Delaware Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) to Host Town Halls on Improving State Service Centers
The Delaware Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) is set to host a series of in-person town hall events in July, aimed at discussing ways to enhance the State Service Centers across the state. These events will provide an opportunity for DHSS to showcase the steps they are taking to transform service delivery and gather valuable feedback from the community.
DHSS launched the State Service Reimagined project in 2022 as part of its strategic plan to improve access to services for Delawareans statewide. The project focuses on researching, creating, and implementing improvements within the agency’s State Service Centers. It is a vital component of Governor Carney’s Family Services Cabinet Council (FSCC).
According to Daniel Walker, DHSS Deputy Cabinet Secretary, the department is fully committed to improving the experience of Delawareans accessing their services. In order to accomplish this, community involvement and input from service users are essential. Walker emphasized that without their valuable feedback, the project would not have succeeded in delivering on the promise to revamp critical service provision.
The town hall events will be held on four different dates and locations across Delaware in July. The aim is to engage with the public and encourage community participation. The dates and venues are as follows:
- July 13, 2023, 6:00 p.m.
Dover Public Library, 35 Loockerman Plaza, Dover - July 15, 2023, 1:30 p.m.
Route 9 Library & Innovation Center, 3022 New Castle Ave., New Castle - July 18, 2023, 6:00 p.m.
Georgetown Public Library, 123 West Pine St., Georgetown - July 26, 2023, 6:00 p.m.
Wilmington Public Library, 10 E. 10th St., Wilmington
These town hall events are open to the public, and interested individuals are encouraged to register in advance for planning purposes. Registration can be done online at http://bit.ly/dhsstownhall.
The first town hall event, scheduled for July 13 in Dover, will also be live streamed on Facebook @delawaredhss and at de.gov/live, enabling remote participation. Additionally, Spanish translation and American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter services will be available at all four events. To make the experience more enriching, each town hall will feature a resource fair where DHSS representatives will be present to assist individuals with benefit-related queries or seek further assistance.
To ensure that the enhancements made align with the needs of the clients, DHSS conducted community engagement sessions throughout Fall 2022. These sessions, which included focus groups and interviews, were held in various locations across the state. Renee Beaman, from the Division of State Service Centers, emphasized the importance of incorporating the feedback received from these sessions, stating that the findings provide a clear and actionable path forward, keeping the service users’ needs at the forefront of the department’s initiatives.