NEW CASTLE (May 28, 2018) – Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) Secretary Dr. Kara Odom Walker is warning people in active substance use in Delaware that two people have died from suspected overdoses in a 24-hour period that involve heroin packets with the same stamp. DHSS is not identifying the stamp so people […]

NEW CASTLE (May 30, 2018) – As a way to better support the needs of children with medical complexity and their families, the Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance this week released Delaware’s Plan for Managing the Health Care Needs of Children with Medical Complexity and announced that stakeholders will continue work to develop longer-term […]

WILMINGTON, Del. – In support of a movement to transform how health care is delivered and paid for in the state, Delaware was one of eight states chosen to participate in a National Governors Association initiative to harness data systems to inform health policymaking. Joining Arkansas, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Vermont and Washington, Delaware’s team […]

The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) is seeking input from Delawareans on a draft version of a statewide assessment identifying the primary health needs of First State residents.

Cancer screening and early detection efforts continue to drive down Delaware’s all-site cancer mortality rates, say Delaware public health officials. From 2000-2004 to 2010-2014, Delaware’s cancer death rate decreased 12 percent, an impressive improvement though slightly lower than the decline seen nationally (14 percent), according to the latest cancer data announced by the Division of Public Health (DPH).

NEW CASTLE (July 18, 2018) – With more than half of the deaths from suspected overdoses occurring in Sussex County so far this month, Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) Secretary Dr. Kara Odom Walker is urging the community to be aware of the uptick and also is warning people in active substance use […]

NEW CASTLE (July 23, 2018) – A USDA-funded program designed to help food benefits recipients in Delaware increase their earning power and decrease their dependence on state benefits is expanding its services to eligible participants. Delaware WONDER (Work Opportunity Networks to Develop Employment Readiness), a program administered by the Delaware Department of Health and Social […]

NEW CASTLE (July 24, 2018) – Following a 14-month review of Delaware’s opioid use disorder treatment system, a research team from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Bloomberg American Health Initiative today recommended four major strategies to achieve the state’s goal of a system of care that is accessible, evidence-based, individualized, […]

Delaware selected as one of only two states in the nation to participate  New Castle, Del. – On Tuesday, Lt. Governor Hall-Long joined members of Delaware’s Behavioral Health Consortium and members of The Pew Charitable Trusts to announce a newly formed partnership that will work to reshape Delaware’s behavioral health treatment system for those struggling […]

NEW CASTLE (July 26, 2018) – As part of the State Innovation Model (SIM) initiative, the Delaware Health Care Commission is seeking applications from Delaware health care providers for one-time, value-based payment reform mini-grants to grow their capacity to integrate data, improve the coordination of patient care or increase their readiness to integrate into a […]

The Division of Public Health (DPH) is announcing the state’s second human case of West Nile Virus (WNV) in 2018. WNV, a mosquito-borne illness, can become serious, and DPH reminds people to take precautions to avoid mosquito bites.

The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH), and Department of Agriculture (DDA) are asking residents to increase efforts to prevent exposure to rabies after the death of a Kent County woman from the disease. The woman, who lived west of Felton, is the second Delawarean to contract, and subsequently pass away from, the disease. The first was a young boy from Newport, who passed away in 1941 after being bitten by a stray dog.

The Division of Public Health (DPH) is announcing two laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza, just three weeks before the official start of the 2018-2019 flu season, which begins September 30.

La División de Salud Pública (DPH) y el distrito escolar de Indiana River anunció hoy que aproximadamente 50 individuos en la escuela primaria de Georgetown en el condado de Sussex County han estado expuestos a alguien con tuberculosis activa (TB) DPH está haciendo contacto con aquellas personas para ofrecer pruebas de TB gratuitas, así como tratamiento si es necesario. Para proteger la privacidad médica, no se proporcionará ninguna información adicional con respecto a la fuente de la infección o de los individuos que necesitan las pruebas.

WILMINGTON (Oct. 3, 2018) – As a way to engage more Delawareans suffering from substance use disorder in treatment, while also meeting their accompanying needs for housing, employment, education and other wraparound services, the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) today launched its START Initiative with a press conference and a daylong forum for […]

Delaware Governor John Carney, Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long, Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) Secretary Dr. Kara Odom Walker and Department of Transportation (DelDOT) Secretary Jennifer Cohan were among hundreds who lined up to receive their annual flu vaccine Tuesday in Dover.

The Division of Public Health (DPH) invites parents with children from birth to 5 years old to participate in its first Books, Balls and Blocks event, which will take place from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., Saturday, October 13, at the Route 9 Library and Innovation Center in New Castle, Delaware.

The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) is advising Delawareans of a multistate outbreak of Listeria infections linked to deli ham. Several companies have recalled ham products that could be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes bacteria and could make people sick.

With shortened enrollment period and fewer assisters, Delawareans urged to sign up early on HealthCare.gov to see if they’re eligible for financial help NEW CASTLE (Oct. 30, 2018) – With the open enrollment period for Delaware’s Health Insurance Marketplace only six weeks long and fewer assisters on the ground this year to help with enrollments, […]

The Division of Public Health (DPH) is advising Delawareans of a multi-state outbreak of Salmonella Reading infections linked to raw turkey products. According to the CDC, 164 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Reading have been reported in 35 states, including one person in Delaware. Of the cases reported nationally, 63 people have been hospitalized. No Delawareans have been hospitalized.

NEW CASTLE (Nov. 20, 2018) – The Department of Health and Social Services’ Adopt-A-Family Holiday program is seeking sponsors to help make the holiday season a happier one for thousands of children, adults, people with disabilities and seniors in need in Delaware. The Adopt-A-Family Holiday program anonymously matches sponsors to seniors, individuals with disabilities or […]

DOVER – The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) continues to advise Delawareans of a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Reading infections linked to raw turkey products. As originally stated Nov. 9, 2018, 164 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Reading have been reported in 35 states, including one person in Delaware. Of the […]

The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) is advising Delawareans of a multistate outbreak of E. coli infections linked to romaine lettuce. The lettuce could be contaminated with Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 and could make people sick. To date, there have been no confirmed cases reported in Delaware, but DPH urges consumers to take precautions to prevent illness.

DOVER (Nov. 29, 2018) — December 1, 2018, marks the 30th annual World AIDS Day. For three decades, this day has united people around the world in the fight against Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and AIDS. World AIDS Day encourages support for those living with HIV and remembrance for those who have died of AIDS-related […]

NEW CASTLE (Dec. 4, 2018) – As part of the State Innovation Model (SIM) initiative, the Delaware Health Care Commission has awarded eight additional value-based payment reform mini-grants to Delaware health care providers in order to facilitate data integration, improve the coordination of patient care or increase readiness to integrate into an Accountable Care Organization […]

NEW CASTLE (Dec. 13, 2018) – Delawareans have just days left to sign up for or to change their health coverage for 2019 through the Health Insurance Marketplace. Open enrollment ends on Dec. 15, with coverage for those who enroll by that date and who pay their first premium beginning Jan. 1, 2019. State residents […]

Benchmark initiative will limit spending growth, improve quality of care NEW CASTLE, Del. – The Delaware Economic and Financial Advisory Council (DEFAC) on Wednesday issued a recommended Benchmark Index that set the state’s health care spending growth target at 3.8 percent for 2019 – the initial year of Delaware’s newly created Health Care Spending Benchmark. […]

The Governor’s Advisory Council for Exceptional Citizens (GACEC) and its community partners, are pleased to report that the Heart 2 Heart Hugs campaign has now begun. Heart 2 Heart Hugs is focused on providing warmth, comfort, hugs and smiles for kids and young adults in Delaware who are homeless or in foster care. Donations of […]

The Division of Public Health (DPH) is reporting the first flu-related deaths of the 2018-2019 flu season. A 65-year-old man who was infected with Influenza A passed away last week, making him the first person to die due to flu complications this season. In addition, a 73-year-old man and a 77-year-old woman, both also infected with Influenza A, passed away within the last week. All three individuals were Sussex County residents and all had underlying health conditions.

NEW CASTLE (Jan. 14, 2019) – Because of the partial federal government shutdown, Delaware will join other states in issuing food benefits early for February, loading them onto clients’ Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards on or before Jan. 20. The more than 136,000 Delawareans who are clients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will […]

Newark, Del. (January 30, 2019) – While the federal government has reopened, the country’s longest government shutdown continues to impact Delawareans, including the 136,000 individuals who utilize the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to purchase food. Because February SNAP benefits were issued early, this could result in some households having as much as a two-month gap […]

DOVER  — The number of laboratory-confirmed flu cases continues to increase in Delaware, and the Division of Public Health (DPH) is announcing three recent flu-related deaths, bringing the total number of deaths for the 2018-2019 season thus far to eight. The most recent victim is an 83-year-old man from New Castle County, with underlying health […]

NEW CASTLE (Feb. 12, 2019) – To reduce hardships on families and individuals, Delaware will issue March food benefits to all SNAP households on March 4, rather than staggering them across a three-week period. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will be loaded onto clients’ Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards on March 4, ensuring a […]

DOVER (March 1, 2019) — Although the overall number of laboratory-confirmed flu cases in Delaware this flu season remains lower than the total number of cases reported at the same time last year, the number of flu-related deaths has continued to increase during the 2018-2019 flu season. As of February 16, 2019, the most recent […]

NEW CASTLE (March 13, 2019) – To reduce hardships on families and individuals in Delaware and to help households budget their monthly Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, the Department of Health and Social Services is announcing that it will issue all April food benefits on April 13 rather than staggering them across a three-week […]

Recommendations focus on systemic changes and expanding treatment options   New Castle, Del. – On Thursday, Lt. Governor Hall-Long joined members of Delaware’s Behavioral Health Consortium, community advocates, and elected officials to accept recommendations from The Pew Charitable Trusts aimed at reforming Delaware’s addiction treatment system. Pew Charitable Trusts has been working in partnership with […]

April Designated as Lung Cancer Screening Awareness Month DOVER – Dramatic “before-and-after-smoking” inflatable lungs shared center stage with Governor John Carney as he urged Delawareans at high risk of lung cancer to get life-saving screenings. Governor Carney proclaimed April as Lung Cancer Screening Awareness Month in Delaware at the Delaware Cancer Consortium’s (DCC) annual retreat […]

NEW CASTLE (April 25, 2019) – The Delaware Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) today announced that Delaware is one of five states selected to partner with the national nonprofit Shatterproof in the development of a new pilot rating system designed to measure quality in addiction treatment programs. Delaware was selected due to the […]

Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long and the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services’ Division of Services for Aging and Adults with Physical Disabilities (DSAAPD) are hosting an event on Tuesday, April 30, in Dover to show what Dementia Friendly Delaware can offer for Delawareans living with dementia and their families. Dementia Friendly Delaware (DFD) is […]

NEW CASTLE (May 15, 2019) – During Supervised Visitation Awareness Month, the Department of Health and Social Services’ Office of Community Services is conducting a toy drive to provide new toys, books and games for use at Delaware’s six Family Visitation Centers (FVCs). Through June 10, drop-off bins will be located at all State Service […]

The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) is reminding Delawareans to avoid consuming raw dairy products as it announces a confirmed case of brucellosis caused by Brucella melitensis in a 46-year-old Sussex County woman.

NEW CASTLE (June 26, 2019) – Governor John Carney has signed into law House Bill 81, which mandates that employers with 50 or more employees remit child support payments to the Department of Health and Social Services’ Division of Child Support Services (DCSS) by electronic funds transfer (EFT) or electronic data interchange (EDI). The law […]

DOVER – Cancer screening and early detection efforts continue to drive down Delaware’s cancer death rates, say state public health officials. In particular, officials are seeing dramatic improvements in the all-site mortality rate among non-Hispanic African-American men, which decreased by 30 percent between the five-year periods of 2001-2005 and 2011-2015, according to the latest cancer […]

On June 20, Gov. John Carney signed enabling legislation (House Bill 193) moving Delaware a step closer to a reinsurance program beginning in 2020. NEW CASTLE (Aug. 20, 2019) – The Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) received approval today from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for a 1332 State Innovation […]

NEW CASTLE (Aug. 21, 2019) – The Delaware Hospital for the Chronically Ill (DHCI) is seeking community volunteers to assist residents during its upcoming Family & Friends Day event at the facility’s grounds in Smyrna. Volunteers are needed to help make sure all of the residents are able to enjoy the day’s activities. Groups and […]

NEW CASTLE (Sept. 3, 2019) – Health and public safety officials are urging people in active use of heroin or other opioids and their families to seek immediate treatment and to acquire the overdose-reversing medication naloxone in the wake of six suspected overdose deaths, including four in Sussex County, during the holiday weekend. The six […]

The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) is advising Delaware residents that it is participating in a multi-state investigation into an outbreak of severe pulmonary disease reported across the country. As of today, 33 states, including Delaware, have reported possible cases of lung illnesses associated with use of e-cigarette products (e.g., devices, liquids, refill pods, and cartridges). While there are no confirmed cases in Delaware at this time, DPH is currently investigating three possible cases among Delaware residents.

The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) continues to participate in a multi-state investigation into an outbreak of severe pulmonary disease reported across the country. As of today, 38 states, including Delaware, have reported cases of lung injury associated with use of e-cigarette products (e.g., devices, liquids, refill pods, and cartridges).

NEW CASTLE (Sept. 25, 2019) – Department of Health and Social Services employees joined together with the Food Bank of Delaware, legislators and other volunteers to distribute 30,000 pounds of non-perishable food, fresh produce and dairy products to Delawareans in need during a drive-through event today at DHSS’ Herman Holloway Campus near New Castle. The […]

Currently in Delaware, there are 11 cases of vaping-related lung injury that meet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) case definition as either probable or confirmed. Additionally, DPH announced today that one of the cases associated with this outbreak involves an individual who died.