NEW CASTLE (Feb. 13, 2019) – In an effort to reduce the number of individuals overdosing, and dying from drug overdoses in Delaware, the Division of Public Health (DPH) is announcing the Community Naloxone Distribution Initiative. DPH will distribute free naloxone kits to members of the general public, at events in each county in March. The first event will be held on Saturday, March 2, 2019, in conjunction with the annual atTAcK addiction 5K race starting at St. Peter’s Church 515 Harmony St., New Castle, DE 19720. The remaining dates and event locations will be announced as details are finalized.

Each naloxone kit will contain two doses of naloxone, and members of the community who attend these events will receive one-on-one training on how to administer the overdose-reversing medication. The Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health (DSAMH) also will have representatives on hand to answer any questions about access to treatment for those struggling with substance use disorder.

“It is critically important for family and friends of loved ones struggling with addiction to have access to naloxone,” said DPH Director Dr. Karyl Rattay. “The data are telling us that 80 percent of overdoses happen in a residence. If family or friends of someone overdosing have naloxone immediately accessible, it can mean the difference between life or death for that person.”

Within three to five minutes after administration, naloxone can counteract the life-threatening respiratory depression of an opioid-related overdose and stabilize a person’s breathing, which buys time for emergency medical help to arrive. DPH recommends calling 9-1-1 immediately if you find someone in the midst of a suspected overdose, starting rescue breathing, and then administering naloxone. Naloxone is not a replacement for emergency medical care and seeking immediate help and follow-up care is still vital.

There were at least 291 deaths last year in Delaware from suspected overdoses. Tragically, the final number is expected to exceed 400 after all toxicology screens are finished (they take six-eight weeks) and final death determinations are made on outstanding cases by the Division of Forensic Science. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranked Delaware as number six in the nation for overdose deaths in 2017.

“We are incredibly excited to partner with DPH to provide them with a host site for their first Community Naloxone Distribution event,” said David Humes, a board member of atTAcK addiction. “It seems like a natural extension of the event’s purpose. I made a vow after losing my son Greg six years ago to a heroin overdose that I would save a life in his name. By partnering with DPH and expanding access to naloxone in the community this way, atTAcK addiction continues to save lives and keep the memory of all of our loved ones alive.” Individuals who would like a naloxone kit on March 2, do not have to be a 5K participant.

In 2018, first responders administered 3,728 doses of naloxone, compared to 2,861 in 2017, a 30 percent increase.

Funding for the Community Naloxone Distribution Initiative comes from state funding built into DPH’s budget for the first time in state fiscal year 2019, thanks to the advocacy of Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long and the Behavioral Health Consortium. In October, DPH also announced the agency was awarded federal funds to support the purchase of naloxone and other programs for first responders.

“This is about saving lives,” said Lt. Governor Hall-Long. “The more naloxone we have in our communities the more lives we can save, allowing us to connect people with the resources to begin their road to recovery. I applaud the work of the Behavioral Health Consortium, the Division of Public Health and our community advocates to help expand access to this life saving medication.”

Community access to naloxone has increased significantly since 2014 when legislation was enacted making it available to the public. In 2017, Governor John Carney signed additional legislation ensuring pharmacists had the same legal protections as doctors, peace officers and good Samaritans when dispensing the medicine without a prescription.

Information on community training and pharmacy access to naloxone, along with resources regarding prevention, treatment and recovery are available on www.HelpIsHereDE.com.

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.

Benchmark initiative will limit spending growth, improve quality of care

NEW CASTLE, Del. – The Delaware Economic and Financial Advisory Council (DEFAC) on Wednesday issued a recommended Benchmark Index that set the state’s health care spending growth target at 3.8 percent for 2019 – the initial year of Delaware’s newly created Health Care Spending Benchmark. This move furthers the state’s goals of managing the growth of future health care spending, increasing transparency into how health care is delivered and paid for, and improving the quality and cost of health care for the citizens of Delaware.

DEFAC set the target based on Executive Order 25 signed by Governor John Carney in November. The order called for the initial benchmark to be equivalent to the advisory Benchmark Index for overall State budget growth established under Executive Order 21 signed by the Governor in June 2018.

“We know that the rising cost of health care crowds out other important state investments, keeps companies from hiring, and makes it harder for families to manage their household budgets,” said Governor Carney. “This benchmark initiative is about providing Delawareans with more transparency around their own health care spending, and making sure that Delawareans are getting the quality of health care that they’re paying for. At the state level, Delaware taxpayers rightly expect us manage their money wisely. This initiative will help us do just that.”

“Establishing the health care spending benchmark is an important step forward in learning more about how health care dollars are spent in our state,” said Dr. Kara Walker, Secretary of the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services. “In order to meet the current and future health care needs of Delawareans, our system of providing and paying for care has to change in order to be sustainable. We look forward to working with health care providers, insurers, businesses and consumers as we move forward in improving the patient and provider experience, while improving the overall health of Delawareans and doing it at a lower cost.”

“Establishing the Health Care Spending Benchmark is a vital step in establishing realistic economic measures that provide meaningful insight toward producing optimal outcomes with the limited health care dollars available to the state, our citizens and the private sector,” said Rick Geisenberger, Secretary of the Delaware Department of Finance.

In subsequent years, Executive Order 25 requires the health care spending benchmark to be calculated based on long-term projections for growth in Potential Gross State Product (PGSP). Currently, long-term PGSP is forecast at 3 percent. The target approved today provides a transitional market adjustment with the benchmark starting at 3.8% and then gradually expected to decline to 3% over the next three years.

A Health Care Spending Benchmark Subcommittee of DEFAC will monitor PGSP forecasts and health care spending trends and make annual recommendations for the Benchmark in future years.

The path to creating the health care spending benchmark began in the summer of 2017, when the General Assembly passed House Joint Resolution (HJR) 7 authorizing the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) to develop a spending benchmark. The Governor signed HJR 7 in September 2017, just months after an analysis by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) indicated that Delaware had the third-highest per-capita health care spending rate in the country, and a rate that was 27 percent above the U.S. average.

That fall, DHSS and Secretary Dr. Kara Odom Walker, a board-certified family physician, began a series of summits to explore how a spending benchmark could work for Delaware. In February 2018, Governor Carney signed Executive Order 19 creating an Advisory Group to provide feedback to Secretary Walker on the health care spending and quality benchmarks. While the overall health of Delawareans has been improving – Delaware is now ranked 30th among the states, according to America’s Health Rankings ¬– the pace of that improvement is trailing the growth of health care spending in the state.

Delaware has historically ranked among the top 10 states in per-capita health care spending, including in 2014, when the state ranked behind only Alaska and Massachusetts. The 50-state analysis by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released in 2017 found that Delaware’s per-capita rate was $10,254. Without changes, the analysis estimated that Delaware’s total health care spending would more than double from $9.5 billion in 2014 to $21.5 billion in 2025.

Click here to learn more about the health care spending benchmark.

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Related news:
Governor Carney Signs Executive Order Establishing Health Care Spending and Quality Benchmarks
Governor Carney Signs Executive Order on Budget Smoothing

DOVER (Nov. 29, 2018) — December 1, 2018, marks the 30th annual World AIDS Day. For three decades, this day has united people around the world in the fight against Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and AIDS. World AIDS Day encourages support for those living with HIV and remembrance for those who have died of AIDS-related illnesses. HIV continues to have a significant effect on Delaware’s population. There are approximately 3,520 individuals living with HIV/AIDS in Delaware – a state with less than 1 million people. While HIV is declining overall in the United States, an estimated 1.1 million people are living with HIV, and one in seven don’t know it.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone in the United States aged 13-64 get tested at least once as part of routine medical care. People at high risk for HIV should get tested at least once a year. Knowing your HIV status gives you powerful information to help you take steps to keep you and your partner healthy.

Over the years, there have been significant advances in the treatment of HIV. Antiretroviral medications, when taken as prescribed, can reduce the virus to undetectable levels in the blood. Recent research has shown that those with undetectable levels of HIV in their blood are at very low risk of transmitting HIV sexually. Antiretrovirals can also reduce the risk of HIV-negative people becoming infected when taken as “Pre-exposure Prophylaxis” or PrEP. PrEP is taken daily to reduce the risk of acquiring HIV.

It is clear that HIV treatment now enables people to live long, healthy and fulfilling lives. While these accomplishments should be recognized and celebrated, stigma and discrimination remain pervasive in the lives of those affected by HIV/AIDS. The harmful effects of stigma and discrimination impact the emotional well-being and mental health of those infected, as well as hinder testing, treatment and other prevention efforts for those not aware of their status. Fear of stigma may prevent an HIV-positive individual from obtaining the essential medical care that he or she needs and those at risk from seeking testing. Fighting HIV-related stigma and discrimination is as important as ever.

On World AIDS Day, it is important to also remember those who have died from the illness — approximately 2,400 Delawareans since 1981.

It is critical that we remember and honor those who fought the courageous battle against AIDS and carry their legacy with us, not only as we make additional advances in treatment, but also as we continue to fight the stigma and discrimination related to living with HIV/AIDS.

The following events are being held to mark World AIDS Day 2018 in Delaware:

New Castle County
World AIDS Day Summit
Presented by AIDS Delaware, Brandywine Counseling and Community Services, Duffy’s HOPE and Janssen
Dec. 1, 2018, 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Delaware Technical Community College, 300 N. Orange St., Wilmington
Contact: Frank Hawkins, 302-652-6776
An educational awareness event consisting of exhibitors and a panel of individuals living with HIV and those who have been affected by HIV. Free and confidential HIV testing will be available.

Outreach and Testing Events
Beautiful Gate Outreach Center (BGOC)
Nov. 30, 2018, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
BGOC office, 604 N. Walnut St., Wilmington
Contact: Suzanne Tait, 302-472-3002, suzannebgoc@aol.com
A special outreach and testing event at the BGOC office. Random door prizes will be given to those who have never been tested.

Kent County
Free confidential HIV testing
Brandywine Counseling and Community Services (BCCS)
Dec. 1, 2018, 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
John Wesley Community Center, 217 West Division St., Dover
Contact: Lynn Fahey, (302) 225-9269
BCCS will provide information, support and free confidential HIV testing. The event is open to the public. This year’s theme is “Know your status.”

Sussex County
The Rehoboth Beach Candlelight Walk and Service of Remembrance and Hope
Camp Rehoboth
Dec. 1, 2018, 6:15 p.m.
The walk starts at the Rehoboth Bandstand and the Service of Remembrance and Hope is at All Saints’ Episcopal Church on 18 Olive Ave.
Contact: Salvatore Seeley, 302-227-5620, salvatoreseeley@aol.com
A candlelight vigil and walk, followed by a Service of Remembrance and Hope, including a reading of the names of those lost to AIDS. The walk begins at 6:30 p.m. and the Service of Remembrance and Hope begins at 7:00 p.m., followed by a light supper.

For more information about World AIDS Day, visit https://www.worldaidsday.org/. For more information about HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment services in Delaware, visit https://www.dhss.delaware.gov/dph/dpc/hivaidsprogram.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 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.

DOVER — After the first full month of the 2018-2019 flu season, flu activity in Delaware remains low. There have been 42 laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza in the state since the season started on September 30. The largest number of cases, 20, have been reported in Kent County, comprising 47.6 percent of all cases. New Castle County is reporting 14 cases (33.3 percent), and Sussex County is reporting eight cases (19.0 percent). There have been 15 hospitalizations since the start of the flu season, including two children. Eighty-eight percent of lab-confirmed cases are influenza strain A. No flu-related deaths have been reported in Delaware at this time.

While activity is currently low, the Division of Public Health (DPH) continues to remind Delawareans to get their flu vaccine if they have not already done so.

“Even though this flu season is currently not predicted to be nearly as harsh as it was last year, you should not put off getting your flu vaccine,” said DPH Director Dr. Karyl Rattay. “While the flu is unpredictable, what is predictable is that getting your annual flu vaccine can prevent you from getting the flu, and from spreading it to family, friends, neighbors and co-workers.”
The flu vaccine is recommended for Delawareans 6 months of age and older. Since it takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies that protect against influenza virus infection to develop in the body, it is important to get vaccinated as early as possible to give your body time to build immunity. Getting the flu vaccine now will also provide protection during the entire flu season.
During the 2017-2018 flu season, Delaware recorded 9,041 flu cases, (including the above) the highest number of laboratory-confirmed flu cases since record keeping began in 2005, and 35 flu-related deaths.

DPH offers opportunities to become vaccinated throughout the season, including at its public health clinics. A schedule can be found at https://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/fluclinics.html. Flu vaccines are also offered through physician offices, many pharmacies and some grocery stores. To locate where flu vaccines near you are being offered, Google “CDC flu finder” and enter a ZIP code. DPH provided 171 flu vaccines at its community clinic at the Porter State Service Center in October, and 1,100 at its drive thru flu clinic in front of DelDOT.
The flu is easy to transmit and you can get it even from seemingly healthy, but unvaccinated, children and adults. Vaccinations not only prevent people from getting the flu, but they can also reduce the severity of flu illness and prevent visits to the doctor, clinic, emergency room, along with hospitalizations and serious consequences (including death) from influenza. Vaccinated people have less chance of missing family, school and work events due to influenza illness.

In addition to getting an annual flu shot, Delawareans can prevent the spread of the flu and other respiratory illness with good hygiene: Wash hands frequently with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand sanitizers, cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue, and dispose of tissues immediately. If a tissue is not available, cough or sneeze into your inner elbow. Droplets from a sneeze can travel up to six feet. Also avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Keep your distance from people who are coughing or sneezing.
Flu symptoms come on suddenly, and include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, headaches and body aches, chills and fatigue. Some people get complications including pneumonia, bronchitis, and sinus and ear infections. Those sick with the flu should stay home from work, school and other gatherings and not return until they have been free of fever — with temperature less than 100 degrees F (37.8 degrees C), without the use of fever-reducing medications for at least 24 hours.

They should avoid close contact with well people in the household and stay well-hydrated by drinking plenty of water and other clear liquids. Over-the-counter medicines can provide symptom relief but if you suspect you have influenza, call your doctor as they may decide to provide antiviral medications to help hasten recovery and prevent serious complications. This is particularly important for those who feel very sick, are pregnant or have chronic medical conditions.

For more information about the flu and where to get vaccinated, visit flu.delaware.gov or call 1-800-282-8672.
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.

NEW CASTLE (Aug. 27, 2018) – Culminating nearly a year of outreach to and feedback from health stakeholders across the state, Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) Secretary Dr. Kara Odom Walker today sent her recommendations for establishing health care spending and quality benchmarks to Governor John Carney. The work on the benchmarks began last summer when the General Assembly passed House Joint Resolution 7 authorizing DHSS to develop a health care spending benchmark. The Governor signed that legislation in September 2017, just months after an analysis by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) showed Delaware had the third-highest per-capita health care spending rate in the country. That fall, DHSS and Secretary Walker began a series of summits to explore how a spending benchmark could work in Delaware. While the overall health of Delawareans has been improving – Delaware is ranked 30th among the states, according to America’s Health Rankings – the pace of that improvement is trailing the growth of health care spending across the state.

As a way to increase transparency and to tie health care spending to improved outcomes for Delawareans, Governor Carney signed Executive Order 19 in February 2018, creating an advisory group of health care leaders and other key stakeholders to provide feedback to Secretary Walker on strategies for developing spending and quality benchmarks. The advisory group provided its summary report in June 2018.

Based on months of feedback, research and deliberations, Secretary Walker’s recommendations to Governor Carney include:

* The health care spending benchmark should be expressed as a rate using a calculated measure of the per-capita potential gross state product (PGSP) growth, that the Governor should set the initial benchmark for 2019 and that the initial benchmark should remain in place for five years.

* The Delaware Finance Advisory Committee (DEFAC) should establish a new Health Care Spending Benchmark Subcommittee to review the inflation component of the benchmark and the methodology of calculating the benchmark for 2024 and beyond.

* The Health Care Commission should be responsible for setting the health care spending benchmark in the future and consider changes to the benchmark target between 2020 and 2023 if the DEFAC Health Care Spending Benchmark Subcommittee so recommends.

* The Health Care Commission should collect timely and accurate data from licensed health insurers – using the Health Care Claims Database – to inform setting the spending and quality benchmarks, and assessing performance.

* The quality benchmarks should be established to “monitor and establish accountability for improved health care quality that bends the health care cost growth curve.”

* The quality benchmarks should be focused on high-priority areas, including ambulatory care-sensitive emergency department visits; opioid-related overdose deaths and co-prescribed opioid and benzodiazepine prescriptions; and cardiovascular disease prevention.

* That there should be aspirational benchmarks along with more incremental annual benchmarks, and that the Health Care Commission (HCC) should convene a time-limited advisory group to inform the HCC on whether the quality measures should change to reflect new priorities or improved performance.

“I want to thank the hundreds of health care leaders, advocates and consumers across our state who provided feedback on the spending and quality benchmarks,” said Secretary Walker, a board-certified family physician. “They understand the need for our health care system to change in order to be sustainable and to meet the ongoing needs of the patients we serve.”

Secretary Walker encouraged stakeholders to provide feedback to DHSS through ourhealthde@delaware.gov. Ongoing updates also will be posted on DHSS’ health care website, www.ChooseHealthDE.com.

Delaware historically has ranked among the top 10 states in per-capita health care spending, including in 2014, when the state had the third-highest per-capita rate, behind only Alaska and Massachusetts. The 50-state analysis by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), released in 2017, found that Delaware’s per-capita rate was $10,254, or more than 27 percent higher than the U.S. average of $8,045. Without changes, the analysis estimated that Delaware’s total health care spending would more than double from $9.5 billion in 2014 to $21.5 billion in 2025. Yet Delaware ranked only 30th among the states for overall health in 2017, according to America’s Health Rankings.