Delaware’s 2013 legislative session ended on Thursday, June 27th after a long day of negotiations.
We are happy to report the passage of a regulation to require that all newborns be screened using pulse oximetry to detect critical congenital heart disease before they leave the hospital or birthing facility. Pulse oximetry is a simple, inexpensive, painless bedside test to determine the amount of oxygen in a baby’s blood, which can help detect a critical congenital heart defect.
Significant progress was made in working with the board of education and department of education to make CPR a graduation requirement for all students. We are going to continue to work on this issue and are hopeful for passage of this policy in the next year. Bystanders trained in CPR are often critical to a cardiac arrest victim’s survival. CPR training in Delaware schools can prepare students to contribute to their communities by saving lives.
We also have worked to protect funding for the state’s built environment to promote walkability and bikability we were able to maintain a line item in the budget for these efforts to provide opportunities for healthier lifestyles. According to a USA Today article, Delaware has jumped from 10th to 5th place in most bike-friendly states by the League of American Bicyclists. We will continue to work to keep momentum for this effort up.
A big thank you to all of our You’re the Cure Delaware advocates!
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