News

Registration is now open for the sixth annual Behavioral Health & Children and Family Services Conference, scheduled for Sept. 14-17 at the Bismarck Event Center and online through a livestream option.

The main conference will take place Sept. 15-17, with optional pre- and post-conference sessions offered Sept. 14 and Sept. 17.

More than 1,400 in-person attendees and hundreds of virtual participants are expected to take part in keynote presentations, breakout sessions and networking opportunities focused on behavioral health, child welfare, suicide prevention and youth development.

North Dakota Health and Human Services (HHS) has completed the state’s application for Federal Title V Block Grant funds to support maternal and child health goals in North Dakota for the federal fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, 2026, and ending Sept. 30, 2027. The application is now available for public comment through July 10, 2026.

North Dakota Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that $400,000 of FamilyFirst Services Training and Implementation Grant funds are available for agencies and professionals to complete training and provide approved, evidence-based FamilyFirst prevention services. Grant applications are open now and will be accepted through March 1, 2027, or until all funds are allocated.

To help more women access lifesaving breast cancer screenings closer to home, North Dakota Health and Human Services (HHS) is launching a new $1.5 million funding opportunity to support a mobile mammography unit serving rural and underserved communities in western North Dakota. For many women in western North Dakota, getting a mammogram means taking time off work, arranging transportation and traveling long distances. The funding opportunity is designed to help reduce those barriers by bringing mammography services directly into communities.  

North Dakota Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that replacement benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are available for North Dakota SNAP participants who lost food due to recent power outages caused by the June storms. 

North Dakota Health and Human Services (HHS) will begin a webinar series for retailers focused on North Dakota’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Healthy Choice Waiver on Thursday, June 11 at 2 p.m. CT. Webinars will be held on the second Thursday at 2 p.m. CT and fourth Tuesday at 10 a.m. CT each month through Oct. 27.

North Dakota’s SNAP Healthy Choice Waiver addresses public health challenges across the state by improving the nutritional well-being of SNAP participants. By helping people choose healthier foods, the waiver reduces the risk of long-term health problems and contributes to healthier, thriving communities.

North Dakota Health and Human Services (HHS) reminds people that preventing mosquito bites is the most effective way to avoid West Nile virus. Although no human cases of West Nile virus have been reported to HHS so far this year, there is a risk of contracting the disease anytime mosquitoes are active.

North Dakota Health and Human Services is implementing a new strategy to strengthen Medicaid program integrity through enhanced provider oversight, fraud prevention efforts and expanded revalidation activities. Learn more about the initiative and its impact on Medicaid recipients, providers and taxpayers.

Read the full news release

North Dakota Health and Human Services (HHS) is launching a new $40 million funding opportunity designed to help rural hospitals upgrade clinical equipment, strengthen emergency and specialty care services, and keep more healthcare close to home for North Dakotans.

For many rural communities, limited and aging equipment can mean patients must travel hours for emergency care, advanced imaging, cancer treatment, obstetric care or specialized procedures. State leaders say the funding is designed to help hospitals provide faster diagnoses, improve outcomes and strengthen the long-term future of rural health care in North Dakota.

North Dakota is launching a new rural healthcare suicide prevention initiative aimed at strengthening follow-up care and closing critical gaps after suicide risk is identified. The effort follows recommendations from the North Dakota Suicide Fatality Review Commission and supports the Zero Suicide framework across rural and tribal healthcare systems.

The initiative will support rural and tribal healthcare providers in implementing standardized suicide risk screening, follow-up care after suicide attempts and improved referral pathways into mental health and behavioral healthcare services.