Raleigh
Monday at Cherry Hospital, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services celebrated the launch of an electronic health record system powered by Epic for North Carolina’s 13 state-operated healthcare facilities. These facilities provide critical medical and behavioral treatment of adults and children with mental illness, developmental disabilities, substance use disorders, and neuro-medical conditions. This advancement in patient care will allow for improved and more comprehensive care, streamlined processes for staff, enhanced security for protection of patient data, and improved regulatory compliance.
“This new electronic health records system is about giving our patients the safest, most coordinated care possible and improving our state’s behavioral health system,” said NC Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai. “By modernizing how we manage health information, we can ensure our providers and partners have the right details at the right time to deliver high-quality care.”
Secretary Sangvai was joined by staff at Cherry Hospital in Goldsboro to mark this milestone in patient care. Electronic health records, powered by Epic, went live at all state operated facilities on Aug. 1, 2025.
Electronic heath records make it easier for patients and residents to get safe, coordinated care by making their health data available to authorized providers across healthcare facilities and patient settings. With easy access to test results, medications, and medical history, doctors, nurses and patient care teams can make comprehensive, more informed decisions—reducing delays and unnecessary repeat tests. Electronic health records also improve safety by flagging potential drug allergies, harmful interactions, and other risks before they become problems.
“At Cherry Hospital, our mission is to provide excellent psychiatric care to individuals with the greatest need and the fewest resources. By implementing electronic health records, our staff can spend less time on paperwork and more time focusing on what matters most—caring for our patients. The adoption of EHR technology is expected to improve communication among care teams, streamline processes, and strengthen the hospital’s commitment to delivering high-quality psychiatric services to North Carolinians who need them most,” said Timothy Miller, CEO, Cherry Hospital.
In 2021, Senator Jim Burgin was one of the primary sponsors of Senate Bill 538, which directed NCDHHS to implement electronic health records across state psychiatric hospitals.
“I’m disappointed that I wasn’t able to be at the kickoff of Epic electronic medical records for our state health facilities. Over seven years ago, after winning my election, my first visit was to Cherry Hospital in Goldsboro. After touring the facility, I asked what are the top three things I could help them with, and electronic records was the number one request. Now seven years and $70M later, that has become a reality. Folks that have been in a state health facility will have their records available at any facility that uses the Epic system. This will lead to better healthcare for all North Carolinians,” said Senator Jim Burgin.
“The NCDHHS implementation is a key milestone for state-operated healthcare. We are excited to help NCDHHS bring cutting-edge technology to these facilities to support their staff and patients,” said Dan Murray, Epic Implementation Executive.
In addition, as part of the Epic system, some state operated facilities will provide access to health data through the MyChart online portal. Through MyChart, patients and residents over age 18 and/or those with their legal responsibility can view health information in one place, including seeing their medications and test results from visits to multiple healthcare organizations.
