General Information

DPH/DCFW Program Contacts

Practice Management - Downloadable Documents

Resources for Quality Improvement & Practice Management

Record Retention

Training Reimbursement

Subject to the availability of funds and approval of the Local Technical Assistance & Training Branch, the LHD may request reimbursement for LHD Management/Supervision level staff participating the Management and Supervision for Public Health Professionals course. Reimbursement is $600 per participant upon successful completion of the course.

Reimbursement requests must be submitted by the LHD to publichealthnursing@dhhs.nc.gov within the same fiscal year the course is completed. 

Funds Reimbursement Request Form (Excel, 42KB)

North Carolina as a Decentralized State

In North Carolina, local health departments are led by employees of local governments. In this decentralized classification (as opposed to a centralized health system where local health units are primarily led by the state), each county government retains authority over most fiscal decisions and is responsible for ensuring public health services are available to all residents as mandated by law. Counties choose to fulfill this constitutional responsibility by funding either a single or district public health department.

All local health department staff are county employees. In addition, the NC General Assembly is responsible for maintaining a public health division within state government that together with the local health departments form our statewide public health system. Local public health departments meet the constituents face to face to carry out the work of public health on behalf of the state. The state obtains funding from the federal and state government and other funders and allocates it to the local health departments to carry out their work with the community. Together the state and local health departments work to assure that laws put in place to protect the public’s health are adhered to and enforced.

For more information about these and other state governance health structures, see the Association of State and Territorial Health Officers (ASTHO) and CDC information sheets: