“Semper Gumby”
September 30, 2026
Semper Gumby (Always Flexible) is our motto onboard the Kalmar Nyckel. You never know what’s going to happen on any given sail or voyage, so you always need to be ready to pivot. And public health is a little like that. Today, the Delaware Health Force held its annual meeting, the 2026 Delaware Healthcare Workforce Summit. It was a great time in Dover, but we definitely needed to bring our flexibility. The Lieutenant Governor was stuck in traffic. One of our panelists had to leave to attend his son’s wedding. Traffic was at a standstill on the major roadways.
Public health in Delaware also needs to be flexible.
What works for Sussex County will probably not work the same way for Kent. And neither of those will likely work for New Castle. What people need in these communities is different. And what people need on an individual basis is different. Some people will need behavioral health access; some access to primary or specialty care; some will need transportation, or food access, or child care; some need housing. The list goes on, and public health is everywhere.
Delaware is a microcosm of the nation – we have rural, suburban, and urban communities; we have agriculutural workers, healthcare workers, scientists, boat captains, teachers, politicians…; we have beaches and rivers and state parks. And okay, we don’t have mountains, but otherwise, we’re basically a smaller (some would argue cooler) version of the US. If we can figure it out here, the nation can learn from us.
We don’t need to reinvent the wheel; there’s probably someone in Delaware who is already doing what you need. Find them. Fill the gaps that exist. Make the connections.
And always be flexible!
What is going on with the food?
August 25, 2026.
Happy Summer! It’s hard to believe it’s almost over. After a flurry of vacations (a week off each month is nice … I have to figure out how to make that happen for the rest of the year), it’s time to think Back to School, and with it, the return of snotty noses and reminding people to cough into their elbows. When the tiny humans head back to school, they become walking petri dishes. Fortunately, a sniffle at this point in the year is typically a common cold. That said, if someone has a fever, nausea or vomiting, it might be the flu, so head on over to your favorite pediatric provider.
On top of that, we have a bevvy of food-borne illnesses in the US right now. The iceberg lettuce/Cyclospora outbreak has been resolved – the contaminated product is no longer on the market. However, there are more popping up. Right now, the only one that has been seen in Delaware (no illnesses reported yet) is possible Salmonella contamination in Vitasia Asian Style Wok Spice Mix, by Lidl US. When you see news of food recalls, keep in mind they can vary in severity (how many are based on sick people and how many are based on routine testing catching contamination?) and scope (one state vs. nationwide). If you’re not sure or worried, either toss the product or make sure you wash (or cook) it thoroughly. Watch for symptoms and if you’re high risk (pregnant, older, immunocompromised), don’t tough it out at home. Call your clinical care team.
It can sometimes seem like a lot, but you’ve got this!
Happy National Public Health Week!
April 6, 2026. — It’s national public health week – public health’s time to shine!
It’s also been a long six years. I see you! I celebrate you!
My favorite saying is “if I’m doing my job right, you won’t know I’m doing it.” But how do we shine a light on all the work that we do as public health practitioners if most of it is in the background? Public health acts as a shield, and we need to make people more aware of what we do. Things like common-sense gun control; safe drinking water and air quality; seatbelts and properly installed car seats; safety equipment like harnesses, hard hats, and eye protection; vaccines; mosquito prevention… public health is all of these things and more.
Public health is
- A child walking away from a car crash because their carseat was properly installed;
- A person in crisis living through it because their partner locked their gun away;
- Children staying in school through a measles outbreak because it was stopped in its tracks by community immunity;
- A new mom putting together bottles of formula for her newborn and not thinking twice about the safety of the tap water she’s using
None of this is headline material. But it’s also a challenge: if we’re in the background, how can we get people to support it? How can we sustain it?
I hope you find a way to celebrate public health this week! Write your local health department or representatives a letter, support someone promoting grassroots public health programs, or just give everyone some extra support. Public health, after all, needs you, the public!
Hugs and (air) kisses,
Kate