NEW CASTLE – The Delaware Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) will host a series of in-person town hall events to discuss ways to improve Delaware’s State Service Centers. The four events will take place in July across the state and will highlight the steps DHSS is taking to transform how they serve Delawareans and receive community feedback.

As part of its strategic plan to make access to services easier for Delawareans across the state, DHSS launched the State Service Reimagined project in 2022 to research, create, and implement improvements on how services are delivered within the agency’s State Service Centers. This effort is part of Governor Carney’s Family Services Cabinet Council (FSCC).

“We are committed to building a better experience for Delawareans who access our services,” said Daniel Walker, DHSS Deputy Cabinet Secretary. “In order to deliver quality services and improve our State Service Centers, it was necessary to involve our community and service users. Without their input, this project would have failed to deliver on our promise to reform the way we provide critical services.”

The Town Halls events will take place on the following dates:

July 13, 2023, 6:00 p.m., Dover Public Library, 35 Loockerman Plaza, Dover
July 15, 2023,1:30 p.m., Route 9 Library & Innovation Center, 3022 New Castle Ave., New Castle
July 18, 2023, 6:00 p.m., Georgetown Public Library, 123 West Pine St., Georgetown
July 26, 2023, 6:00 p.m., Wilmington Public Library, 10 E. 10th St., Wilmington

These events are open to the public and registration is encouraged for planning purposes. To register, visit http://bit.ly/dhsstownhall.

The Dover Town Hall scheduled for July 13 will also be streamed live on Facebook @delawaredhss and at de.gov/live. Spanish translation and ASL interpreter services will also be available at each event. Each town hall will also include a resource fair in which representatives from DHSS will be on hand to assist individuals who have questions related to their benefits or who are seeking assistance.

To enhance services from the perspective of the clients, DHSS hosted community engagement sessions throughout Fall 2022. Sessions were held in locations across the state and included focus groups and interviews.

“Our 15 State Service Centers serve thousands of people every week, and are a critical resource to Delaware,” said Renee Beaman, Division of State Service Centers. “The findings of this initiative give us an actionable path forward, keeping our service users in mind every step of the way.”

For more information about the State Service Reimagined project, visit de.gov/community. Those with specific questions should email stateservicecommunity@delaware.gov.

Governor Carney will hold a COVID-19 Update and Virtual Town Hall. Delawareans can submit questions by email to townhall@delaware.gov before the event, or comment during the live town hall.

Governor Carney and Dr. Karyl Rattay hold a COVID-19 Update & Virtual Town Hall.

April 29 at 6:00 p.m. – Lieutenant Governor Bethany Hall-Long will host a virtual town hall meetings with stakeholder groups and members of the public to collect public feedback that will inform Delaware’s recovery effort. 

Learn more and submit feedback online: de.gov/economy

Upcoming Recovery Town Halls with Lieutenant Governor Hall-Long:

• Recovery Town Hall – Monday, May 4 – 6:00 p.m. – Northern New Castle County focus
• Recovery Town Hall – Wednesday, May 6 – 7:30 p.m. – Sussex County focus
• Recovery Town Hall – Thursday, May 7 – 6:00 p.m. – Southern New Castle County focus

Links to town hall livestreams will be posted on news.delaware.gov. 

Governor Carney, DHSS Secretary to hold virtual town hall

NEWARK, Del. – Out of an abundance of caution, Governor John Carney’s State of the State Town Hall – scheduled for Wednesday evening at the Newark Senior Center – will be postponed. The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) shared information on Monday that advises older Delawareans and people with severe chronic health conditions to follow guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) encouraging them to “avoid crowds as much as possible” as a way to reduce their risk of contracting coronavirus disease.

Governor Carney instead will hold a virtual town hall with Dr. Kara Odom Walker, Secretary of the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services. The virtual town hall will take place on Wednesday, March 11, at 6:30 p.m. The event will be streamed on Facebook Live, Livestream, and the Governor’s website. Delawareans are encouraged to submit questions ahead of the event either on Facebook or Twitter, or by email to townhall@delaware.gov.

Delaware does not currently have a confirmed COVID-19 case. The decision to postpone the town hall is a preventative measure to avoid public gatherings at a senior center where Delawareans who may be in a higher-risk group for getting very sick from COVID-19 regularly gather.

As Delaware prepares and responds to the COVID-19 outbreak, it is important to note Delaware is experiencing a particularly serious flu season with 6,000 lab-confirmed cases and 11 deaths statewide. In addition to getting your flu shot, DPH recommends everyday measures that people can take to prevent the spread of all infections, which would also slow the spread of coronavirus disease:

• Cough or sneeze into your elbow, not your hand. If you use a tissue, dispose of it right away.
• Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly, including the backs of your hands and under your nails, for 20 seconds. Or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Do not touch your face, eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.
• Clean commonly used surfaces such as computers, desktops, countertops cabinets, handles and more with disinfectant.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• If you are healthy, the CDC does not recommend buying or using face masks. You should only wear a mask if a health care provider tells you to do so.
• Symptoms of COVID-19 can include fever, cough and shortness of breath. The symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as long as 14 days after exposure.

Delawareans who have questions can call the Division of Public Health’s information line at 1-866-408-1899, TTY at 1-800-232-5460, or send an email with their question to DPHcall@delaware.gov. For the latest Delaware updates, visit de.gov/coronavirus.

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