Featured Topics

October is National Protect Your Hearing Month- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognizes each October as National Protect Your Hearing month! According to the CDC, about 40 million US adults aged 20-69 years have noise-induced hearing loss. We are exposed daily to sounds that can be harmful to our hearing and noise-induced hearing loss may be immediate or may be gradual over time and go unnoticed. Fortunately, noise-induced hearing loss is preventable. For more information, click here.

 

Federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Ending on May 11th, 2023- The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has developed flyers to provide information about possible changes to Medicaid, WIC, and FNS  benefits with the ending of the Federal Public Health Emergency. These flyers are available in English and Spanish

55,000 Children moving from NC Choice to NC Medicaid- Starting April 1, 2023, 55,000 currently receiving NC Choice will be moved to NC Medicaid. This shift will allow these children to receive additional physical and behavioral health services. To read the full NCDHHS Press release, click here. 

ECCOG Offers Assistance to Older Adults with Food Reimbursement Assistance Program- The Eastern Carolina Council of Government is offering nutritional assistance to those 60 and older who live in Carteret, Craven, Duplin, Greene, Jones, Lenoir, Pamlico, and Wayne counties. Eligible applicants can receive reimbursement for up to $500. For information about eligibility requirements, click here. 

NCDHHS launches Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP)- The Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) is a federally-funded program that provides for a one-time vendor payment to help eligible households pay their heating bills. Households including a person aged 60 or older or disabled persons receiving services through the NC Division of Aging and Adult Services are eligible to sign up for assistance from Dec. 1 – 31. All other households may apply from Jan. 1 – March 31 or until funds are exhausted. For more information about the program and eligibility requirements, please click here

NCDHHS Releases Monkeypox Case, Vaccine and Testing Demographic Report- The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services released a report on August 10, 2022 regarding Monkeypox cases in the State, including vaccine administration and demographic data. Current case numbers and information about Monkeypox can be found on the NCDHHS website.  The full report can be found here.

East Carolina University studies Miscarriage during COVID-19 – Nurse researchers at ECU are trying to understand the impact that experiencing a miscarriage during the pandemic has had on women to hopefully find ways to help women during this difficult time. They are looking for women to participate in a survey who fit the following description: experienced a miscarriage (<20 weeks gestation) of a desired pregnancy between March 30, 2020 and February 24, 2021, reside in one of the 41 Eastern North Carolina counties east of I-95, are 18 years or older, and able to read in English or Spanish. The link to the survey is here.

Mike Causey Remind Parents Not to Toy with Safety – Insurance Commissioner and Safe Kids NC Chair Mike Causey is urging parents and caregivers to keep children safe this holiday season by following some simple tips recommended by Safe Kids North Carolina. Toy safety is particularly important this year. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, many parents will be looking to find holiday gifts to keep their children and themselves entertained during the long winter looming ahead. https://www.ncdoi.gov/news/press-releases/2020/12/09/safe-kids-nc-chair-mike-causey-reminds-parents-not-toy-safety

Governor Cooper Declares August as Preparedness Month – On August 14, 2020, Governor Roy Cooper declared August as North Carolina Preparedness Month, encouraging individuals, families, schools and businesses to review their emergency plans and update their emergency supply kits.   “Facing a hurricane, a deadly tornado and an earthquake in the same week reminds us that North Carolinians need to be prepared for all kinds of emergencies, especially as we continue fighting COVID-19,” Governor Cooper said. “Be sure to go over your family’s emergency plan and include cloth face masks for each member of your family in your emergency supply kit.”  Please click here to read the entire press release.

New Immunization Rule to Protect Students from Meningitis Takes Effect in 2020-21 School Year – Effective Aug. 1, 2020, a booster dose of meningococcal conjugant vaccine (MenACWY) is required for students entering the 12th grade in public, private or religious schools in North Carolina.  Students who do not meet this requirement may not be allowed to attend school until they receive the booster dose.  Please click here to read the full press release.

Governor Roy Cooper Proclaims North Carolina Nurses Week May 6-12, 2020 – Governor Roy Cooper issued a proclamation honoring North Carolina Nurses with a week dedicated to their important work. Cooper declared the week of May 6 – 12, 2020 as North Carolina Nurses Week.  To read the full press release, please click here.

DHHS Suspends Implementation of Managed Care – The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced that because the NC General Assembly did not take needed action, managed care implementation and open enrollment for NC Medicaid must be suspended. The General Assembly adjourned last week without providing required new spending and program authority for the transition to managed care. Managed care will not go live on Feb. 1, 2020.  To read the full press release, please click here.

Do You Need Help Paying Your Heating Bills?  The North Carolina Division of Social Services is sharing the attached flyers to bring awareness to the Low Income Energy Assistance Program and the Crisis Intervention Programs administered by the Division of Social Services.  Their goal is to reach every possible person and family within our state who may be eligible to receive assistance during these cold winter months.  Please click on one of the links below for more information.

LIEAP_CRISIS_Flyer_ENGLISH

LIEAP_CRISIS_Flyer_SPANISH

NC’s Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Program Saves Lives – As October is observed as Breast Cancer Awareness Month in North Carolina, the NC Department of Health and Human Services Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program (NC BCCCP) announced that it has screened more than 89,000 women from 2013 through 2018.   To read the full press release, please click here.

North Carolina’s Infant Death Rate Reaches Record Low –  Governor Roy Cooper today noted that North Carolina’s infant deaths in 2018 reached their lowest rate in the 31 years they have been tracked, decreasing for a third straight year to 6.8 deaths per 1,000 live births, down 4.2 percent from the previous year’s rate of 7.1 per 1000 live births.  To read the full press release, please click here.

Health Officials Share Early Findings in Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak Investigation in Western NC – The NC Department of Health and Human Services is sharing early findings from an ongoing investigation to determine how people were exposed to Legionella bacteria at the NC Mountain State Fair, which took place September 6-15, 2019 at the Western NC Agricultural Center in Fletcher, NC.  To read the full press release, please click here.

Health Officials Continue Investigation of Significant Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak in Western NC – State and local health officials are continuing an intensive investigation into an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in people who attended the NC Mountain State Fair held Sept. 6–15 at the Western North Carolina Agricultural Center in Fletcher, NC.   To read the full press release, please click here.

Jones County Health Officials Urge Residents to Take Precautions – Health officials in Jones County emphasized tips for the county’s residents to follow to prevent tick-and mosquito-borne diseases by making homes and yards less mosquito- and tick-friendly.  To read the full press release, please click here.

DHHS Recommends Continued Mosquito Precautions to Prevent Illness –State health officials are encouraging residents and visitors to take precautions to prevent mosquito-borne illnesses this fall.  Please click here to read the full press release.

Animal Control Survey – Jones County is one of a few counties in North Carolina that does not have a local animal control ordinance, does not provide daily animal control services and does not operate a county animal shelter.   Jones County Health Department, Jones County Sheriff’s Department and the County Manager’s Office all receive animal control complaints.  Due to the frequency of  the complaints, the Board of Health decided to establish a subcommittee to discuss animal control issues and to discuss the need for an animal control ordinance.  To assist our subcommittee, we would like your input regarding animal control services.  Please take a few moments to complete the survey at the following link:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ACSJones.  If you prefer to complete the survey in writing, please click here to download a copy of the survey.  The completed survey can be dropped off or mailed back to the Jones County Health Department, 418 Hwy 58 North, Unit C, Trenton, NC 28585.  Thank you for your interest in promoting the public’s health!

Updated Information on North Carolina Medicaid – Please click on the below links to see updated information for beneficiaries regarding the upcoming transformation to the Medicaid program in North Carolina:

NC Medicaid Transformation One Pager 6-14-19 (English)

NC Medicaid Transformation One Pager 6-14-19 (Spanish)

DHHS Issues Guidance for Providers on Measles – Measles cases continue to be identified in returning international travelers and travel related to U.S. outbreaks.  Measles is highly contagious.  Please click here for more information on how to protect protect your patients, visitors and staff.

Changes are Coming to North Carolina Medicaid and Health Choice:  Here’s What You Need to Know – Emtiro Health has created an informational sheet that explains what current Medicaid recipients can expect when the North Carolina Medicaid and Health Choice programs move from a State-run program to one provided by insurance companies in November of 2019.  Please click here to view the informational sheet.

Disaster, Displacement and Disability ForumOn March 16, 2019 a forum sponsored by Disability Rights NC “2019 Disaster, Displacement and Disability Forum” will be held.   The forum will take place from 10-1 p.m. in New Bern, and the target audience are people with disabilities, and how they fared Hurricane Florence.  The link to register and to complete the survey is https://www.disabilityrightsnc.org/2019/01/dddforum/

DHHS Announces Prepaid Health Plan Contracts for Medicaid Managed Care – Today, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced the selection of Prepaid Health Plans that will participate in Medicaid managed care when the program launches in November 2019. Contracts were awarded after careful evaluation of all responses to the Request for Proposal issued by DHHS on Aug. 9, 2018.  To read the entire press release, please click here.

Text-to-9-1-1 – Three videos about Text-to-9-1-1 in American Sign Language (ASL) with voice-over, captioning, and audio descriptions, are now available for viewing nationwide. These videos describe how text to 9-1-1 works in areas that have the service and in areas where it is not yet available.  These videos were developed as a joint effort between the National Emergency Number Association’s (NENA) Accessibility Committee and NENA’s Public Education Sub-Committee and produced by the Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services with support from NENA.

The three new videos are:

Radon Testing – As families button up their homes to guard against winter’s chill, it is an ideal time to make plans to test for radon – the odorless, colorless gas that is our nation’s second leading cause of lung cancer.  For more information, please click on the following press release issued by the NC Department of Health and Human Services:  Winter Heating Season Is a Good Time for Radon Testing

Federal Shutdown and the Impact on Access to Food – On January 20, 2019 households already receiving Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) benefits will receive their February FNS benefits that would normally be available between February 3rd and February 21st.  Once issued, there will not be additional benefits issued to those households in February.  New applications will continue to be taken and processed.  Please click on the attached flyer for more information:

FNS Benefits Poster

FNS Benefits Poster (Spanish) 

Winter Weather Safety – With the winter weather comes hazards that could put your health and safety at risk.   For a listing of messages to prevent winter weather mishaps, please click on the following link:  Winter Weather Safety Messaging

DHHS Confirms Death Related to Hepatitis A Outbreak – The NC Department of Health and Human Services has confirmed the first death related to an ongoing outbreak of Hepatitis A affecting parts of North Carolina.  Form more information, please click on the following link:  DHHS Confirms Death Related to Hepatitis A Outbreak

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month – For more information on who should be screened for lung cancer, and ways to lower your risk for lung cancer, please click here. 

State Health Officials Announce First Flu-Related Death of 2018-19 Season Officials with the NC Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Public Health announced the first reported flu-related death of the 2018-19 flu season.  For more information, please click on the following link:  State Health Officials Announce First Flu-Related Death

Seriously?  Did you know Hepatitis A liver infections are on the rise in North Carolina?  For more information on how Hepatitis A is spread, and what you can do to protect yourself, please click on the following links:

Hep A General Information

Hep A General Information (Spanish)

 

Gov. Cooper Orders Evacuation Ahead of Historic, Life-threatening Hurricane – Jones County Government Officials have declared a State of Emergency for Jones County residents due to the  severity of Hurricane Florence which is projected to make landfall in Eastern North Carolina later this week.  Please click on the following link to read the entire press release:   Hurricane Florence Press Release 9-11-18

NC DHHS Reports State’s First Death This Year Related to West Nile VirusState health officials are encouraging residents and visitors to take precautions to prevent mosquito-borne illnesses following the death of a North Carolina resident from West Nile virus infection last week.  For more information on steps you can take to prevent mosquito bites, please click on the following link:   DHHS Reports First West Nile Virus Death

Type 2 Diabetes Prevention Program – Jones County Health Department is recruiting new participants for our upcoming Prevent T2 Class.  Prevent T2 has a proven approach to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes.  To learn more about this program and who to contact, please click on the following link:   Prevent Type 2 Diabetes Press Release

In-Home Asthma Management Program – Jones County Health Department has an Asthma Management Program that includes home visits to determine what could be triggering your child’s breathing problems.  To learn more about this program and who to contact to schedule a home visit, please click on the following link:  In-Home Asthma Program Information.  For a copy of our Asthma Management Referral form, please click here.

Health Department Receives Mother-Baby Award – The North Carolina Breastfeeding Coalition has awarded Jones County Health Department the Mother-Baby Award for Outpatient Healthcare Clinics.  Awardees represent the best our state has to offer in terms of support for the breastfeeding family.  To view our press release, please click on the following link:   Mother Baby Award Press Release

Health Department Offers Low-Cost Car Seats – Jones County Health Department has expanded its Child Safety Seat Program by offering low-cost infant and child safety seats to all county residents.  To view our press release, please click on the following link:  Jones County Health Department Offers Low-Cost Child Safety Seats

To download a copy of our Car Seat Referral Form, please click here.  The completed form can be handed to any staff member of the Health Department  to initiate the process to receive a low-cost infant child safety seat.

"Serving the Public Health Needs of Jones County, North Carolina"