All in Health

CMS relaxes guidance for visitation in long-term care facilities; NCDHHS rescinds LTCF visitation secretarial order

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is updating its visitation guidance for long-term care facilities to allow for in-person, indoor or outdoor, visitation in most circumstances. The change aligns with new guidance released this week from the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and reflects rapidly improving trends in long-term care facilities.

The North Carolina Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program is one of seven WIC State Agencies to receive a U.S. Department of Agriculture/Tufts Telehealth Intervention Strategies for WIC (THIS-WIC) grant. Selected through a competitive review process, the $1 million grant will use innovative telehealth solutions to deliver nutrition education and breastfeeding support to WIC participants to overcome barriers to access, particularly those encountered in rural settings.

Severe weather causes delay in COVID-19 vaccine shipments

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has been notified by the federal government of continued delays in some shipments and deliveries of COVID-19 vaccine this week due to severe weather. Both first and second dose shipments have been impacted. The Department is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and vaccine providers to help minimize the potential effects of these delays.

NCCU ACCORD research on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy informs North Carolina’s Strategy for equitable outreach and distribution

As part of its partnership with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to research public attitudes toward COVID-19, the North Carolina Central University Advanced Center for COVID-19 Related Disparities' (ACCORD) new research study shows communication about the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 coupled with local access to COVID-19 vaccination can significantly reduce vaccine hesitancy among historically marginalized people.