Delaware Health Agencies Seek Community-Based Applicants For Healthy Women, Healthy Babies Zones Mini-Grants

The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH), and Delaware Healthy Mother & Infant Consortium (DHMIC) are seeking applicants for Healthy Women, Healthy Babies (HWHB) Zones mini-grants to improve maternal and infant health outcomes in Delaware using community-based approaches.

It is anticipated that two new mini-grantees will be funded for the new grant cycle — each will receive up to $50,000 — for the 20-month grant period from Nov. 1, 2022, through June 30, 2024.

“The HWHB Zones is a collective impact approach where the aim is to build state and local capacity, and to test small-scale innovative strategies in the community. By doing so we hope to shift the impact of social determinants of health tied to root causes related to infant and maternal mortality and morbidity,” said DPH Associate Deputy Director Cassandra Codes-Johnson. “DPH, and DHMIC are committed to supporting local organizations whose results-driven work strives to accomplish this and further build upon mortality reduction work in Delaware.”

To determine who will be awarded the grants, DPH and DHMIC will carefully assess several criteria, including whether the applicant uses an actionable, community-based intervention designed to support identified high-risk communities across the state.

To be eligible:

Applicants must hold a 501(c)(3) status.
The applicant’s annual operating budget must be under $3 million.
The proposed project must focus on at least one of the following priority areas:

- Father/partner involvement and engagement
- Addressing food insecurity

Proposed programs must be linked to reducing disparities related to maternal/child health.
The target population must be women of childbearing age (ages 15 to 44) who are considered high risk (living in a targeted HWHB Zone) and/or partners of these women.
Strategies must be based on the perspectives and priorities of, and partnerships with, those living in the HWHB Zone.
The applicant (if selected) will engage in data collection to measure the impact of the program.

DPH and DHMIC are hosting a webinar for all interested applicants on Monday, Aug. 1, 2022, at noon. To register, visit: https://bit.ly/3PxOHg5

Organizations that wish to apply must submit a brief “intent to apply” email by Friday, Aug. 12, 2022. Information about this intent to apply will be provided in the webinar on Aug. 1. A recording of the webinar will be available following the presentation. All organizations that wish to apply should plan to attend or listen to the recording.

Eligible organizations will then be invited to make an oral presentation the week of Aug. 22, 2022, with short written follow-up proposals due on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. Funds will be awarded on Nov. 1, 2022.

This is a new cycle of funding for an ongoing initiative that began in 2019. The current HWHB Zones mini-grant recipients include:

Delaware Adolescent Program Inc. (DAPI)
Delaware Multicultural and Civic Organization (DEMCO)
Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence (DCADV)
Hispanic American Association of Delaware (HAAD)
Rose Hill Community Center — Women’s Wellness Program
Parent Information Center (PIC)
Black Mothers in Power (BMIP)
Breastfeeding Coalition of Delaware (BCD)
Kingswood Community Center (Grant Cycle 1 only)

Current mini-grantees have made an impact through:

Statistically significant reductions in stress
Training of over a dozen doulas who are women of color to provide physical and emotional support to women during pregnancy, labor and delivery, and post-partum
Increases in breastfeeding initiation and duration
Increases in feelings of hopefulness
Reductions in financial stress

“These community-based organizations have served more than 550 women, providing programs and services that meet a broad range of needs that, if unmet, lead to poor physical and mental health, as well as negative birth outcomes,” said DHMICH Co-Chair, David A. Paul, MD, Co-Chair. “The Delaware Healthy Mother and Infant Consortium and several stakeholders are working, in partnership, with trusted community-based organizations to engage people directly in their communities and help them to build resilience and navigate access to available resources.”

“We are so grateful to our community-based partners for their dedication to addressing our state’s critical maternal and child health priorities, from isolation and disconnection to job access to pregnancy planning and reproductive health education to doula capacity and training. We are proud to report that the hard work is making a difference,” said DHMIC Co-Chair, Susan Smith Noyes, MSN, RN.

Disparities in Delaware

Delaware saw a 30% decline in the infant mortality rate between the five-year periods ending 2004 and 2020. The IMR has fallen from 9.3 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2004 to 6.5 in 2020. While we have made strides in the overall reduction in our infant mortality rate, the racial disparity persists. Statistics reinforce the significant need in Delaware for continued and aggressive programming to mobilize communities and partners to educate and motivate underserved and high-risk populations to embrace healthier behaviors before, during, and after pregnancy.

According to Delaware Health Statistics,

Delaware’s infant mortality rate between 2016-2020 was 6.5 deaths per 1000 live births, higher than the national average of 5.4 deaths per 1000 live births.
During the period 2016-2020, Delaware’s Black infant mortality rate of 11.6 infant deaths per 1,000 live births is higher than the Hispanic infant mortality rate of 6.3 infant deaths and the White infant mortality rate of 3.8 infant deaths.
Black babies are almost 3 times more likely than White babies to die before their first birthday.

# # #

Anyone who is deaf, hard of hearing, Deaf-Blind or speech disabled can contact DPH by dialing 711 first using specialized devices (i.e., TTY, TeleBraille, voice devices). The 711 service is free and to learn more about how it works, please visit delawarerelay.com.

About the Delaware Healthy Mother & Infant Consortium

In 2005, the Delaware Infant Mortality Task Force’s final report put forth a three-year plan with 20 recommendations to reduce the high infant mortality rate in Delaware. The plan called for the creation of the Delaware Healthy Mother & Infant Consortium (DHMIC) to help ensure that stated directives were put into place. These directives include but are not limited to the following:

Providing advice and support to state agencies, hospitals, and health care providers regarding their roles in reducing infant mortality and improving the health of infants and women of childbearing age;
Facilitating collaborative partnerships among public health agencies, hospitals, health care providers, and all other interested agencies and organizations to carry out recommended infant mortality improvement strategies;
Recommending standards of care to ensure the health of infants and women of childbearing age;
Coordinating efforts to address disparities related to the health of infants and women of childbearing age;
Overseeing the development and implementation of research activities to better understand the causes of infant mortality;
Coordinating efforts to prevent conditions and behaviors that lead to poor health in infants and women of childbearing age; and
Recommending legislation and regulations that will enhance the health of infants and women of childbearing age.

To learn more about Delaware Healthy Mother and Infant Consortium, please visit dethrives.com/dhmic.

DPH Offers Guidance And Resources On How To Navigate The Infant Formula Supply Shortage

DOVER (May 17, 2022) – The Division of Public Health (DPH) is providing guidance to families struggling to find formula due to a shortage caused by a supply chain issues, including avoiding taking certain measures that could be harmful to their infant’s health.

DPH sent out a letter from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau to families and maternal child health stakeholders, offering individuals information on how to safely navigate the shortages.

Parents and caregivers are offered the following guidance:

Talk to your doctor: Families should consult their pediatrician to discuss the best options for their child. Doctors can provide guidance on comparable formula and specialized formula to meet their babies’ medical and nutrition needs.
Consider a substitute formula: For most babies, it is OK to use a similar version of their formula if their regular brand of formula is not currently available. Talk with your baby’s pediatrician about alternatives.
Check the manufacture’s site online for formula availability before going to a store to purchase.

DPH reminds parents/guardians:

Do not make or use homemade formula: Per the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA), homemade formulas often lack or have inadequate amounts of critical nutrients vital for a babies growth and development and in some cases can cause infants to be hospitalized due to low calcium.
Never dilute formula: Watering down infant formula can be dangerous and even life-threatening, leading to a serious nutritional deficit and health issues.
Consider a substitute formula: For most babies, if their regular brand of formula is not currently available, using a similar version of their formula is ok. Talk with your baby’s pediatrician about alternatives.
If not receiving breast milk, formula should be used until your baby turns 1 year old, but if your child is over six months you can start to supplement nutrition with some solids. Talk to your pediatrician about introducing some solids like fortified cereal, mashed bananas and pureed poultry and beans.
Talk to your doctor: Families should consult their pediatrician to discuss the best options for their child. Doctors can provide guidance on comparable formula and specialized formula to meet their babies’ medical and nutrition needs.
Breastfeed your child: When possible, breastfeeding is the healthiest option for children under age 1.
For parents who are breastfeeding or need additional support, they may want to consider a lactation consultant or support groups, or seek assistance to access a breast pump at a low cost through your insurance provider, Medicaid, or WIC to assist with milk supply. There are also breast milk banks that properly store, test and distribute donated mothers’ milk to meet the specific needs of infants for whom human milk is prescribed by physicians. The Delaware WIC program offers breastfeeding assistance to new mothers, including peer counselors, lactation consultants and manual pumps. Details on WIC’s breastfeeding programs can be found here.

DPH has also taken the following steps to help parents and caregivers as the supply chain issues get resolved nationwide:

WIC recipients have been asked to return any unused formula to the Food Bank of Delaware or another state agency food pantries.
WIC recipients also were granted a waiver to substitute formula this winter when supply chain issues that were made worse by a recall first emerged. A chart of formula alternatives was created to help parents and caregivers select the right formula for their child.
Parents who are breastfeeding or need additional support may want to consider a lactation consultant or support groups, or seek assistance to access a breast pump at a low cost through their insurance provider, Medicaid, or WIC to assist with milk supply. The Delaware WIC program offers breastfeeding assistance to new mothers, including peer counselors, lactation consultants and manual pumps. Details on WIC’s breastfeeding programs can be found here.
DPH reminds parents that state and community resources that could be helpful during this time are available, such as WIC, SNAP, or TANF to help with the cost of buying formula or to find other infant supplies through local food banks including the Food Bank of Delaware. DPH also offers a breastfeeding guide for mothers who want to find support or learn more about breastfeeding.

Several birth hospitals in Delaware also offer breastfeeding support and parent education. Individuals should check with their local hospital to see what services are offered.

Delawareans are encouraged to visit dethrives.com for up-to-date information on Delaware’s response to the infant formula supply chain issues, call 211 for community resources and services near you, or follow DEThrives and DPH on Facebook and Instagram.

# # #

Delaware WIC Relocates to La Red Health Center in Georgetown

GEORGETOWN – To better meet the needs of its clients, and those of Georgetown residents in general, the Delaware Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Supplemental Nutrition Program has relocated to La Red Health Center located at 21444 Carmean Way in Georgetown. On September 28, 2017 the Division of Public Health (DPH) held a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony with La Red Health Center leadership, and representatives from the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service, Mid-Atlantic Regional Office.

WIC moved its offices from the Thurman Adams State Service Center in August after DPH and La Red Health Center acted on their shared vision to offer medical and social services under one roof for WIC clients. Now, on the same days as their quarterly appointments, WIC clients can see La Red Health Center’s primary care, chronic disease care, oral health care, and behavioral health care providers. Clients can also access Medicaid eligibility and enrollment and Screening for Life programs in that building.

“Delaware Health and Social Services strategically integrates services in communities that need them most, and at this new location, pregnant women, new mothers, and young children who are enrolled in WIC can more easily access health care and other social services,” said DPH Director Dr. Karyl Rattay.

The move also overcomes transportation challenges many Georgetown residents face since so many services are now available under one roof. La Red Health Center is a Federally Qualified Health Center that provides affordable care to Delawareans in need. The center also offers interpretation services, which is vitally important in facilitating client care.

“La Red Health Center offers two critical patient enabling services, interpretation and transportation, which help us overcome language and transportation barriers to care. We have interpreters and also utilize a language line to assist patients,” said Brian Olson, Chief Executive Officer for La Red Health Center. When available, we provide transportation for patients without insurance to their appointments at La Red Health Center or to the medical specialists we have referred them to for further follow-up.

This location is far more convenient than the Adams State Service Center for our clients. It is on the bus route, and the majority of our patients’ medical needs and social services can be handled under one roof. WIC clients no longer have to drive, catch a bus, or find a ride to several locations for services – saving everyone time and money. Furthermore, La Red Health Center is within walking distance to WIC vendors such as Wal-Mart and Redner’s.”

“I am pleased that WIC will be conveniently located to so many other services available at the College Park location,” stated State Representative Ruth Briggs King (R-Georgetown). “Families realize the benefit from centralized services, and Georgetown, and in particular this location, have become a hub of activity for quality health care, dental care, and related services.”

Rep. Briggs King also said, “Working families living at or below the poverty line need foods that promote growth and good health, and WIC provides healthy choices for families. Unfortunately, the need for assistance has grown in Sussex County. But, La Red and the Division of Public Health continue to be there for Sussex families, by anticipating and responding to the needs in our community.”

The WIC program serves women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or postpartum, and children and infants less than 5 years old by providing supplemental nutritious foods and supplemental formula at no cost to enrolled clients, who shop at grocery stores authorized to accept the program. WIC also provides breastfeeding support, nutrition education, and referrals to healthcare, and social services agencies. Through these services, WIC strives to promote breastfeeding as the premier source of infant nutrition, and achieve fewer premature births, higher birth weights, lower infant mortality, and improved overall health.

“We praise Delaware’s administration of the WIC program, which serves nearly 19,000 women, infants, and children statewide. WIC food packages along with the nutrition education that addresses the needs of our participants are the chief means by which WIC positively affects the dietary quality and habits of participants. Research consistently shows us that individuals who participate in WIC not only consume more whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, but also that their diets have a higher Healthy Eating Index when compared to non-participants,” said Patricia Dombroski, Regional Administrator, USDA Food and Nutrition Service, Mid-Atlantic Regional Office.

For more information about WIC, including eligibility requirements, visit

http://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/chca/dphwichominf01.html or call 302-424-7220 (Kent and Sussex counties) and 302-283-7540 (New Castle County).

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.

Supporting and Celebrating Breastfeeding Mothers Focus of August 3 Conference in Dover

DOVER – Although breastfeeding is a natural process, many moms need help, and have a lot of questions. Other moms who are currently breastfeeding or have in the past, along with professionals who have experience with promoting and consulting on lactation practices, can be great resources. The Division of Public Health (DPH) is bringing these groups together in one place to support breastfeeding and its many benefits.

Registration is now open for the DPH WIC Program’s 2017 WIC World Breastfeeding Celebration. The event will be held at Dover Downs Conference Center in Dover on Aug. 3, 2017, to commemorate World Breastfeeding Week, which is Aug. 1 – 7, 2017. The conference theme is “Sustaining Breastfeeding Together.”

This daylong conference brings together breastfeeding partners from across the state as well as national speakers and community members to celebrate the many benefits breastfeeding offers mom and baby. Sessions include, The Role of Implicit Bias in Breastfeeding Disparities, Grassroots Innovation and Best Practices, Breastfeeding Support for African-American Families, Promoting, Protecting and Preserving Breastfeeding, and Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome-Breastfeeding Support for Mothers and Babies.

The conference will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with registration starting at 8:30 a.m. Registration is free and will remain open through the day of the event. For more information or to register, contact Ida Lewis at 302-741-2900 or via email at Ida.Lewis@delaware.gov.

The WIC Breastfeeding Celebration also serves to highlight August as National Breastfeeding Month. “Breastfeeding is important for so many reasons,” said DPH Director Dr. Karyl Rattay. “It starts infants on a healthy life course because it is the optimal nutrition for infants and protects them from many illnesses and diseases.”

Breastfeeding protects babies from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), diarrhea, ear infections, pneumonia, allergies, and asthma. Babies who are breastfed exclusively for six months are less likely to become obese. The benefits of breastfeeding are dose-related; the more breast milk a baby receives, the greater the protection for both mother and baby. Mothers who breastfeed have less risk of breast and ovarian cancers, and lose pregnancy weight faster.

Major medical organizations including the American Academy of Pediatrics, World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, among others, recommend that babies receive only breast milk for the first six months of life and that breastfeeding continue for at least the baby’s first year, and for as long as mom and baby wish. Of Delaware infants born in 2013, 18.9 percent were breastfed exclusively through six months, compared to 22.3 percent nationally and the Healthy People 2020 goal of 25.5 percent. At one year of age, 24.5 percent of Delaware infants born in 2013 were breastfed, compared to 30.7 percent nationally and the Healthy People 2020 goal of 34.1 percent.

While still below the national average, Delaware continues to make progress in breastfeeding support due to the collaboration of health systems, businesses, state agencies and private citizens.

Breastfeeding support in the workplace, including flexible break time and private space to pump, has been legislatively mandated for all employers and employees in the state.
Delaware child care regulations require breastfeeding support in both center and family-based care.
In 2015, Delaware became the third state in the nation to eliminate formula gift bags in all hospitals.
Delaware ranks second in the nation in maternity practices supportive of infant nutrition and care, as measured by the CDC’s mPINC survey. This is due to the extensive efforts of labor and delivery hospitals on breastfeeding quality improvement.
Four out of six labor and delivery hospitals in Delaware have been designated as Baby Friendly, an international designation which recognizes facilities that provide the information confidence and skills to support infant feeding and mother-baby bonding: Beebe Healthcare, Bayhealth Kent General Hospital, Bayhealth Milford Memorial Hospital and Christiana Care Health System. Approximately 79% of births in Delaware now occur in facilities designated as Baby-Friendly.
712 health care practitioners from OB/GYN, family practice and pediatrics offices across the state have been trained in breastfeeding best practices.
Two major annual events, the Delaware State Fair and the Firefly Music Festival, have incorporated breastfeeding-friendly areas to support families attending the festivities.

Four out of six labor and delivery hospitals in Delaware have been designated as Baby Friendly, an international designation which recognizes facilities that provide the information confidence and skills to support infant feeding and mother-baby bonding: Beebe Healthcare, Bayhealth Kent General Hospital, Bayhealth Milford Memorial Hospital and Christiana Care Health Systems. Approximately 79% of births in Delaware now occur in facilities designated as Baby-Friendly. Quality improvement efforts related to breastfeeding support at Saint Francis Hospital and Nanticoke General Hospital.

For more information on breastfeeding, visit the Breastfeeding Coalition of Delaware at www.delawarebreastfeeding.org/, or on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/DEbreastfeeding/, the DPH WIC page at http://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/chca/dphwicbfhom01.html or the CDC at http://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/.

Delaware Ranks Second in CDC’s Breastfeeding Survey of Maternity Hospitals

DOVER – Delaware maternity hospitals have much to be proud of including a new ranking for their support of breastfeeding mothers. Delaware ranks second the country in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) 2015 national survey of Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care (mPINC).

Delaware received its highest score in the history of the mPINC survey, a 90, tying with New Hampshire. Rhode Island received the nation’s high score of 96. Delaware’s score is up from 86 in 2013 and 63 in 2007. All eligible Delaware hospitals participated in the survey, which measures infant feeding care practices, policies, and staffing expectations in place at hospitals that provide maternity services.

“Breastfeeding is a public health priority because it provides the optimal nutrition for infants,” said Division of Public Health (DPH) Director Dr. Karyl Rattay making the announcement at the quarterly meeting of the Delaware Healthy Mother and Infant Consortium in Dover. “Breastfed babies are protected from many illnesses and diseases and they get the healthiest start.”

Breastfeeding protects babies from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), diarrhea, ear infections, pneumonia, allergies, and asthma. Babies who are breastfed for six months are less likely to become obese. There are other benefits as well. Breastfeeding mothers have less risk of breast and ovarian cancers, and lose pregnancy weight faster. U.S. households with breastfed infants can save between $1,200 and $1,500 in infant formula expenditures in the first year.

Delaware earned perfect scores (100 percent) for including breastfeeding in prenatal patient education, hospitals having designated staff members who coordinate lactation care, having an initial feeding of breastmilk for both vaginal and cesarean births, not using water and glucose water, having infants in the mothers’ rooms at night, and not giving complimentary infant formula samples and marketing products to breastfeeding patients. In July 2015, Delaware became the third state to discontinue the complimentary formula gift bags. Delaware also earned high scores (over 80 percent) for initial skin-to-skin contact of at least 30 minutes within the first hour of birth, having staff who directly observe and assess breastfeeding, providing breastfeeding support to maternity hospital employees, and facilities which have policies that include all 10 model policy elements.

“Creating a breastfeeding culture in our maternity hospitals optimally supports mothers and babies,” said Dr. David A. Paul, clinical leader of the Women and Children’s Service Line and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Christiana Care Health System. “When evidence-based maternity care practices are implemented, breastfeeding rates rise.”

Breastfeeding mother Lauren Durk of Dover, held 5-month old daughter Emmery and said “Although breastfeeding can be challenging at times, it has been well worth it to me and I couldn’t imagine anything different for us. The health benefits of breastfeeding are important to me and I love the extra bonding time I get to share with my daughter while she nurses.” However, Durk recognizes it is not always easy for working mothers to breastfeed.

“Breastfeeding rates in Delaware are still below the national average,” said Lisl Phelps, DPH Nurse Consultant and chair of the Delaware Breastfeeding Coalition. “Community support shown by the hospitals is an important step in the right direction as we work to enhance breastfeeding support for new moms.” Phelps notes that that Delaware is making significant progress in breastfeeding support due to the collaboration of health systems, state agencies, and private citizens. Successes include:

· Supporting 2014 legislation and workplace policies that mandates breastfeeding support in the workplace for all employers and employees in the state.
· Including breastfeeding support in state child care regulations and providing training opportunities for child care providers.
· Promoting Breastfeeding Peer Counselors who are providing support to families in 16 locations across the state through public-private partnerships under the Delaware Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program.
Between 2005 and 2015, breastfeeding initiation among WIC participants increased from 35 percent to 54 percent.
· Training 30 lay people throughout the state to increase breastfeeding support for women of color as part of the Generating Equity for our Mothers (GEM) Project, which was aimed at addressing disparities in breastfeeding
initiation and duration among African American women.
· Training 610 health care providers and staff in practice-based breastfeeding support through the DPH EPIC-BEST program: Educating Providers in the Community Breastfeeding Education and Support Training.
· Recognizing that four out of six labor and delivery hospitals in Delaware are designated as Baby-Friendly, an international designation which recognizes facilities that provide the information confidence and skills to support
infant feeding and mother-baby bonding: Beebe Healthcare, Bayhealth Kent General Hospital, Bayhealth Milford Memorial Hospital, and Christiana Care Health Systems. Approximately 79 percent of Delaware births occur
in facilities designated as Baby-Friendly.
· Promoting quality improvement efforts related to breastfeeding support at Saint Francis Hospital and Nanticoke General Hospital.

For more information about the mPINC survey, and to request Spanish translations of the 2015 report, visit the CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity at www.cdc.gov/mpinc. The website includes a four-minute animated mPINC video featuring CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden.

For more information on breastfeeding, visit the Breastfeeding Coalition of Delaware or the CDC at http://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/.

Delaware WIC clients can access breastfeeding classes, lactation consultants, and information at: http://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/chca/dphwicbfhom01.html.

Of Delaware infants born in 2013, 18.9 percent were breastfed exclusively through six months, compared to 22.3 percent nationally. At one year, 24.5 percent of Delaware infants born in 2013 were breastfed, compared to 30.7 percent nationally.