Archive for July, 2010

Confronting Prescription Drug Abuse

Friday, July 16th, 2010

Yesterday, Delaware was honored to host the Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, R. Gil Kerkikowske, to mark another step on the difficult road to curbing prescription drug addiction.  It’s always encouraging to see state and the federal government working together, particularly when the issue is deadly serious.

Since 1999,  drug-related deaths have doubled nationwide, surpassing homicides, suicides and gunshot wounds as causes of death. This increase is largely due to the abuse of prescription painkillers.

This is a substantial national problem that requires coordinated local solutions to address. We need to continue sharing information to ensure that we find the most effective approach to dealing with a problem that has fueled skyrocketing national statistics and heartbreaking local tragedies.

Our new law, sponsored by Senators Brian Bushweller and Bethany Hall-Long, and Representatives Larry Mitchell and Melanie George, authorizes the creation of a database of prescription information from pharmacies.  This will help accomplish two things:

  1. Doctors will be able to check the database and screen for abuse before giving prescriptions for controlled substances.  This helps prevent “doctor shopping” by allowing to the doctor to see if a patient has similar prescriptions from other medical providers.
  2. Physicians can also easily verify that they are not prescribing drugs that could interact dangerously with existing prescriptions from other doctors.  This can save lives and improve health outcomes for anyone taking more than one prescription drug.

Other states have implemented similar prescription drug monitoring programs and are collecting and analyzing prescription data more effectively.  Now we will too.

The statistics are astounding.  From Office of National Drug Control Policy blog:

  • In recent years, the number of individuals who, for the first time, consumed prescription drugs for a non-medical purpose, exceeded the number of first-time marijuana users.
  • From 1997 to 2007 there was a 400% increase in treatment admissions for individuals primarily abusing prescription pain killers.
  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported recently that prescription and over-the-counter drugs were responsible for the 25% increase in drug-related emergency room visits between 2004 and 2008.
  • By 2008 emergency room visits for misused prescription and over-the-counter drugs were as common as emergency visits for use of illicit drugs such as cocaine and heroin.

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Hope You’re Not Driving Right Now…

Thursday, July 8th, 2010

“It’s like Russian roulette every time you pick up your phone in the car.” – Oprah Winfrey

On Tuesday, I signed legislation that restricts the use of cell phones and bans texting while driving.

Signing the billsStarting January 2, 2011, you may not use a hand-held cell phone, send or read text messages and emails, use a computer or browse websites while driving.  You could be fined $50 for the first offense and $100-200 for a second offense.

Here’s a fact sheet that outlines the new law and lists exemptions, including people who use a mounted, two-way communication device as part of their jobs; FCC-licensed amateur radio operators; and individuals reporting emergencies.

“Texting while driving can be more dangerous than drinking and driving.” – Bayhealth Trauma Medical Director Dr. Ed Alexander

The danger of distracted driving has been tragically clear.  Here are some facts from Distraction.gov:

  • Nearly 6,000 people died in 2008 in crashes involving a distracted driver, and more than half a million were injured. (NHTSA)
  • Drivers who use hand-held devices are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves. (Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
  • Using a cell phone while driving delays a driver’s reactions as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent. (Source: University of Utah)

In Delaware, there were 230 crashes in 2009 that involved the use of a cell phone.  As of last month, 94 crashes have involved the use of a cell phone and another 17 have involved texting in 2010.  Countless others go unreported.

For every two seconds you take your eyes off the road, you are two times more likely to get in a car accident. – AAA

Our state is the 30th to ban texting while driving, and the 8th to ban the use of hand-held cell phones behind the wheel. Rep. Darryl Scott spearheaded the effort, with Sen. Brian Bushweller and Sen. Karen Peterson sponsoring the bill in the Senate. Rep. Peter Schwartzkopf and Rep. Ruth Briggs King sponsored HB 493 and 494 respectively, the companion bills that delineated key exemptions.  More information on their work to pass these bills available here.

Over the next few months, the Office of Highway Safety, Bayhealth Medical Center and AAA Mid-Atlantic will work to raise awareness of the new law.

Please help us share the news about the dangers of distracted driving.

Call, text, and email the people you care about…

…just not when you are behind the wheel!

Governor Markell and the team from the Office of Highway Safety and the Delaware State Police thank you!

Governor Markell, the Office of Highway Safety and the Delaware State Police thank you!

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Agencies Come Together to Help Homeowners

Tuesday, July 6th, 2010

Guest post from Anas Ben Addi, Director, Delaware State Housing Authority:

In June, Governor Jack Markell and Delaware State Housing Authority (DSHA) hosted the first Governor’s Foreclosure Summit. The purpose of the Summit was to bring together people on the front lines of the crisis affecting Delaware to recap efforts over the past few years, assess the current status of foreclosures, as well as to share ideas, programs and best practices that are available to help families in danger of losing their homes. 

Delaware historically averages 2,000 foreclosure filings per year.  In 2009, that number tripled to more than 6,000 and the trend continues on track through 2010.  In response, last year Governor Markell introduced a three-part plan to help mitigate the impact of foreclosure filings in Delaware consisting of three basic ideas: 

  1. Creating connections between homeowners, housing counselors and servicers before the mortgage is in default;
  2. Providing tools to help homeowners with emergency financing and long-term solutions; and,
  3. Helping families and communities recover from the effects of foreclosure.

Since last June, DSHA, the Attorney General’s Office, the Office of the State Bank Commissioner, legislators, housing advocates, as well as a host of other partners throughout the state, have been busy implementing this plan.  We’ve been working together assisting housing counselors with getting the training they need and lobbying for grants to help the families and communities that have been affected by the foreclosure crisis.  Clinics, forums and seminars have been held throughout all three counties—bringing together the mortgage servicers and the homeowners to work out a plan to save their homes. 

Additionally, Delaware has several programs available to help homeowners in danger of foreclosure including:  Delaware Foreclosure Mediation Program, Delaware Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program and the Homeownership Grant Assistance Program.

It is important that homeowners be encouraged to take action as soon as they anticipate problems in paying their mortgage payment by contacting their lender, working with a HUD-approved housing counselor, and taking advantage of the Attorney General’s Foreclosure Hotline at (800) 220-5424. 

For more information about Delaware resources available to help families facing foreclosure, including the list of housing counseling agencies through the state, please visit www.deforeclosurehelp.org/.

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“The Signal State” with Trinidad & Tobago

Monday, July 5th, 2010

Guest Post from Major General Frank Vavala, Delaware National Guard:

"The Signal State" partnering with Trinidad & TobagoWe continue to develop our State Partnership with the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago. Established in 2005, the program is designed to exchange ideas between military, government and economic leaders.

In June, a team of communications soldiers from T&T visited our Bethany Beach Training Site to learn how we communicate during natural disasters. We taught them about some of the unique capabilities and equipment here in Delaware that lets us talk among emergency responders when normal communications are down.  This is the first meeting for this group and the next step is to discuss how we can build on the exchange.

The Delaware National Guard is known as “The Signal State” because of our history and expertise in communications.

Our training site hosts a number of courses that are attended by Soldiers from all over the United States.  As a result of this exchange, one of the new tasks will be for the Soldiers in Bethany Beach to establish a communications line with the Soldiers in Trinidad. Its great training for both the U.S. military and the Trinidad & Tobago troops. 

Through sharing best practices and lessons learned, we agree communication is one of the most critical aspects in disaster response and management.  As part of the State Partnership Program we are working with our partners again next month as we participate in a regional disaster management exercise and conference with civilian emergency responders.

For news on the Delaware National Guard, please visit us on Facebook or Twitter.

"The Signal State" partnering with Trinidad & Tobago

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Sixth Annual Miles for Minutes Motorcycle Ride

Friday, July 2nd, 2010

Guest Post from Major General Frank Vavala, Delaware National Guard:

First Sergeant Kemberly Hines-Fairfax sings the National Anthem

First Sergeant Kemberly Hines-Fairfax sings the National Anthem

I was honored to kick off the Sixth Annual Miles for Minutes motorcycle ride, a fantastic event hosted by Clear Channel Media, WDSD radio, and the Delaware National Guard. The event raises money for the purchase of phone cards through the USO that are sent to Delaware servicemen around the world.  The Delaware Guard has about 250 Soldiers and Airmen deployed, but countless other Delaware residents are serving as well.

What a great day it was! The weather couldn’t have been nicer and the smiles were as bright as the sun. The event has become a “base-to-base” operation, with the rally starting and ending at military facilities. This year it started at the Delaware Army National Guard’s River Road Training Site in New Castle. The ride takes the biker-patriots along scenic Route 9 and ends at Dover Air Force Base’s Air Mobility Command Museum.

There were almost 700 motorcycles and nearly 1000 participants in this year’s event. It speaks volumes about how the Delaware community supports our troops. I couldn’t be more proud to be a First Stater than on a day like this.

The riders raised enough money to buy almost 750,000 minutes this year. That’s right, almost a quarter of a million minutes!  That’s a lot of talking, and I am sure the men and women in the Armed Forces serving around the world will be glad to have a free opportunity to call their loved ones.

I want to personally thank Eric Fendt from WDSD for the tireless work he and his team do in putting this event together. Also, thanks to Joan Cote from USO Delaware for getting these cards to our troops. But most of all, thanks to all the riders who registered and rode to make this event such a success.

For news on the Delaware National Guard, please visit us on Facebook or Twitter.

Nearly 1,000 Delawareans participated in Miles for Minutes 6!

Nearly 1,000 Delawareans participated in Miles for Minutes 6!

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Keeping Commitments, Cutting Costs

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

This morning, the General Assembly passed and I signed a balanced budget – on time – that will help shape our state’s future and get people back to work.

The budget funds fewer state positions, while meeting increasing demands for government services like education, healthcare and public safety. The Fiscal Year 2011 Budget is over $50 million less than the budget passed two years ago. We will be implementing new efficiencies while keeping our core commitments to education, public safety, the health of our environment and our quality of life.

Keeping Commitments & Investing in the Future

With this budget, we are:

  • Listening to StudentsInvesting in our schools, to better prepare our children so they can graduate ready to succeed in work or college. To keep class sizes stable, it invests in new teachers. To keep the focus on the classroom, it reduces funding for administrative costs.
  • Protecting public safety and our most vulnerable citizens.
  • Investing in efforts to improve our environment and our quality of life.
  • Working to get people to work that need jobs and making clear how important it is that Delaware be a great place to start and grow a business.

Cutting the Ribbon for Testing Machines Inc.

Creating Savings for Taxpayers

We worked together to ensure that we did not have to follow other states into raiding our rainy day fund and looked instead for common-sense ways to cut some costs:

  • We slashed the number of our state vehicles. We renegotiated leases on state buildings to drive down costs and moved out of some space entirely.
  • We cut printing and computer costs through consolidation.
  • We saved millions of dollars by cutting our energy costs.
  • We restructured and reorganized some divisions to create greater efficiency and effectiveness.

Compared to 2010, this year’s budget has over 520 fewer state employees meeting even greater demands on state service. Compared to the 2009 budget, we have eliminated over 1,000 positions and are spending $50M less in our operating budget.

Our hard work last year did make some things easier this year. All three bond rating agencies recognized our commitment to fiscal responsibility and sound budgeting for 2010, by reaffirming our Triple-A bond rating. This recognition gave us the opportunity to cut an additional $16 million in costs for taxpayers.

Across Branches, Across Parties

Governor Reads with StudentsBecause of a bill we signed last year to create more open government, the votes and debates on this budget were fully open to the public. The citizens that attended the meetings had a chance to see branches of government work together, across party lines, focused on improving our state’s future.  It was a bipartisan vote to pass this budget, as it was a budget built by months of bipartisan effort and compromise.

At the end of the day, that cooperation truly is the Delaware difference and that’s how, together, we’re moving Delaware forward.

More information:

Have a Great Fourth of July!

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