DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES SECRETARY RITA LANDGRAF TO JOIN UD COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCES IN EARLY 2017

NEW CASTLE (Oct. 24, 2016) - Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) Secretary Rita Landgraf, who has served in the administration of Gov. Jack Markell since 2009, will join the University of Delaware's College of Health Sciences (CHS) as professor of practice and distinguished health and social services administrator in residence. The position begins after her tenure as Cabinet Secretary for DHSS ends in early 2017.

"With her extensive administrative experience in the health and social services fields, Secretary Landgraf brings both the vision and the practical knowledge necessary to help advance the University's mission of service to others," UD President Dennis Assanis said. "Her commitment to developing innovative, sustainable solutions to real-world challenges is a perfect fit for UD's College of Health Sciences and its excellent STAR Health programs."

"We are thrilled to have Rita join our college. She shares a common goal with CHS - improve the lives of all Delawareans," said Kathleen Matt, dean of the College of Health Sciences. "She will work across UD as we continue our journey of health care innovation and transformation. It was a great pleasure to partner with Rita during her time with DHSS. We are honored to have someone of this caliber and experience join our team. We now look forward to working together on university work, research and education."

Landgraf will also serve as the director of the UD Partnership for Healthy Communities, a cross-college, cross-state initiative led by Dan Rich and Lynette Overby. Landgraf will help bridge health sciences and public policy as CHS works to address community health challenges. To effectively understand and positively impact health issues in the state, interdisciplinary work is a must. The Cabinet Secretary is uniquely prepared to foster those innovative partnerships.

"I am excited to bring what I've learned in the field to the classrooms of the College of Health Sciences to help grow the next generation of health and social services professionals," Landgraf said. "Meeting communities where they are has been one of the hallmarks of my tenure at DHSS, and I am fortunate to be able to help build those partnerships with Dean Matt and the University of Delaware. I thank Governor Markell for the opportunity to serve the people of Delaware during his administration. For me, public service has been my greatest honor. Now, my alma mater will provide the next chapter in my career of service to others."

For the state, Landgraf oversaw a wide range of healthcare services from childcare to benefits assistance. She coordinated the state's response to health care reform and focused on the needs of Delaware’s rapidly growing older population. Under her leadership at DHSS, the Department has:

• Reformed how public mental health services are provided in the community to the estimated 10,000 Delawareans living with serious and persistent mental illness so they can live in their own homes as engaged members of society. Her leadership led to the U.S. District Court releasing the State earlier this month from a five-year Settlement Agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, which created benchmarks for the State to meet in transforming the mental health system.
• Increased community-based services for seniors, people with disabilities and individuals with behavioral health challenges, assuring that people get access to the right level of care in the community instead of through facility-based care.
• Responded to the state's addiction epidemic by working across the Cabinet, and with families, advocates, behavioral health providers, legislators and law enforcement to increase prevention, treatment and recovery services; provide for the use of the overdose-reversing medication naloxone by first responders and members of the community; work with providers to restrict access to prescription painkillers; and reduce the stigma associated with the disease so more people suffering from addiction seek help.
• Created momentum for ongoing change in the way health care is delivered and paid for in our state, tying payments to an increase in positive outcomes and better health for Delawareans, and, beginning in 2014, increasing access to coverage through the expansion of Medicaid and the creation of Delaware’s Health Insurance Marketplace.
• Enhanced opportunities for people with disabilities to live, work, and participate as active members of the community, including creating the Pathways to Employment program in 2015 for young people age 14-25 to support their transition from education to the world of work.
• Supported thousands of individuals and families as they improved their own financial security through $tand By Me, a financial empowerment partnership between DHSS and the United Way of Delaware that began in 2011 and offers free financial coaching, college financial aid assistance and tax preparation.

"As a member of my Cabinet, Rita's tireless efforts have made dramatic improvements in systems of care, particularly for individuals with serious and persistent mental illness and other vulnerable residents, and expanded support networks to help more of our people live more independently in the community," Gov. Markell said. "She has led our incredible progress in opening new pathways for employment among people with disabilities. And she has championed important new efforts to tackle the addiction epidemic and increase access to health care for all Delawareans. Rita's entire career reflects a passionate dedication to improving the quality of life of and increasing opportunities for individuals who most often find themselves on the fringes of society. I am delighted that she will continue to transform lives for the better across the community and make an impact on our next generation of leaders through her new work at UD."

Landgraf's tenure as Cabinet Secretary included roles as co-chair the Governor's Commission on Building Access to Community-Based Services, chair of the Health Fund Advisory Council, member of the Delaware Hispanic Commission's Health and Social Services Subcommittee, member of the Delaware Health Care Commission and one of the founding members of the Delaware Center for Health Innovation Board. She also served on the U.S. Department of Labor's Advisory Committee on Increasing Competitive Integrated Employment for Individuals with Disabilities.

Landgraf, who graduated from UD in 1980 with a bachelor of science degree in community and family services, was inducted into the university's Alumni Wall of Fame in 2011. "We are always happy to welcome another accomplished Blue Hen back to the university, and Rita's move to UD is especially exciting to us because of the skills and experience she brings to this new role," said Provost Domenico Grasso. "The relationships she developed with community organizations throughout the state as secretary of DHSS will be extremely valuable as she continues her work to address community health challenges through CHS."

Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware's citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations.

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