While the residents of Delaware face some significant health challenges, its strengths include a low incidence of pertussis and a high rate of immunization among teens. Public health officials in Delaware are working to improve the state’s health through educational approaches, progressive public policy, and research into health conditions in the state.
Delaware enjoys a high rate of combined state and federal public health spending with the 11th highest per capita spending rate in the country in 2014 according to the United Health Organization. At $105.09 per person in 2014, this per capita spending stayed fairly consistent between 2007 and 2014 even as the number of residents increased. CDC funding alone in the state totaled more than $2.9 million to fight such transmissible diseases as HIV, STDs, TB, and viral hepatitis in 2013.
The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) is the flagship organization in the state working to improve public health. Its programs range from Health Promotion and Disease Prevention to Environmental Toxicology. Environmental health officials monitor everything from spas and tanning facilities to radon and lead levels found in homes and occupational settings.
With the help of progressive legislators, public health officials in Delaware are making substantial progress in improving the health of the state’s residents. These professionals include state and local public officials, academics, health care providers, and non-governmental organizations.
A Comparison of Public Health Salaries for New Castle County
A number of public health professionals are active in Delaware’s most populated county, and the state’s Department of Labor provides the range of salaries that such professionals earned in New Castle County in 2013. While the salary can vary for any given position, professionals with advanced degrees such as a Master of Public Health are likely to earn salaries at the experienced level.
In 2015, a level II epidemiology position for the Division of Public Health in Dover started at between $50,485 and $63,106 per year depending on education and experience.
A Statewide Public Health Professional Salary Analysis for Delaware
For comparison, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides the hourly wages and annual salaries of public health professionals in Delaware for 2014.
