News

Nov. 3, 2022, marks the seventh annual One Health Day, a Global Day of Action that promotes awareness of the relationships among human, animal and ecosystem health. North Dakota’s Department of Agriculture (NDDA), Game and Fish Department (NDGF), Department of Environmental Quality (NDDEQ), and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) encourage the public to recognize the interconnection of people, animals, plants and the environment they share.

Beginning Nov. 1, participating child care providers will notice improvements in the payment portal, called the Self Service Portal. The payment process will also change to align with the process most providers use of billing families in advance for child care. CCAP payments will be made to providers at the beginning of the month for care provided that month and will be based on the attendance schedule of participating children.

The North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Nelson-Griggs District Health Unit are investigating a reported case of active Tuberculosis Disease (TB) in Nelson County.

North Dakota Health and Human Services (HHS) has received reports of increased numbers of pediatric hospitalizations due to respiratory syncytial (sin-SISH-uhl) virus, otherwise known as RSV. Due to the current increased activity, HHS is encouraging broader testing for RSV among young children and older adults who have acute (severe) respiratory illness. 

The North Dakota Early Intervention Program in the state’s Health and Human Services agency has received a third year of funding from the federal Department of Education to continue work strengthening early intervention services for children with developmental delays.

Today, the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Public Health Division responded to the final report of an audit of the Department of Health conducted by the Office of the State Auditor that covered the biennium ending June 2021.

“The auditor’s office spent over one year completing their inquiry. During this time, they reviewed testing of compliance and financial records, contact tracing, COVID-19 deaths, COVID-19 vaccine storage, handling and distribution, COVID-19 testing and reporting, and COVID-19 dashboards and information systems and had no findings for these areas,” said HHS Public Health Division Executive Director Dirk Wilke.

Governor Doug Burgum has proclaimed October as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Month and October 15 as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. In North Dakota, approximately 59 pregnancies end in miscarriage or stillbirth each year (after 20 weeks of pregnancy).

Health and human service professionals and service providers are invited to attend the North Dakota Symposium on Adults, Aging and Disabilities, Oct. 26-27, at the Radisson Hotel in Bismarck.   

This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended expanded use of the newly-available bivalent COVID-19 vaccines as a single-dose booster for children ages 5 to 11 who previously completed the primary series at least two months prior.

As grocery prices continue to rise in the U.S. due to inflation, North Dakota WIC (Women, Infants and Children) is partnering with the other WIC agencies across the country to remind families of the services it provides during WIC National Enrollment Week from Monday, Oct. 10 through Friday, Oct. 14, 2022.