Dover –  A total of 116 people were arrested statewide last week for Driving Under the Influence (DUI) of alcohol and/or drugs. Of those 116 individuals, six were arrested at DUI checkpoints conducted by the New Castle County DUI Task Force. Officers also made five drug arrests, apprehended one wanted individual, and seized one weapon. Statewide, there have been 2,630 DUI arrests made in Delaware this year.

DUI checkpoints continue and are scheduled for:

Friday August 28 – Wilmington- (NCCTF)

Saturday August 29- Seaford- (DSP Troop 5)

Checkpoint Strikeforce is a regional sobriety checkpoint campaign aimed at arresting DUI offenders by using high visibility enforcement to deter those who would otherwise choose to drink and drive.  The campaign is a six month long effort coordinated locally by the Delaware Office of Highway Safety and involves setting up weekly DUI checkpoints & patrols statewide.  Delaware had 4,086 DUI arrests statewide for 2014.

For a list of DUI checkpoints in your area text CHECKPOINT to 99000 or for a list of cabs text TAXI to 99000.  More information and resources on Checkpoint Strikeforce can be found at www.ohs.delaware.gov, www.ArrriveAliveDE.com. Follow regular campaign updates on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DEHighwaySafe, Facebook www.facebook.com/ArriveAliveDE, and subscribe to YouTube channel DelawareOHS.

(Smyrna) – The Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) reminds residents that National Preparedness Month runs throughout the month of September.  It is particularly appropriate for Delaware, as September has been the most active month tropical storms and hurricanes along the mid-Atlantic coast.  The national theme this year is “Don’t Wait. Communicate.  Make Your Emergency Plan Today”.

While residents are often encouraged to make sure an emergency kit for home, office or vehicle is stocked and up to date, emergency management officials are also stressing the importance of having a plan and knowing what to do in an emergency.  That plan includes having an updated contact list of the people someone might need to contact in an emergency and establishing alternate means of communication in the event that traditional means of communication are unavailable.

Emergencies do not always occur when all family members are at home and together in one location.  Established reunion points at which all family members will gather can be reassuring if members are apart when the emergency event occurs.  Plans should also take into account evacuation routes and potential destinations in the event of an evacuation.  Parents should be aware of school emergency plans in the event of evacuations or other incidents.  College students should also find out about emergency plans at their institution and make sure parents and other family members also know the plans.

Delaware’s Oct. 21 Disability Mentoring Day to Expand Statewide with Job-Shadowing Experiences for Students in All 3 Counties

NEWS FROM THE DELAWARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES

NEW CASTLE – In a sign of the increasing interest in employment opportunities for young people with disabilities, Delaware’s Disability Mentoring Day for the first time this year will expand to host sites in each of the three counties for a day of job networking and discovering careers. Disability Mentoring Day, which is held each October during National Disability Employment Awareness Month, will be on Oct. 21 this year.

For the previous six years, Disability Mentoring Day has been hosted by the University of Delaware Center for Disabilities Studies, with the Delaware Department of Labor’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation helping to identify students.

Last year’s event was expanded to include students from Glasgow High School and young people with vision loss, with the Delaware Department of Education’s Exceptional Children Resources assisting. Highlights of the day can be seen in this UD Center for Disabilities Studies video.

This year, host sites will expand to also include Dover Downs Hotel in Kent County and Woodbridge High School in Sussex County, with more than 50 students from across the state expected to receive valuable career-building experiences.

The expansion was the idea of Julia Hensley and Alyssa Cowin, co-chairs of the Disability Mentoring Day Committee, a statewide group of individuals representing education, business, nonprofits and government who coordinate the event.

“We know that the likelihood of a young person earning a full-time employment greatly increases with job experiences like this,” said Governor Jack Markell, who made advancing employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities his nationwide initiative while serving as Chair of the National Governors Association for 2012-2013. “Opportunities like Disability Mentoring Day help to meet the expectation for young people with disabilities and their families that they will join the world of work when they are finished with their education.”

In this video from last year’s event, the Governor called on employers to offer more job opportunities to people with disabilities.

Hensley, who recently completed an internship with U.S. Sen. Tom Carper, and Cowin, who works for the Department of Health and Social Services, both have participated in similar employment experiences.

“I’m very excited that Disability Mentoring Day in Delaware is getting bigger and better every year!” Julia Hensley said. “It’s important to young people who are looking for a job. It’s important to businesses who want to hire good workers.”

“The message that I want to share is that inclusion is extremely important for students with and without disabilities,” Alyssa Cowin said. “I think one of the greatest feelings of accomplishment that someone with a disability can have is getting a job and being independent. Disability Mentoring Day will help more students accomplish that.”

Students from Christiana and Glasgow high schools, along with students from UD’s Career & Life Studies Certificate (CLSC) program will participate in job-shadowing experiences in the Newark area. Students from Dover and Smyrna high schools will go to job sites in the Dover area. Students from Woodbridge High School will spend time with businesses in the Greenwood and Bridgeville areas. Students who are served by the Division for the Visually Impaired will be invited to participate in each of the three locations.

Janell Booker, a second-year student in UD’s CLSC program, participated in Disability Mentoring Day last year and was placed at the Carpenter Sports Building. “I hadn’t realized before how many types of jobs there are at a place like that, like cleaning the equipment and working at the reception desk,” she said. “I could definitely see myself working at a gym in the future, because I don’t mind those jobs and I really enjoy working out.”

Kristen Black, a senior at UD majoring in cognitive science, with a concentration in speech pathology, was Janell’s mentor last year. “My mentoring experience was great and allowed us to bond,” she said. “We realized we had shared interests, like exercising. As a result, our relationship has really grown as peers and friends at UD.”

The on-the-job experience that Janell Booker received illustrates why the Delaware Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) is such a strong supporter of Disability Mentoring Day. “Providing students with special needs the opportunity to shadow employees at a variety of businesses will greatly enhance their ability to make their own meaningful career choices in the future,” DVR Director Andrea Guest said.

Prospective employers who are interesting in hosting a student during the morning of Oct. 21 are asked to call Brian Freedman at UD’s Center for Disabilities Studies at 302-831-4688 (about possible New Castle County job locations); or Jocelyn Langrehr at the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation at 302-761-8275 (about possible Kent and Sussex County job locations).

NOTE TO MEDIA: To download photos from Delaware’s Disability Mentoring Day 2014, go to:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/deldhss/albums/72157655404234314

For more information, contact Jill Fredel, Director of Communications, (302) 255-9047 (office) or (302) 357-7498 (cell).

-30-

Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware’s citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations.

Large Donation of Naloxone Auto-Injector Units Will Expand Access to Overdose-Reversing Antidote for High School Nurses, Police Officers and Addiction Treatment Centers

NEWS FROM THE DELAWARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES

NEW CASTLE – As a new school year starts, nurses in Delaware’s public high schools will have access to the overdose-reversing drug naloxone through a donation to the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) from a company that manufactures naloxone auto-injector units.

After receiving the donation of 2,000 naloxone units, DHSS is distributing the auto-injector kits called Evzio to the Department of Education, addiction treatment centers and participating police departments. The donation was made by kaléo, the Richmond, Va., company that manufactures Evzio. DHSS and AtTAcK addiction, a grassroots advocacy group in Delaware, helped to facilitate the donation in the wake of a growing number of overdose deaths.

In 2014, a total of 185 people died from suspected overdoses in Delaware, or about one person every other day. Many of those overdoses were the result of heroin or prescription painkillers, which can be reversed by administering naloxone. From January through July of this year, there have been 78 suspected overdose deaths.

“We know the availability of naloxone in emergency rooms, ambulances and police cars leads to hundreds of lives being saved and we are grateful to kaléo for their generous donation,” Gov. Jack Markell. “With this donation, we will be able to reverse more overdoses and work with individuals to get them the treatment they need in order to live full, healthy lives.”

“We are pleased to be making this donation as a part of our commitment to widen access to naloxone,” said Spencer Williamson, CEO of kaléo. “Even people who take their opioid pain medications as prescribed can be at risk for an opioid emergency, such as an overdose. On average, 44 people die each day from prescription opioid overdose alone, and more than 80 percent of those are unintentional. We are honored to support the State of Delaware’s efforts to equip citizens with naloxone and help save the lives of those who are experiencing an opioid emergency.”

In 2014, Gov. Markell signed two pieces of legislation expanding the use of naloxone. One allows for wider use in the community, and the other allows for voluntary use among law enforcement departments. About 300 community members have been trained to use naloxone. And three police departments – New Castle County, Middletown and Ocean View – all have saved people who overdosed because officers are carrying the antidote. In April, a Senate resolution allowing for the expanded use of naloxone among school nurses passed both houses of the General Assembly. The resolution, sponsored by Sen. Bethany Hall-Long, provides for the expanded use beginning this fall.

Dr. Linda C. Wolfe, director of School Support Services in the Department of Education, said providing naloxone to school nurses in Delaware’s high schools is a proactive approach. “I am unaware of any deaths occurring in a school due to overdose – anywhere in the nation,” Wolfe said. “However, given the rate of overdose and death in Delaware, we are supporting Public Health’s proactive outreach to community partners who work with vulnerable populations.” Naloxone is considered a safe medication and will not cause further harm to an individual who receives it.

In June, the National Association of School Nurses adopted a position paper supporting the use of naloxone in schools, citing the 2013 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study in which almost one in four American teens (23 percent) reported abusing or misusing a prescription drug at least once in their lifetimes, and one in six (16 percent) reported doing so within the past year.

AtTAcK addiction, which helped to facilitate the donation, said the focus needs to be on saving lives.

“AtTAcK addiction is extremely grateful to kaléo, Inc., and DHSS for working together to receive a substantial donation of this life-saving medication,” said David Humes, a founding member of atTAcK addiction. “Our hope is that the availability of Evzio and its ease of administering will break down perceived obstacles to departments of peace officers carrying the medication. As a state, we need to continue to put the focus on saving lives and ending the epidemic of substance use disorder.”

In addition to expanded use among police officers, community members and school nurses, Delaware paramedics also administer naloxone in overdose situations. In 2014, they administered it 1,244 times, reviving 668 people, according to the Division of Public Health. The antidote also is used in emergency rooms.

DHSS Secretary Rita Landgraf, who has been trained to use naloxone and carries a kit, thanked kaléo for the donation.

“In any public health epidemic, our first goal is to save as many lives as possible,” Secretary Landgraf said. “We are extremely grateful to kaléo for this generous donation that will allow us to extend the reach of this life-saving medication.”

The Evzio donation is a short-term boost to naloxone supplies across the state because the units have an expiration date of February 2016. By then, Secretary Landgraf said, she hopes other options to expand the availability of naloxone will be successful.

NOTE TO MEDIA: Photos of the Evzio unit are available for download at DHSS’ flickr account:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/deldhss/albums/72157657715501406

For more information, contact Jill Fredel, Director of Communications, (302) 255-9047 (office) or (302) 357-7498 (cell).

-30-

Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware’s citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) announced today that Delaware’s Department of State will receive an FY 2015 State Trade and Export Promotion (STEP) Program award totaling $276,741 to support the state’s efforts to assist Delaware companies enter and develop markets overseas.

The SBA’s STEP Program makes matching-fund awards to states to assist small businesses enter and succeed in the international marketplace. The program’s objectives are to increase the number of U.S. small businesses that export and to increase the value of exports by small businesses. In the case of Delaware, the State will match the SBA grant with $92,247.00, bringing the total available for export efforts to $368,988.

The grant will be used to directly reimburse small and medium-sized companies for money spent on eligible, pre-approved export expenses such as international travel, trade show activities, international marketing materials and overseas interpreters. The grant will also be used for a wide range of export-related marketing activities, from working with in-country trade reps to organizing trade missions to connect Delaware businesses with buyers and distributors abroad.

Global Delaware, the Department of State’s international economic development office, has begun planning for development missions to Mexico, Germany, South Korea and Canada, identified in a recent study as holding the most promise for Delaware companies. STEP grant funds are used to set up one-on-one business meetings with potential distributors and customers in the target markets, hire interpreters, and cover other costs associated with the missions, such as translating marketing presentations and paying for in-country transportation.

“Our congressional delegation has worked hard to restore funding for the STEP program. We believe this is a tremendous opportunity for Delaware businesses to grow their markets and create new jobs,” said Secretary of State Jeffrey Bullock of the STEP award. “This is proven model to follow, and it has been successful in the past. We have trade reps in place, technical expertise and the export know-how. Now we need Delaware companies that want to grow internationally to step forward and apply for the export grants.”

Companies interested in a trade mission or applying for an export grant can find more information and the application on the Global Delaware website at global.delaware.gov