Overview

North Carolina is in the Southeastern region of the United States and has a population of 10.5 million people. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is a superagency with a Division of Public Health (NCDPH). North Carolina public health governance is decentralized, meaning local health departments are local government entities. NCDPH is the state health department and works collaboratively with the North Carolina Association of Local Health Directors through statue, rule, contract, and regular state/local meetings. North Carolina envisions advancing innovative solutions that foster independence, improve health, and promote well-being for all North Carolinians.

It is not enough to improve the public health architecture and strengthen our core capacities. We must also be deliberate in our efforts to earn trust and address inequities throughout our system. Mark Benson, Assistant Secretary for Public Health, North Carolina

Key Highlights

North Carolina’s vision for public health transformation is driven by equity, rooted in a commitment to whole-person health, and responsive to the lessons learned responding to the greatest health crisis in a more than a generation.

North Carolina has a Community Health Worker initiative across all 100 counties, as well as a public-private partnership with community-based organizations, to reach underserved populations. The state also recruits external advisors from historically marginalized populations to contribute to the State Health Improvement Plan and Healthy North Carolina 2030 goals.

NCDHHS was the first government agency to sign the Health Equity Pledge, committing to using and sharing high-level data about race, ethnicity, language, and gender to inform best practices in promoting health equity. NCDHHS appointed the first Chief Health Equity Officer in 2021 with responsibility for leading the overarching strategy and operational goals to promote health equity, diversity, and inclusion across all the agency’s health and human services.

The Work We’re Doing