacco use in more than a decade for people in North Carolina who struggle with their mental health or heavy drinking. Breathe Easy NC helps service providers integrate tobacco use treatment for those with behavioral health conditions, intellectual or developmental disabilities, and traumatic brain injuries, as well as making substance use disorder treatment campuses tobacco-free. Five years into the Breathe Easy NC campaign, the data show a decrease that narrows the gap between the rate of smoking among all North Carolinians (14.4%), which is also declining, and the rates among those reporting struggles with mental health (22.5%) or heavy drinking (27.8%). Smoking among people with mental health and substance use disorders was as high as 40% when the Breathe Easy NC initiative began. For free help with quitting tobacco use or vaping, visit QuitlineNC.com or call 1-800-QUIT-NOW for live quit coaching via text, online, or by phone. |
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Apply for the Community Health Worker Grant Program
The??¯NC Office of Rural Health??¯seeks a contractor to help develop and implement a mini-grant program that will fund six community-based organizations (CBOs) to hire Community Health Workers (CHWs) to build sustainability in the workforce. The organizations funded will work with communities with high social vulnerability and historically marginalized populations in??¯six Medicaid regions. The total funding for all awards will be $600,000, and the contractor will administer the grants and provide training and technical assistance through recruiting and hiring subject matter experts. Through COVID-19 relief funding, NCDHHS invested over $80 million in CHWs from 2020-2022 and had more than 550 CHWs employed throughout most of 2022. Now that COVID-19 funding has expired, this mini-grant program will support CBOs as they develop and refine sustainability plans for their CHW efforts. Apply for the grant by July 17. To learn more about the CHW program, go to the??¯NCDHHS website.??¯ |
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Medicaid Behavioral Health and I/DD Tailored Plans Further Delayed
To minimize confusion and ensure that nearly 160,000 people receive care on day one with minimal disruption, NCDHHS will delay the implementation of the NC Medicaid Managed Care Behavioral Health and Intellectual/ Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) Tailored Plans. The launch date was scheduled for Oct. 1 but is now to be determined. Tailored Plans will serve people with complex behavioral health conditions, I/DD and traumatic brain injury, whose health needs often require care from multiple providers. While gaps remain in provider networks, progress has been made by the LME/MCOs on technical capabilities. NCDHHS has been working collaboratively with the legislature to achieve the necessary tools to administer the Tailored Plans consistent with other managed care plans, but they are still a work in progress. Also, until a final budget is passed, which will fund transformation costs for the Medicaid program, NCDHHS is unable to announce a definitive launch date. Beneficiaries who will be covered by the Tailored Plans will continue to receive behavioral health, I/DD, TBI and physical health care as they do today. For more information about Tailored Plans, visit NC Medicaid’s Tailored Plan website.
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NCDHHS Funds UNC E-Cigarette Study
A portion of the settlement funds that NCDHHS received from a lawsuit against JUUL Labs Inc. will be used to fund a UNC study to better understand electronic cigarette use among youth and young adults. In North Carolina, e-cigarettes continue to be the most popular tobacco product among young people. Since e-cigarettes were first made available in 2011, rates of youth e-cigarette use in North Carolina have increased, impacting 20.9% of high school students and 6.1% of middle school students in 2019. Nationwide, lung damage related to the use of electronic cigarettes has risen sharply since 2020, with many suffering from continued respiratory issues. In 2019, North Carolina filed a lawsuit against JUUL Labs, Inc., for their purported role in the state’s vaping epidemic among youth and young adults, becoming the first state to do so, and JUUL settled with North Carolina in 2021. The two-year, $887,431 contract will help researchers, school personnel, parents and public health practitioners better understand youth and young adult vaping (e-cigarette) and emerging tobacco product trends in North Carolina.
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Protect Yourself and Your Pets in Recreational Waters
NCDHHS is urging NC residents to prioritize safety and adopt best practices for enjoying water activities with their pets, as people flock to recreational waters to beat the heat. 1) It's important to avoid algal blooms, which appear as thick, green, blue-green or red scums on the water's surface or along the shoreline. 2) You should take caution if the water appears discolored or has a strong odor. 3) Stay informed about water quality advisories or warnings issued by local authorities for recreational waters. 4) Avoid ingesting water and reduce your risk of illness by keeping your mouth closed and holding your nose shut or using a nose clip. 5) After swimming, rinse yourself and your pets with clean with fresh water to remove any potential bacteria, algae or toxins that may cling to the skin or fur. 6) Be attentive to any symptoms in yourself or your pets after water activities, such as skin irritations, gastrointestinal issues, respiratory problems or unusual behavior. |
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