Delaware Public Health Association
 

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Drexel LeBow Analytics 50

Tech Impact’s Data Innovation Lab and Delaware Academy of Medicine/Delaware Public Health Association Release Interactive Report on Delaware’s Healthforce

A greater understanding of Delaware’s nursing health force enables strategic workforce training and policy recommendations to help ease provider shortage

WILMINGTON, DE (July 17, 2023)—The Data Innovation Lab, a division of Tech Impact that accelerates the use of data insights and intelligence to address societal issues, in partnership with the Delaware Academy of Medicine/Delaware Public Health Association (Academy/DPHA), today announced a new report that informs the state of the nursing workforce population as well as strategic decision making and data-driven policy to help mitigate Delaware’s provider shortage. The report, an honoree of the Drexel LeBow Analytics 50, shows visual datasets that provide a better understanding of the current composition and challenges facing the workforce and highlight areas needing providers. 

“Data integrated from variable sources enabled us to provide upskilling guidance for current nurses to obtain licenses that expand on the services they provide. Specifically, ARPNs play a unique role in the DE healthforce given their prescription and practice authorities independent of a physician,” said Héc Maldonado-Reis, Director, Research Development and Analytics at Tech Impact. “We found that targeting just five percent ​of the current RN population ​to advance their education ​and training could result in ​over 600 new APRNs in the DE health care workforce.” 

Together, the Data Lab and DPHA are now developing a triage system for primary care ​where patients have timely and ​cost-effective access to APRNs who can guide them to specialized care and help ease the provider shortage in Delaware. 

“The Data Lab team has been an invaluable partner in both developing and promoting the reports, which support the Academy/DPHA’s efforts to provide effective health and social care programs within underserved communities,” said Timothy Gibbs, Executive Director of Delaware Academy of Medicine / Delaware Public Health Association. 

The Data Lab and DPHA project was recently selected for a 2023 Drexel LeBow Analytics 50 award for its healthforce report’s data-driven business impact. The Drexel LeBow Analytics 50 is a national recognition of analytics distinction honoring 50 organizations using analytics to solve business challenges. Honorees are selected by a panel of researchers and practitioners who evaluate nominations based on the complexity of the business challenge, the analytics solution implemented, and the solution’s business impact on the organization.

Tech Impact and the Academy/DPHA began the partnership in April 2022. The work has been ongoing ever since and ranges from understanding the chronic disease distributions in Delaware to now understanding the distribution of Delaware’s healthforce, including the nursing healthforce, which was updated with new data as of March 2023. The work is part of a larger ARPA-funded initiative, Delaware Health Force which seeks to understand and remedy healthcare workforce shortages resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Looking ahead, the Data Lab and the Academy/DPHA will collect additional data as nurses and other providers renew their licenses. They plan to partner with policymakers who have influence over the development of affordable higher education nursing programs. 

To learn more about the healthforce reports, visit: https://nursingdata.dehealthforce.org/

About Tech Impact

Tech Impact is a nonprofit that leverages technology to advance social impact. Our proven workforce training programs and intermediary services prepare our graduates to launch or advance their careers in technology. We strengthen nonprofits through a full spectrum of technological support, giving them the education and services they need to deliver greater impact and help their communities thrive. Learn more at techimpact.org. 

Media Contact:

Caitlin Wolf
Tech Impact
caitlinrwolf@gmail.com

Delaware County Health Rankings 2023

Produced by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, County Health Rankings for 2022 contains valuable data and numerous enhancements to make this report even more valuable to planners, public health professionals, funders, policymakers, and others.  Click here for the Delaware-specific report, or visit the website for additional information.

PHMC’s Community Health Worker Project – Partnership opportunities in Pennsylvania and Delaware

The Academy/DPHA, in partnership with the Public Health Management Corporation, is pleased to announce the availability of funds for Community Health Workers in Delaware. See a video from Executive Director, Tim Gibbs, here. To address vaccine confidence and deploy outreach in Delaware and Pennsylvania, PHMC is implementing a comprehensive and integrated approach designed to target, engage, and connect individuals to COVID-19 vaccines and education. The central component to this model is community health workers (CHWs). These public health and social service professionals support the members of their community by helping them to adopt healthy behaviors including staying up to date on all vaccinations.

Our model identifies, engages, trains, and supports CHWs from communities across the two states to help effectively reach as many underserved communities as possible. We will solicit applications from community-based organizations that would like to subcontract for funding to hire or assign existing staff to become a CHW. Using training and toolkits provided by PHMC, these CHWs will go out into their community, provide outreach and education, and report all outcomes on their efforts for a one-year project period.

We are seeking local stakeholders and organizations who want to get involved in bringing this opportunity to their community. Apply today here. To find out more information, reach out to Stephanie Shell at sshell@phmc.org. In Delaware, the Academy/DPHA will be the State of Delaware’s coordinating body for this initiative.

2020 Affiliate of the Year of the American Public Health Association

The American Public Health Association (APHA) has awarded the Delaware Academy of Medicine/Delaware Public Health Association (Academy/DPHA) with its 2020 Outstanding Affiliate of the Year award. The award was given at the APHA Annual Conference (held virtually this year) Council of Affiliates Reception Saturday evening, October 24, 2020.

The CoA Outstanding Affiliate of the Year Award celebrates an APHA Affiliate that has made significant contributions through innovative programs and activities that impact the public’s health. The Affiliate of the Year Award is given to an APHA Affiliate that provides a model for other Affiliates for work or project(s) of high value to public health such as innovative workforce development programming or impactful advocacy for public health policy within its state.

Tim Gibbs, MPH, executive director of the Academy/DPHA said “Just six years ago we became Delaware’s affiliate to APHA, and it has been an amazing experience which has led us to grow in ways few of us could have anticipated.” Mr. Gibbs was joined in accepting the award by President of the Board, Omar A. Khan, MD, MHS who stated “This means the world to our diverse membership of physicians, dentists, researchers, public health practitioners, community health workers, academics, and student interns.

The Delaware Academy of Medicine ( www.delamed.org ) was founded in 1930 and originally operated as Delaware’s medical library and conference center. In 2006, the Academy moved from its historic location in the City of Wilmington to Christiana Hospital in Newark, Delaware. Shortly after the move, Mr. Gibbs was promoted to the position of interim, then permanent executive director, and has overseen the transformation of the Academy into a public health, education, and research organization.

In 2014, after three years of realignment work, the Academy applied to the American Public Health Association to become Delaware’s affiliate and was accepted at the APHA annual meeting held in Boston, MA that fall. Since then, programming and revenue streams to the Academy/DPHA have diversified to include funding from the CDC, and contracts with the Division of Public Health.

In 2015, the Academy/DPHA started publishing the Delaware Journal of Public Health ( www.djph.org ), its signature, peer-reviewed publication. Other programs of the Academy/DPHA include the operation of the Immunization Coalition of Delaware (www.immunizedelaware.org), Student Financial Aid Programs, consumer health education programs, several clinical conferences, and student internship programs.

Partners of the Academy/DPHA include the Delaware Health Science Alliance and its member institutions, the Delaware Chapter of the American Planning Association, the Delaware State Dental Society, the Medical Society of Delaware, and the Delaware Stroke Initiative. The Academy/DPHA is a founding member of the Midlantic Public Health Partnership (www.midlantic.org).

The Academy/DPHA, a 501(c)3 tax-exempt membership organization is run by a board of directors, and supported by a public health advisory council, and investment advisory council. Membership in the Academy/DPHA is open to all healthcare provider degrees, public health degrees, researchers, academics, and students. The mission of the Academy/DPHA is “To enhance the well-being through education and the promotion of public health.”

Melissa Alperin, EdD, MPH, MCHES said:

“The CoA Outstanding Affiliate of the Year Award celebrates an APHA Affiliate that has made significant contributions through innovative programs and activities that impact the public’s health. This year we are honoring the Delaware Academy of Medicine/Delaware Public Health Association.

The DPHA is uniquely positioned as an APHA Affiliate embedded within a state medical academy. With this relationship, the Academy/DPHA has provided a model for a seamless partnership between traditional medical communities and public health.

The Academy/DPHA draws together primary care providers along with public health workers including those at the state division of public health, local academic institutions, and non-profits into one community focused on creating a healthier Delaware.

The Academy/DPHA uniquely combines a hands-on approach to public health community building with a commitment to science and data. Several activities of note include:

    • The Delaware Journal of Public Health serves as a model for data and information sharing through their Delaware Journal of Public Health.
    • The Academy/Association strengthens the state approach to creating a healthier Delaware through its engagement with the Delaware State Health Improvement Plan; and their Delaware Immunization Coalition program.
    • The Academy/DPHA is committed to providing professional education in the medical, dental, and public health realms.
    • The Academy/DPHA is also strongly committed to providing quality learning opportunities to both young and old which increase awareness and health literacy.
    • They support students and young professionals through their student internship program which is focused on public health opportunities/projects.
    • They work closely with the Pennsylvania and Maryland Affiliates through the Mid-Atlantic Public Health Partnership.
    • And many board and staff of the Academy/DPHA are active leaders within APHA.