First Lady also announces first Compassionate Champion Award winners  

DOVER, Del. – At a kickoff event for Trauma Awareness Month in Delaware, First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney today announced the launch of a new, growing statewide partnership for trauma-informed care to help elevate stories of the work of leaders in trauma-informed practices and approaches across the state called Trauma Informed Delaware. The goal of the statewide public-private-nonprofit coalition is to coordinate a sustainable system that advances resilience through community-based awareness, trauma prevention, and early intervention.

“Trauma-informed care is a pre-requisite to any effective strength-based strategy,” said First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney. “Progress starts when a critical mass of people learn and listen, when we recognize – down to our bone marrow – that these are our children, our veterans, our neighbors, and that we are all in this building-the-future business together. Thank you to the all of the people who have been leading trauma-informed work for many years, and to everyone who will be participating in Trauma Awareness Month events.”

“Trauma-informed care is real,” said Tony Allen, Executive Vice President and Provost at Delaware State University, which hosted Wednesday’s kickoff event. “When it is present, it goes to the very heart of practitioners knowing both their clients and themselves, and having a clear belief in the power of Ubuntu – I am because WE are. That is not a warm and fuzzy principle or an interesting catch phrase. It is a guiding principle for anyone of us – teachers, social workers, therapists, law enforcement officers, health care professionals — who work with fellow citizens who face unending challenges that place their mental, physical or spiritual health in peril. At Delaware State University, we are committed to building a cadre of healing professionals across any number of disciplines that understand Ubuntu and put it into practice in everything they do for their profession and their community.”

“Our educators know first-hand that factors outside of the classroom impact how their students learn inside of the classroom, we have been hearing this for years. The creation of this statewide partnership and Trauma Awareness Month are an important first step towards making Delaware trauma-informed,” said Stephanie Ingram, President of the Delaware State Education Association. “We are thankful to have the support of Governor Carney and Secretary Bunting in facing these challenges and helping our students find pathways to resilience.”

Trauma Informed Delaware at www.traumainformedde.org will support streamlined requests for trainings, host collaborative convening opportunities, promote partners and events from across the state, and offer those supports and other forms of assistance through promotion of and advocacy for:

• Access to quality behavioral and integrated health care.
• Strength-based services for youth and adults.
• Education for providers and the community.

Wednesday’s kickoff event was coordinated by Governor Carney’s Family Services Cabinet Council, which was charged with promoting Trauma Awareness Month as part of the Governor’s Executive Order 24. The Council also created an online calendar to share information with state employees, community partners, and members of the public on educational and professional development opportunities related to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and building resilience.

“At the Children’s Department, we know that many of our clients come to us with a history of trauma,” said Josette Manning, Secretary of the Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth, and their Families. “We also know that our staff, tasked with helping the most vulnerable children, also suffer trauma. Today, we all came together as a community to learn how we can become more trauma informed to better serve our children and families and how to take care of each other as we do it. We are looking forward to a month of activities focused on building resilience both inside and outside of our Department.”

“During the past year, more than 1,000 Department of Health and Social Services employees with the greatest level of direct client contact have been trained in a trauma-informed approach,” said Dr. Kara Odom Walker, Secretary of the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services, and a board-certified family physician. “We are building a workforce that understands what trauma is, how it affects people across their lifespans, and the most effective ways that we can assess and meet our clients’ needs. Having a trauma-informed workforce is a critical step in supporting and promoting recovery for our clients who have experienced trauma so they can build resilience and learn to thrive in their communities.”

“Toxic stress in childhood can have a profound and lasting impact on the lifelong health and well-being of a child, well into adulthood. Early intervention is key to reducing this risk,” said Lee Pachter, DO, Medical Director, General Pediatrics at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children. “Nemours is pleased to be part of a state-wide initiative bringing together experts in the field to help give our kids the resources they need to mitigate the impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).”

During the day-long symposium at Delaware State University, the First Lady also announced the Compassionate Champion Award winners and presented a proclamation from Governor Carney. The honorees are:

• Stephanie Sklodowski from Christiana Care and Christiana School District’s Newark High School Wellness Center.

• Wilmington University College of Social & Behavioral Sciences, Psychology Department.

• Renée Beaman, Director of the Division of State Service Centers in the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS).

• Division of State Services Centers in DHSS.

• Georgetown Police Department.

• Shue-Medill Middle School.

• Smyrna School District.

• Mount Pleasant Elementary School.

• Wendy Turner from Brandywine School District.

• Ryan Palmer from Caesar Rodney School District.

• Collaborative Partnership to promote trauma-informed care approaches, including United Way of Delaware, the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families, the Department of Health and Social Services, the Department of Education and the Wilmington Community Advisory Council.

The symposium featured an interactive panel moderated by DHSS Secretary Walker and breakout sessions on the neuroscience of stress, navigating trauma with boys of color, mindfulness and a screening of the film, “Broken Places.” Keynote speakers Heather Forbes, LCSW and author of “Help for Billy,” talked about understanding challenging and difficult behaviors, and Dr. Abdul-Malik Muhammad, Ed.D, a trauma-informed care leader in Delaware, addressed the collective power to heal.

The event was sponsored by the Delaware State Education Association, made possible through a grant from National Education Association, and co-sponsored by Trauma Matters Delaware, Nemours, Wilmington University and Delaware State University.

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Campaign aims to reduce litter in Delaware

REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. – Joined by local leaders, members of the General Assembly, and advocates, Governor John Carney on Tuesday launched the “Keep DE Litter Free” initiative, a campaign to reduce litter across Delaware.

Sign the pledge: “Keep DE Litter Free”

“If you’re like me, you notice litter everywhere – in trees, on highway ramps, and along roads in all three counties,” said Governor John Carney. “When I took the oath of office to become Delaware’s 74th Governor, I pledged not only to uphold our Constitution, but to ‘respect the right of future generations to share the rich historic and natural heritage’ of our state. From Trap Pond in Laurel to the Brandywine Creek in Wilmington, we live in a beautiful state, and we should take care to preserve that heritage. That’s why, in partnership with Keep Delaware Beautiful, we have launched a statewide campaign to encourage all Delawareans and visitors to not litter, to respect our natural heritage, and Keep DE Litter Free.”

https://www.youtube.com/embed/x-5DX17_Dyg

The campaign aims to increase awareness about litter in Delaware, to partner with local officials to pursue anti-litter policies, and to reduce the amount of litter in Delaware over time.

A 2018 study from Keep Delaware Beautiful and the State of Delaware identified more than 6,000 pieces of litter for every mile of Delaware roadway surveyed. Cigarette butts, plastic bags, aluminum cans, and glass bottles accounted for a significant percentage of the roadway trash. Governor Carney also is supporting legislation, sponsored by Representative Gerald Brady, to ban single-use plastic bags in Delaware.

“In addition to negatively impacting the appearance of our state and the environment, reckless littering also causes us to devote significant time and man power to cleaning it up,” said Jennifer Cohan, Secretary of the Delaware Department of Transportation. “We have men and women risking their lives on our roads picking up trash that careless people just toss out their windows. It’s just not acceptable.”

“Littering and illegal dumping have become a growing problem statewide impacting our lands and waterways,” said Shawn M. Garvin, Secretary of the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. “Governor Carney’s ‘Keep Delaware Litter Free’ campaign will help to raise awareness and challenge all of us to clean up Delaware. DNREC will use our authorities to support this effort.”

“We are excited about the launch of the Keep DE Litter-Free initiative the Governor unveiled today. Every Delawarean can play a role in helping to Keep Delaware Beautiful by committing to do their part,” said Julie Miro Wenger, Executive Director, Keep Delaware Beautiful. “We hope to help change behavior. We appreciate the commitment and partnership with the Governor, his administration and the legislature.”

“Delaware is home to a variety of natural treasures, with my community contributing miles of pristine, award-winning beaches and the historic horseshoe crabs that inhabit them. Littering pollutes that beauty and threatens our wildlife and nature,” said House Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf. “It’s up to all of us to take action to keep our communities clean. Governor Carney’s initiative will help raise awareness of the dangers of littering and encourage residents to make a sustainable, substantial difference.”

“We have to bring back into our social consciousness that littering is disrespectful not only to our environment, but to our state and our country,” said Senator Stephanie Hansen. “Littering sends the message that ‘I don’t care about this place’ and that’s unacceptable.”

“Litter negatively impacts our tourism industry, harms the environment, and degrades the quality-of-life for all our residents,” said Representative Rich Collins. “Turning the tide on this pervasive problem is going to require a multi-faceted effort, which includes rallying public support.”

“The Partnership for the Delaware is thrilled that Governor Carney is launching a statewide litter prevention program,” saidKathy Klein, interim executive director for Partnership for the Delaware Estuary. “This effort supports our organization’s work to keep trash out of our region’s waterways through education and coordinated hands-on volunteer cleanup programs. We look forward to working with the governor and his team on this important initiative.”

“Delaware’s oceans, waves, and beaches will be cleaner if we can focus on preventing litter inland and upstream,” said John Weber, Mid Atlantic Regional Manager for the Surfrider Foundation. “Preventing litter in the first place and cleaning it up where you see it is the best way to keep Delaware Beaches clean.”

“The Delaware Sierra Club commends Governor Carney for recognizing the need to educate the public on this important anti-litter campaign. Delaware’s waterways and beaches are too important to be polluted by litter. We thank the Governor for taking this first step toward protecting our water and our tourism economy,” said Sherri Evans-Stanton, Chapter Director, Delaware Chapter of the Sierra Club.

“MERR is very heartened that Governor Carney is taking this important initiative to stem the overwhelming problem of litter, which often ends up in the ocean and other waterways in the form of marine debris,” said Suzanne Thurman, Executive Director of the MERR Institute. “This debris has the potential to harm and even kill marine mammals and sea turtles when it is ingested or entangles them, and contaminates the marine ecosystem as plastics photo-degrade, causing toxic chemicals to enter the water column and other organisms such as fish.”

Sign the pledge – Help Keep DE Litter Free 

Join the conversation online using the hashtag #KeepDELitterFree

WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor John Carney on Monday released the following statement on the latest estimates from the Delaware Economic and Financial Advisory Council (DEFAC):

“We continue to show strong revenue growth, which is a positive sign for Delaware’s economy and our state budget. But, as we’ve said all along, much of this revenue is coming from one-time sources and volatile revenue streams like the corporate income tax. Delawareans expect us to responsibly manage their money in good and bad times. We should not use one-time revenue to fund ongoing expenses. That’s why we will continue to talk to legislators about dedicating one-time revenue to one-time expenses like infrastructure projects and open space preservation – while putting money away to prevent spending cuts the next time our revenue picture trends downward.”

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Learn more about Governor Carney’s Fiscal Year 2020 budget proposal.

DOVER, Del. – Governor John Carney on Thursday released the following statement on the General Assembly’s final passage of House Bill 38, which will allow in-person early voting up to 10 days before an election:

“We should make it easier – not harder – for all Delawareans to participate in our democratic process, and have their voice heard at the ballot box. This legislation will do just that. Voting is our most fundamental right as Americans, and I want to thank members of the General Assembly for their work on this issue. I look forward to signing this legislation into law soon.”

Read more about Governor Carney’s support for voting reforms.

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DOVER, Del. – Governor John Carney on Thursday released the following statement on the General Assembly’s final passage of Senate Bill 25, which will raise the sales age for tobacco products from 18 to 21:

“Preventing smoking is the best thing we can do to improve the health of our state, and reduce the growth of health care costs over time. The use of tobacco-related products is the leading cause of preventable death and disability in Delaware and across the country. Tobacco-related illnesses, such as lung cancer and heart disease, claim the lives of 1,400 Delawareans each year, and treatment of those illnesses costs Delaware families, businesses and the State more than $530 million annually. We expect this legislation will help curb the impact of smoking on Delaware families by preventing more young Delawareans from picking up this dangerous habit in the first place. I want to thank members of the General Assembly for their partnership on this important legislation, and I look forward to signing this bill into law soon.”

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