Wilmington, DE – Governor Markell today announced the nomination of Natalie J. Haskins, a native Delawarean and talented and dedicated public servant, to serve as a judge of the Family Court. If confirmed by the Senate, Haskins would fill the vacancy that was created as a result of the death of the Honorable Alan Cooper.

In her current position as an Assistant Public Defender representing juveniles in criminal litigation, and in her previous roles as a Deputy Attorney General in the Department of Justice’s Criminal and Family Divisions and in the Office of the Child Advocate, Haskins gained a thorough understanding and appreciation of the Family Court system and a passion for public service. Haskins began her legal career as an Associate at the Wilmington law firm Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell LLP, where she handled civil litigation matters.

“Natalie’s experience in the various parts of the Family Court system, intellect, work ethic and passion for public service will make her an excellent addition to the Family Court,” said Governor Markell. “If confirmed by the Senate, I am confident Natalie will be able to hit the ground running and continue her hard work on behalf of children and families in Delaware.”

Haskins, a native Delawarean, is a graduate of Newark High School and the University of Delaware. She received her law degree from American University. She currently resides in Wilmington with her husband and three children.

“I am honored to have been selected by Governor Markell to join the Family Court,” said Haskins. “If I am confirmed by the Senate, I look forward to continuing to serve the people of Delaware in my new role as a Judge of the Family Court.”

The Senate is scheduled to consider this nomination, along with the nomination of Carla Benson-Green as Secretary of the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families during a special session on Monday, November 30.

###

DOVER – Stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie are some of our favorite things to eat for Thanksgiving meals. Our favorite foods however aren’t always the healthiest, especially when we overindulge. This Thanksgiving, the Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) wants everyone to enjoy their holiday meal, but recommends some small changes that can make this a healthier start to your holiday season.

• Go easy on your portions. Know what a serving of each item is and stick to it. As tempting as it is, skip going back for a second round.
• Incorporate healthier food choices into the meal. Make sure you have a variety of salads, and high protein foods available to balance out the carb heavy dishes.
• If serving appetizers, serve fruit or vegetable trays, salsa or low-fat dips.
• Cook using non-stick pans and skillets, to reduce or eliminate using oil when cooking.
• Cut back on sugar, salt and fat as you are cooking. Use herbs and spices instead or look for healthier substitutes such as:
  o Use fat-free chicken broth to baste the turkey and make gravy;
  o Use sugar substitutes in place of sugar and/or fruit purees instead of oil in baked goods;
  o Try plain yogurt or fat-free sour cream in creamy dips, mashed potatoes, and casseroles.
• Make water your drink of choice. Drinking plenty of water helps stomachs feel full, while drinking caffeinated or alcoholic beverages can dehydrate you.

DPH also recommends incorporating some physical activity to your Thanksgiving Day activities. Start a new holiday tradition by going for a family walk or run in the morning before the craziness of food preparation sets in, or take a walk after dinner instead of lying on the couch to watch football after a heavy meal. Other suggestions include playing outdoor games like flag football, soccer, basketball or anything else that gets your heart rate going.

“Make your family and friends the focus of the Thanksgiving holiday, as opposed to the food,” said Dr. Karyl Rattay, DPH director. “Making healthier food choices and increasing your physical activity reduces the risk for chronic diseases, including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers, while improving mental health and wellness.”

For fun and easy physical activity ideas, visit www.getupanddosomething.org. For more information on healthy eating options, visit DPH’s 5-2-1 Almost None campaign webpage.

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. 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.

Dover – The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) reports the state’s first Sussex County laboratory-confirmed case of influenza for the 2015-2016 flu season. The case involves a 61-year-old Sussex County woman who is recovering at home after a visit to the emergency room. There are two main types of influenza (flu) virus – types A and B – that routinely spread in people and are responsible for seasonal flu outbreaks each year. Sussex County’s first case is strain B.

“Flu is now confirmed statewide,” said Dr. Karyl Rattay, DPH director. “And, past experience shows that the number of lab- confirmed cases is smaller than the actual number of cases out there. Flu is here to stay this season and it’s a good time to get vaccinated, stay home when sick, and wash your hands frequently.”

Added Department of Health and Social Services Secretary Rita Landgraf, “Sussex County was hit hard early in last year’s flu season, and almost all of those initial cases were infants, children, and young adults. Now is the time to protect your family and loved ones before flu cases increase.”

DPH urges all Delawareans 6 months of age and older who have not yet been vaccinated against the flu to get a vaccination as soon as possible. The flu is easy to transmit and you can get it from healthy – but unvaccinated – children and adults. That’s why DPH’s “Get It” campaign especially encourages healthy 19- to 49-year-olds – who often skip the flu shot – to get vaccinated. The vaccine is readily available through medical providers, pharmacies, and some grocery stores. For a complete listing of DPH flu clinic scheduled this season, visit dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/fluclinics.html.

Flu vaccination reduces the risk of getting sick from the flu or spreading the disease to others. It is especially important that the following groups get flu shots:
• Pregnant women and their household contacts;
• Caregivers and household contacts of children younger than 6 months, since those children are too young to receive the vaccine;
• Seniors;
• Those with chronic conditions or compromised immune systems;
• Health care providers.

Delawareans are also encouraged to prevent infection by taking simple everyday measures such as washing hands, using hand sanitizer, covering coughs and sneezes and staying at home when sick. These efforts help stop the spread of respiratory illnesses including flu.

Flu symptoms come on suddenly, and include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, headaches and body aches, and fatigue. Some people get complications including pneumonia, bronchitis, and sinus and ear infections. Providers can prescribe antiviral medicines to make illness milder, hasten recovery, and prevent serious complications, hospitalizations, and even death.

Beginning in October each year, DPH monitors the occurrence of influenza-like illness in hospitals, selected long-term care facilities and medical clinics to track flu trends in the state. During the 2014-2015 flu season, there were 28 flu-related deaths and 2,390 confirmed cases of influenza in Delaware, a significant increase in activity from the prior flu season.

Delaware has a total of 5 lab-confirmed cases for 2015-2016 to date; two in New Castle County, two in Kent County and one in Sussex County.

For more information on influenza prevention, diagnosis and treatment, call the Division of Public Health at 888-282-8672 or visit flu.delaware.gov.

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 delawarerelay.com. 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. 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.

Insurance Department Announces Workers’ Compensation Rates for 2016

DOVER, DE  – Insurance Commissioner Karen Weldin Stewart today approved the Delaware Compensation Rating Bureau (DCRB)’s workers’ compensation amended rate filing, resulting in an overall average increase of 7.09% in residual market rates and 7.20% in voluntary market loss costs.

The DCRB originally proposed overall increases of 14.92% for the residual market plan and 15.03% for the voluntary market loss costs. The Commissioner’s independent actuaries and the state’s Ratepayer Advocate each examined DCRB’s filing and recommended increases lower than the ones requested by DCRB. Following extensive discussions, the three parties proposed the amended rates which the Commissioner approved today.

The DCRB’s amended filing No. 1502 may be found at

http://www.delawareinsurance.gov/departments/safety/dcrb.shtml

###

DOVER – How much alcohol is safe to drink when you’re expecting? None. Zero. Not a drop. That’s according to a report just published in the November issue of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) Pediatrics magazine. The report identifies prenatal alcohol exposure as the leading cause of preventable birth defects and neurodevelopmental disabilities.

Drinking during pregnancy greatly increases the chances that the baby will develop a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Signs and symptoms of the various FASDs range from mild to severe and include a combination of physical, emotional, behavioral, and learning problems. Prenatal alcohol exposure is a frequent cause of structural or functional effects on the brain, heart, bones and spine, kidneys, vision and hearing. It’s also associated with a higher incidence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and specific learning disabilities such as difficulties with mathematics and language, information processing, memory, and problem solving.

“We wholeheartedly support the AAP’s announcement regarding no alcohol use during pregnancy,” said Dr. Karyl Rattay, Director of the Division of Public Health (DPH). “The only sure way to prevent FASDs is to completely avoid alcohol use while pregnant. This also applies to women who are trying to get conceive. Damage from prenatal alcohol exposure can occur even during the earliest weeks of pregnancy, even before a woman realizes she’s pregnant.”

“It is vital for those of us in the pediatric community to deliver this very important message,” said Dr. Catherine Zorc, President of the Delaware Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. “We appreciate this clear guidance to help us correct misunderstandings about the risks of alcohol use during pregnancy and to educate on the importance of abstaining from alcohol use during this critical time in their child’s development.”

Some physicians have advised pregnant women that it may be acceptable to consume limited quantities of alcohol during their third trimester. However the AAP report disputes that logic. First-trimester drinking, compared to no drinking, results in 12 times the odds of giving birth to a child with FASDs. First- and second-trimester drinking increased FASDs odds 61 times, and women who drink during all trimesters were 65 more likely to have children who would develop an FASD.

“Alcoholism can make it much more difficult for a pregnant woman to quit drinking altogether,” said Michael Barbieri, Director of the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health (DSAMH). “Many women may be able to cease casual drinking easily but we must remember that alcohol addiction is still very real and very difficult to overcome. DSAMH is working closely with providers to increase the amount of addiction treatment services, including to pregnant women.”

The Department of Health and Social Services has begun a pregnancy and addiction project led by the Secretary’s office, DPH, DSAMH and the newly re-formed FASD Task Force. DHSS and the Task Force are currently reviewing available education, diagnosis, and treatment services for reproductive age women with the goal of increasing women and medical provider awareness of the dangers of alcohol and drugs during a pregnancy, and developing additional information on identifying FASD symptoms early in infants and young children. Neurocognitive and behavioral problems from prenatal alcohol exposure are lifelong, but early recognition, diagnosis and therapy for any FASD condition can improve a child’s long term prospects and overall health.

For further information about the project or the FASD Task Force, call 302-744-4704. And for tips for a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby, visit http://dethrives.com/healthy-mothers. If you’re a mother struggling with addiction, visit http://www.helpisherede.com/ for local resources.

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. 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. 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.

About the American Academy of Pediatrics
The AAP is a professional membership organization of 64,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical sub-specialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety, and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. Its mission is to attain optimal physical, mental, and social health and well-being for all infants, children, adolescents and young adults.