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Dare County Health & Human Services outlines clinical services, mental-health wait list and WIC funding concern
Summary
DHHS presented its clinical services portfolio — including maternal health, hepatitis C treatment success, pediatric primary care and school-based mental-health expansion — and warned WIC funding could be affected by a state-level funding lapse.
Dare County Department of Health and Human Services staff presented an overview of clinical and community programs, highlighted recent service expansions and flagged a potential shortfall in state WIC funding tied to the federal government shutdown.
Clinical-services director Debbie Dutton told commissioners the department operates three clinic locations (Manteo, Frisco and Nags Head) and provides family planning and maternal health services, a pediatric primary-care program, adult screening services, immunizations, sexually transmitted infection management, a hepatitis C treatment program and behavioral-health clinicians. Dutton said 55% of clinical clients have insurance (including Medicaid), 45% are self-pay, and about 28% of patients are Spanish-speaking; the department deploys four full‑time interpreters and a language line for overflow.
Nut graf: DHHS staff described a hepatitis C treatment program that launched in May 2024: of 28 patients enrolled, 18 have completed treatment and show a 0 viral load (cure), five are in active treatment and five were lost to follow-up. Staff also said the new school-based mental-health program has enrolled students and that behavioral clinicians already have waiting lists.
Fiscal warning: Sheila Davies, DHHS leadership, said state WIC funding had about two weeks of support at the time of the meeting because of state-level delays tied to the federal shutdown; DHHS was notifying clients and working with local partners (including Interfaith Community Outreach) to handle urgent needs if state funding lapses.
Ending: Commissioners asked for a follow-up report on school‑based mental-health utilization and WIC funding status; DHHS said it will return with enrollment numbers and impacts as the programs progress.
