Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long, a nurse and professor of nursing, will be joined by Patrick and Amy Kennedy to lead a discussion around behavioral health initiatives and the expansion of social emotional learning for students in Delaware. Through their work with the Kennedy Forum, Patrick and Amy help advocate for increased investment, at the federal, community and state level, in mental health supports and services for young people from elementary school through college.
DOVER, Del. – Governor John Carney and Lieutenant Governor Bethany Hall-Long were sworn in for their second terms on Tuesday, January 19. The 74th Governor of the State of Delaware and 26th Lieutenant Governor took their oaths of office at Legislative Hall in Dover in a livestreamed virtual ceremony due to COVID-19 precautions.
Rewatch the inaugural ceremony at de.gov/inauguration.
Click here to view photos from today’s event.
INAUGURAL ADDRESS—GOVERNOR CARNEY
*As prepared for delivery
The past year brought once in a generation challenges to every single Delawarean. No one has been exempt from the reaches of this pandemic. And too many of our friends and neighbors paid the ultimate price.
It’s a bond we all would’ve chosen to forgo.
But the pain of the pandemic is not the only thing this year gave us.
It also gave us a clear picture of what we could do as a state – with each other, and for each other.
Doctors and nurses worked nights and weekends to treat patients with COVID.
The National Guard staffed testing sites up and down the state – and over half of all Delawareans stepped up and got tested.
Child care providers and correctional officers went to work every single day even while the virus surged.
You sacrificed visits with loved ones, family traditions, the camaraderie of the office or the classroom, a high school sports season, all to keep our most vulnerable citizens safe.
And now the vaccine has arrived – and there is hope on the horizon.
For me, and for so many of you, this year has been a balancing act.
We’ve tried to protect public health, while protecting our economy.
Preparing for the next year, and the next four years, will require this same balancing act.
We’ll continue to deal with the crisis at hand, but we will also plan for the future.
We will march forward with optimism and hope.
2021 is a year of hope and optimism. It won’t be easy. There’s a lot of work ahead. But I’m confident that Delaware will come out of this current crisis stronger than ever.
Four years ago, I promised to get our fiscal house in order. We kept that promise. As a result, unlike so many states around the country, Delaware is not facing budget challenges this year.
That means we’re well-positioned to rebuild. As our President-Elect says, to build back better.
We made promises last year — before the pandemic hit — and I intend to make good on them.
We will create jobs by investing in the largest infrastructure program in our state’s history.
We will make sure every Delaware family has clean drinking water.
We will build a new school on the east side of Wilmington. It’ll the first new school in Delaware’s largest city in more than a generation.
We’ll make historic investments in public schools statewide, focused on students who need our help the most.
We’ll continue strengthening our economy. And we will help those businesses recover that have been hit hard by the pandemic.
My job as Governor is to make sure Delaware comes out on top in a world that’s more connected and competitive than ever.
And to make sure all Delawareans get a fair shot to succeed.
Of all the lessons this past year has taught us, perhaps the most important had nothing to do with the pandemic. The George Floyd protests here in Wilmington and Dover and across the country showed us that we cannot continue to ignore the injustices our brothers and sisters of color endure. We cannot return to the old normal – to the normal of just last year. Here too, we need to build back better. And we will.
For the past two decades, you have trusted me with the responsibility and privilege of representing you.
You’ve given me the opportunity to get to know you and our state, and to understand what’s important to you.
While an inaugural address normally lays out what the next four years will look like, this last year has made crystal clear that none of us knows what the future holds.
But regardless of what lies ahead, I promise to continue working hard, every single day, to support the causes you care about. To fight for what’s important to you. And to make life better for every single Delawarean.
Thank you for the privilege of serving as your Governor.
God bless you and God bless the State of Delaware and God bless our great United States of America.
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WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor John Carney and Lieutenant Governor Hall-Long have announced plans for a virtual inauguration ceremony on Tuesday, January 19. The 74th Governor of the State of Delaware and 26th Lieutenant Governor will be sworn in for their second terms at 10 a.m. at Legislative Hall in Dover.
Due to COVID-19 precautions, the inaugural ceremony will be livestreamed at de.gov/inauguration.
“For the past two decades, Delawareans have trusted me with the responsibility and privilege of representing them as Lieutenant Governor, in the U.S. Congress and now as Governor,” said Governor Carney. “In a second term, I promise to continue working hard, every single day, on the issues that are important to the people of our state. Thank you for the privilege of serving as your Governor.”
“I am thankful for the honor to serve as your Lt. Governor for another term,” said Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long. “2020 was a challenge for our nation, state, communities, and families. I look to 2021 with hope, confidence and optimism knowing we will face the challenges that confront us by working together to build a safer, healthier and stronger Delaware.”
Governor Carney will deliver his 2021 State of the State Address at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, January 26 from the Senate Chamber at Legislative Hall. The Governor will present his recommended Fiscal Year 2022 budget at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, January 28.
Additional information will follow about the State of the State Address and annual budget presentation. Both events will be held virtually, without an audience. They will be livestreamed at de.gov/live and livestream.com/stateofdelaware.
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DOVER – Revenue from a new opioid impact fee created by the Delaware General Assembly in 2019 will be used to prevent overdose deaths and provide new services to those seeking treatment for their substance use disorder, the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) and Sen. Stephanie Hansen announced Wednesday.
DHSS Secretary Molly Magarik this week detailed the department’s plan to spend the first $700,000 raised by the fee as of the third quarter of 2020, as required by Senate Bill 34.
Those funds will be used to bolster Delaware’s supply of naloxone, a medication that can reverse an opioid overdose; support the expansion of Bridge Clinic services to 24 hours a day in all three counties; and provide grants to people in treatment or recovery for such needs as transportation, housing, or education.
“As we work to reduce the spread of COVID-19, our state continues to respond to an opioid epidemic that is costing the lives of far too many Delawareans,” DHSS Secretary Molly Magarik said. “The opioid impact fee created by Sen. Stephanie Hansen last year is proving to be a powerful tool in that fight. These funds are helping us to expand our services and reach the people most in need of that support.”
Signed into law by Governor John Carney in June 2019, Delaware’s first-in-the-nation opioid impact fee requires some of the nation’s largest drug makers to address the costs of the opioid crisis they helped to create.
Manufacturers are now charged one penny for every morphine milligram equivalent (MME) of any brand-name opioid dispensed in Delaware and one-quarter of a cent for every MME of their generic opioids sold here. Companies that refuse to pay the fee can be charged a penalty of up to $100 a day or 10 percent of the total impact fee, whichever is greater.
Proceeds from the fee are then held in a special Prescription Opioid Impact Fund that can be used only for the prevention and treatment of opioid use disorder. According to the law, the fund is administered by DHSS with input from the Behavioral Health Consortium, the Addiction Action Committee, and the Overdose System of Care Committee.
“When we started down this road, we heard from countless naysayers who falsely claimed either that this legislation would hurt pharmacies, negatively impact consumers or fail to make a difference,” said Sen. Stephanie Hansen, the lead architect and driving force behind Senate Bill 34, along with House prime sponsor Rep. David Bentz. “Fears such as these prevent progress and have allowed this crisis to go on so long. This announcement today proves we can hold drug makers accountable. We can bring innovative, new tools to bear to confront addiction in our communities. And we can do more to break the cycle of abuse, addiction and death that has touched so many families in our state.”
Delaware is one of the top 20 states in opioid prescriptions per capita and currently leads the nation when it comes to the prescription rate for high-dose opioids. Delaware also ranks in the top five for most overdose deaths per capita. Every year since 2009, more Delawareans have died from drug overdoses than motor vehicle crashes, including 431 in 2019 alone – a record likely to be broken this year.
“The status quo simply will not suffice if we are going to get Delaware’s opioid crisis under control,” said Alexis Teitelbaum, acting director for the Delaware Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health. “Revenue from the opioid impact fee will support our efforts to build out Delaware’s treatment infrastructure and continue our efforts to reach more people in new ways.”
Funds from the Opioid Impact Fee will be targeted for four main purposes in the coming year:
“There are no easy solutions when it comes to treating people struggling with substance use disorder,” said Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long, who chairs the Delaware Behavioral Health Consortium. “To be successful, we must take a truly holistic approach. This means supporting both the individual and their family as we attempt to remove the social determinant barriers that hinder an individual on a path to recovery,” she said. “The Opioid Impact Fee is helping Delaware to build that behavioral health system infrastructure. This legislation is doing more than just generating revenue. It will help us to save lives, rebuild families, and restore communities torn apart by addiction. Sen. Hansen, Rep. Bentz, the community advocates, and DHSS deserve a lot of credit for the plan being put forward today.”
Regulated health insurers found to be in violation laws of that prohibit discrimination in mental healthcare, $597K in fees assessed
Insurance Commissioner Trinidad Navarro has announced the completion of the first in a series of Mental Health Parity examinations on health insurers in Delaware. Investigations conducted by the Delaware Department of Insurance uncovered thousands of mental health parity violations, resulting in $597,000 in fines thus far. The exams are ongoing and include each of the four major insurers. The department works with each insurer to correct issues and create a less discriminatory environment in the future. The 2018 passage of SB 230 required companies to submit an initial analysis of mental and behavioral health coverage to the department in 2019, after which the department would include compliance reviews in their annual market conduct exams. A high number of violations was expected due to this being the first assessment by the department.
“After an incredibly thorough review, our team identified many changes that needed to be made to improve parity. Today’s announcement shows that there is more work to do to ensure those seeking mental health care can do so without undue expense or difficulty. I will continue to hold insurers accountable to meet our state’s standards,” said Commissioner Navarro. “Each violation incurred a fine, but it also brought about important conversations that will result in action, and insurers have been cooperative throughout the process and are already making improvements. We will be following up with insurers frequently and expecting substantial progress.”
Mental Health Parity laws, which exist both at the state and federal levels, aim to eliminate coverage discrimination between policyholders seeking mental illness or substance abuse care and those seeking physical care. A lack of parity can prevent a person from pursuing needed care due to cost or limited access, or otherwise make it more expensive or more time intensive than medical visits. Department examinations are critical to uncovering parity issues as consumers may not be aware if they are experiencing disparate treatment when seeking substance abuse or mental health care.
“Everyone deserves equal access to equal treatment. Mental Health Parity has been a priority of mine and the Behavioral Health Consortium. I want to thank Commissioner Navarro and his department for conducting these examinations and advocating for persons suffering with mental health and substance use disorder,” said Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long. “Everyone should be able to access the level of care required for the duration and intensity of their behavioral health needs. Persons should be able to access treatment based on the acuity and severity of their health condition or recovery needs and should never be denied treatment due to insurance practices driven by cost and quotas. This practice has adversely impacted outcomes for persons suffering with mental health and addiction.”
“Making progress on mental health parity has been a priority for our office for several years,” said Navarro, “but this year has emphasized the importance of this task. COVID-19, and all the stress, isolation, anxiety, and grief that has come with it has amplified the need for mental health care access, while also in many ways destigmatizing utilization of services.”
In general, the violations found in policies and practices revolved around a lack of parity between mental health and medical/surgical procedures, medications and procedure preauthorization requirements. Mental health patients often had to meet higher standards for Non-Quantitative Treatment Limitation (limits on the scope or duration of benefits) than other patients, and pharmacy requirements appeared to differ as well. The companies are working to resolve these differences.