The latest in late-breaking news from the state Department of Health and Human Services came in the form of a news release sent after 5 p.m. on Election Day about a legal settlement with a mental health provider the state was trying to shut down, Dominion Healthcare Services.

The state settled with the company two weeks ago. Dominion agreed to reimburse Medicaid $1.6 million, Lynn Bonner reports.

Tom Lawrence, spokesman for DHHS, said he didn't know about the settlement, and found out about it after a local newspaper picked up a press release from the company.

Lawrence said his office started working on the news release Tuesday morning, but a necessary clearance from state lawyers pushed its release to after 5.

The communication's office has no system for getting information from state attorneys about the status of DHHS cases, Lawrence said.

"These things are often handled, sometimes handled without us knowing what's going on," he said. "We don't keep up with the court stuff."

Should they?

"Maybe that's something we ought to be talking to the folks about," he said.

Gov. Mike Easley's administration is still having trouble turning over copies of the e-mails of its officials.

On June 27, The News & Observer filed a request with state Department of Health and Human Services for copies of e-mails since May 1 from six officials pertaining to the opening of Central Regional Hospital, the state's new mental hospital in Butner, reports Michael Biesecker.

It took 12 days, until July 8, for the department's public information staff to forward the request for e-mails to the six employees. DHHS public information staffer Mark Van Sciver instructed the six officials to gather the relevant e-mails and respond by July 23.

The first patients are scheduled to move into the hospital on or around July 21.

DHHS public affairs director Tom Lawrence said his office was not trying to delay the records request until after the opening and said those who had the e-mails were busy.

"We have a hospital to open," Lawrence said July 9.

Read more after the jump.

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