News

Gov. Doug Burgum and Lt. Gov. Brent Sanford were joined by state legislators today at a press conference in Fargo to announce a framework for legislation to address the availability, affordability and quality of child care services in North Dakota, which continues to be a major barrier to workforce participation.

North Dakota’s Health and Human Services agency’s (HHS) Behavioral Health Division has been awarded a four-year System of Care Expansion and Sustainability Grant by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to enhance mental health outcomes for children and youth, birth through age 21.

North Dakota’s Health and Human Services (HHS) agency is hosting two in-person and two virtual stakeholder meetings Wednesday, Sept. 14 and Wednesday, Sept. 21 to gather public feedback on several recommendations outlined in the recent Renee Schulte Consulting final report.

The North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has seen a rise in reported West Nile virus (WNV) cases in recent weeks. State health officials are reminding people to continue taking precautions against mosquito bites that can cause WNV infection.

North Dakota’s Health and Human Services (HHS) agency is inviting older adults, adults with physical disabilities and others to a discussion and listening session on Thursday, Sept. 15, 1-3 p.m. CT, focusing on the state’s progress expanding access to in-home and community-based long-term support services.

North Dakota’s Health and Human Services (HHS) agency announced that the Youthworks facility in Minot has become certified to provide temporary shelter for children ages 10-17 to help prevent foster care placements. Certification means the facility can receive state funding.

National Suicide Prevention Week is Sept. 4-10. The Health and Human Services (HHS) Behavioral Health Division wants to remind North Dakotans about available resources that can help someone who might be struggling with a behavioral health concern and to encourage people to have authentic, caring conversations about suicide and mental health.

Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) endorsed the recommendation from its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of two newly available bivalent COVID-19 vaccines for use as a single-dose booster in individuals 12 years and older.

Gov. Doug Burgum announced that the integration of North Dakota’s Department of Health and Department of Human Services into one Health and Human Services (HHS) agency is effective today, Sept. 1, 2022.

The agency will be led by HHS Commissioner Chris Jones. State Health Officer Dr. Nizar Wehbi will provide vision, leadership and consultation on state health priorities.

“North Dakota’s Department of Health and Department of Human Services have a long history of working together to serve North Dakotans,” Burgum said. “Today the two departments have officially integrated into one agency, and we are deeply grateful for the hard work so many team members have invested in this effort. As a unified health and human services team, HHS has the opportunity to transform the citizen experience and help North Dakota become the healthiest state in the nation.”

Wednesday, Aug. 31 is International Overdose Awareness Day. The North Dakota Department of Health, North Dakota Highway Patrol and North Dakota Department of Human Services are remembering people lost to drug overdoses and their family members and raising awareness about available prevention resources that can help save North Dakotans’ lives.