Delaware’s first Surgeon General, Dr. Neil Hockstein, starts on the job next week. The office will operate within the Department of Health and Social Services.
The state’s 2027 operational budget spends more than a million dollars to set up the new office that Gov. Matt Meyer created via an executive order.
Hockstein will be the state’s principal public health communicator and provide “timely” and “evidence-based information” during public health emergencies.
Hockstein enters the role as the state enacts policies to increase investment in primary healthcare and charity care. Hockstein said this month that he sees these issues as part of his new job.
"The reality is healthcare access and affordability are public health issues," he said. "I think (these policies are) framing public health as not just the foundational components of public health that we talk about: disease surveillance and immunization and clean water. But public health means being able to find a provider and afford a provider when it's time."
Meyer’s executive order calls for Hockstein- as the inaugural Surgeon General - to submit a strategic report with ideas to improve the health of Delawareans and strengthen Delaware’s public health infrastructure.
Hockstein has more than 20 years of practice as an ear, nose and throat specialist.
Delaware is now one of seven states to have a Surgeon General to help set its health policy.
The state’s leading causes of death include cancer, heart disease, chronic lower respiratory disease, and diabetes. The state continually ranks in the top 20 for cancer incidences and mortality.
Hockstein chairs the state’s Health Care Commission, a position he's held for more than a year. In his new role as surgeon general, Hockstein will advise Meyer on public health and policy issues.
"(Hockstein's) been working round the clock on all sorts of issues around affordability and access," Meyer said. "And that's not stopping. He's doing it full time now."
Meyer said the point of the office is to identify opportunities to strengthen the healthcare workforce, reduce unnecessary administrative burden, improve care delivery, and eliminate barriers to care.
