The Medical Society of Delaware offices will be closed on Friday, April 2nd through Monday April 5th in observation of the religious holiday weekend. MSD will reopen Tuesday April 6th. We would like to wish all our members a very happy, peaceful, and healthy Easter and Passover.

Join MSD for a Hot Topic, virtual lecture offered to physician members and residents on Physician-Assisted Suicide/Medical Aid in Dying, Pros & Cons on Wednesday, April 7th, from 6:00 - 7:30 pm, presented by Ethicist Marvin Lee, PhD, ChristianaCare/La Salle University and Ethicist Stephen Taylor, PhD, Delaware State University/Bayhealth. The program will start with a case example presented by moderator John Goodill, MD, Chair of the MSD Committee on Ethics, followed by a Q & A session. To register.

The Interim Meeting of the Medical Society of Delaware Council will be held virtually on April 8th at 6:00 p.m. Participants will hear a presentation on Climate and Health by Mona Sarfaty, MD, MPH, FAAFP, Director, Program for Climate and Health, Center for Climate Change Communication, George Mason University and Associate Professor of Family Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University. Council members will deliberate four submitted resolutions, vote on various nominations for elected positions, and identify members of the Nominating Committee for 2021-2022. The deadline to register is April 6th. For more information. To register.

Governor John Carney today signed the ninth revision to his COVID-19 emergency order, updating public health requirements for youth and amateur sports.

Under the ninth revision to the COVID-19 order:

Read more.

Starting Tuesday, Delawareans aged 16+ will be able to register on the State of Delaware’s COVID-19 recently updated vaccine waiting list at vaccinerequest.delaware.gov. Invitations to vaccination events are being prioritized based on risk factors, including pre-existing medical conditions.

The Partners of Delaware Libraries have compiled a comprehensive list with links for Delaware COVID-19 vaccine appointment scheduling, as well as helpful tips for safely navigating scheduling portals. Please share with your patients. View List.

Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) has released the State's Benchmark Trend Report, which summarizing health care spending and quality data collected for the 2019 calendar year. The report details total health care spending for 2019 and compares it to baseline data collected for 2018. The report found overall health care spending in Delaware totaled $8.2 billion vs. $7.6 billion for 2018. The per-capita cost increased from $7,814 in 2018 to $8,424 in 2019, or 7.8% – more than twice as high as the 3.8% target. The report also provided results on six health care quality measures. Delaware improved on two measures, split on one measure, and worsened on three others:

Read more.

Here are the latest COVID-19 statistics in Delaware.

Additional demographic data on COVID-19 cases and deaths, including race/ethnicity, more age-specific data and COVID rate information by ZIP code, and information on Delaware's contact tracing efforts can be found on the Division of Public Health's My Healthy Community data portal.

The American Medical Association (AMA) is hosting a webinar, COVID-19: What Physicians Need to Know, on Tuesday, April 13th at 4:00 p.m. Peter Marks, MD, PhD, Director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), will join AMA President Susan Bailey, MD to discuss the most up-to-date information on the rollout of the Janssen Pharmaceuticals vaccine and the other FDA approved vaccines for COVID-19. To register.

Delaware School-Based Health Centers (SBHC) are operated by a multi-disciplinary team of health professionals who use a holistic approach to address a broad range of health and health-related needs of students. A strategic plan to expand School-Based Wellness Centers from Delaware high schools to the middle schools and eventually down to the level of elementary schools is being finalized and will be presented to the legislature in June. A SBHC vitual Town Hall will be held on April 19th and April 20th from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. to share the plan. To register.

Licensed primary care clinicians in eligible disciplines can receive loan repayment assistance through the National Health Service Corp Loan Repayment Program (NHSC LRP). In exchange for loan repayment, eligible physicians serve at least two years of service at an NHSC-approved site in a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA). Applications are being accepted through May 6th. Read more.

This month, 60 Minutes+, the streaming news spinoff on Paramount+, aired a segment on the mental health toll of the pandemic on frontline medical workers. It is available to stream on Paramount+, but, unfortunately, behind a paywall. According to The Physicians Foundation survey, 58% of physicians reported experiencing burnout, but only 13% sought mental health support services related to it. Any public information about this crisis could help increase the number of physicians who get the support they need!

To make this critical information available to everyone, The Physicians Foundation is asking Paramount+ to remove the segment from behind its paywall, making it free access. Please click here to help voice your concern.

MSD's Membership Department is pleased to announce the newest members of the Medical Society of Delaware. Welcome to the third oldest medical society in the country!

If you know someone interested in joining the Medical Society of Delaware, please contact Michelle Seymour at 302-224-4905 or Michelle.Seymour@medsocdel.org.

MSD members are afforded a seven day review period from the date of this publication to comment regarding an applicant applying for membership. Please contact Mary LaJudice at (302) 224-5183 or Mary.LaJudice@medsocdel.org with any questions or concerns.