Delaware News

Governor and Lieutenant Governor Proclaim Radiation Protection Week in Delaware

Delaware Health and Social Services | Division of Public Health | News | Date Posted: Thursday, November 7, 2019



DOVER – Governor John Carney and Lieutenant Governor Bethany Hall-Long have proclaimed November 3-9, 2019, as Radiation Protection Week in Delaware. X-rays were discovered on November 8, 1895, which triggered research into imaging procedures used to improve health throughout the 20th century.

“Safe radiation procedures protect our health and quality of life,” said Division of Public Health (DPH) Director Dr. Karyl Rattay. “Medical imaging procedures play an important role in the early detection of cancer and cardiovascular disease, in emergency medicine such as X-rays to assess broken bones, and to detect oral health issues at the dentist’s office.”

Radiation protection professionals work in partnership throughout the practice community to provide radiation safety for patients, facility staff and the general public in such disciplines as radiology, radiologic technology, health physics, medical physics, radiation safety, and governmental radiation control programs.

DPH’s Office of Radiation Control (ORC) collaborates with the Delaware Authority on Radiation Protection and many disciplines throughout the practice community to enhance radiation safety, improve health outcomes, and promote quality of life for all Delawareans. ORC regularly inspects radiation facilities to ensure that X-ray equipment is operated safely by trained, qualified staff, registers facilities that use radioactive materials, registers radiation service providers, and issues certificates for administering radiation to patients by qualifying medical and dental radiation technologists and technicians.

“I encourage Delawareans to learn more about how radiation is used to keep Delawareans healthy, to treat cancer and other serious diseases, and about existing educational and employment opportunities,” said Dr. Frances Esposito, Authority Chair.

For more information about how radiation protects and enhances personal health, visit the Authority on Radiation Protection at www.deradiationprotection.org. For more information about ORC registration and certification requirements, call 302-744-4546 or visit http://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/hsp/orc.html.

A person who is deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind or speech-disabled can call the DPH phone number above by using TTY services. Dial 7-1-1 or 800-232-5460 to type your conversation to a relay operator, who reads your conversation to a hearing person at DPH. The relay operator types the hearing person’s spoken words back to the TTY user. To learn more about TTY availability in Delaware, visit http://delawarerelay.com.

The Delaware Department of 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. DPH, a division of DHSS, urges Delawareans to make healthier choices with the 5-2-1 Almost None campaign: eat 5 or more fruits and vegetables each day, have no more than 2 hours of recreational screen time each day (includes TV, computer, gaming), get 1 or more hours of physical activity each day, and drink almost no sugary beverages.

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Governor and Lieutenant Governor Proclaim Radiation Protection Week in Delaware

Delaware Health and Social Services | Division of Public Health | News | Date Posted: Thursday, November 7, 2019



DOVER – Governor John Carney and Lieutenant Governor Bethany Hall-Long have proclaimed November 3-9, 2019, as Radiation Protection Week in Delaware. X-rays were discovered on November 8, 1895, which triggered research into imaging procedures used to improve health throughout the 20th century.

“Safe radiation procedures protect our health and quality of life,” said Division of Public Health (DPH) Director Dr. Karyl Rattay. “Medical imaging procedures play an important role in the early detection of cancer and cardiovascular disease, in emergency medicine such as X-rays to assess broken bones, and to detect oral health issues at the dentist’s office.”

Radiation protection professionals work in partnership throughout the practice community to provide radiation safety for patients, facility staff and the general public in such disciplines as radiology, radiologic technology, health physics, medical physics, radiation safety, and governmental radiation control programs.

DPH’s Office of Radiation Control (ORC) collaborates with the Delaware Authority on Radiation Protection and many disciplines throughout the practice community to enhance radiation safety, improve health outcomes, and promote quality of life for all Delawareans. ORC regularly inspects radiation facilities to ensure that X-ray equipment is operated safely by trained, qualified staff, registers facilities that use radioactive materials, registers radiation service providers, and issues certificates for administering radiation to patients by qualifying medical and dental radiation technologists and technicians.

“I encourage Delawareans to learn more about how radiation is used to keep Delawareans healthy, to treat cancer and other serious diseases, and about existing educational and employment opportunities,” said Dr. Frances Esposito, Authority Chair.

For more information about how radiation protects and enhances personal health, visit the Authority on Radiation Protection at www.deradiationprotection.org. For more information about ORC registration and certification requirements, call 302-744-4546 or visit http://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/hsp/orc.html.

A person who is deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind or speech-disabled can call the DPH phone number above by using TTY services. Dial 7-1-1 or 800-232-5460 to type your conversation to a relay operator, who reads your conversation to a hearing person at DPH. The relay operator types the hearing person’s spoken words back to the TTY user. To learn more about TTY availability in Delaware, visit http://delawarerelay.com.

The Delaware Department of 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. DPH, a division of DHSS, urges Delawareans to make healthier choices with the 5-2-1 Almost None campaign: eat 5 or more fruits and vegetables each day, have no more than 2 hours of recreational screen time each day (includes TV, computer, gaming), get 1 or more hours of physical activity each day, and drink almost no sugary beverages.

image_printPrint

Related Topics:  , , ,


Graphic that represents delaware news on a mobile phone

Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.

Here you can subscribe to future news updates.