Advisory Council
The HDWD Advisory Council consists of self‐advocates, parents, advocacy groups, and state and community organizations dedicated to health promotion and wellness for people with disabilities. The Advisory Council is an important and integral part of the project and its members provide information, technical assistance, and expertise in health and disability‐related areas. The council has more than 40 active members and meets to discuss health and disability‐related topics, needs, activities, and policies, and to plan and implement needed health promotion and prevention activities.
Delaware Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS)
DHSS is the Center for Disabilities Studies primary partner in addressing disability and health issues. DHSS is the the state’s largest agency, employing more than 4,000 individuals in a wide range of public service jobs. The department includes 11 divisions, which provide services in the areas of public health, social services, substance abuse and mental health, child support, developmental disabilities, long-term care, visual impairment, aging and adults with developmental disabilities, and Medicaid and medical assistance. The Department includes four long-term care facilities and the state’s only psychiatric hospital, the Delaware Psychiatric Center.
The Department’s mission is to improve the quality of life for Delaware’s citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Delaware is one of 18 state-based disability and health programs and four National Public Health Practice and Resource Centers supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which promote healthy lifestyles and work to improve quality of life for people with disabilities. The HDWD project is supported by Grant/Cooperative Agreement Number DD000953‐02 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD).
The primary goals of the state programs are to:
- Increase health promotion opportunities for people with disabilities.
- Improve access to health care services for people with disabilities.
- Improve emergency preparedness for people with disabilities.
CDC also maintains the Disability and Health Data System (DHDS), an online interactive tool that provides instant access to state‐level, disability‐specific health data. Users can customize the disability and health data they view, making it easy to identify health differences between adults with and without disabilities.