Delaware is appointing its first surgeon general

Delaware became the seventh state to appoint a surgeon general with the appointment Monday of a physician to serve as the state’s “principal public health communicator” and advise Gov. Matt Meyer on health matters.

Neil Hockstein, an otolaryngologist who chairs Delaware’s Health Care Commission, will helm public health measures.

Meyer, a Democrat, said the appointment grew out of state government efforts to reassure residents after a chaotic period for U.S. public health with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., a longtime anti-vaccine activist, leading federal health agencies under President Donald Trump’s administration.

Kennedy has attempted to dismantle longstanding recommendations on childhood vaccines and appointed vaccine skeptics to a federal committee that makes recommendations on vaccination. Critics have also decried what they characterized as a hands-off approach to other health crises like an Ebola outbreak in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“We live in a time where the information coming from the federal government is not evidence-driven. It’s not fact-based,” he said.

Last year, Delaware joined Pennsylvania and other Northeastern states in a public health coalition to surveil infectious diseases and promote vaccination, joining several states also launching their own public health initiatives in response to the federal changes.

“Traditionally, we’ve been able to rely on the federal government for environmental protection, for food assistance, for reliable health and weather information,” Meyer said. “Now there’s a lot of loss of trust, and in so many ways we’re saying, ‘How can states pick up the mantle?’”

Pennsylvania has a physician general, a similar position. New Jersey does not have a surgeon general.

The Delaware Healthcare Association, which represents the state’s hospitals and health systems, called Hockstein an “invaluable, unrelating advocate” and applauded the creation of the position.

Delaware’s surgeon general will report to the state Secretary of Health Christen Linke Young, who said the position will help reach residents not already receiving services through her department.

“His job, really, is to think about the whole [public health] ecosystem and to speak to people in a way that is broader than the particular clients who receive particular services from us,” she said.

Republican state Sen. Eric Buckson, who represents parts of Kent County, said the state “already has everyone in place to make sure that the state of Delaware is getting the information it needs to make the best decisions.”

“Do we need this position generated on the premise the current administration is going to somehow mislead Delaware?” he said, adding that he believes Kennedy has “done an excellent job of provoking a conversation.”

Hockstein plans to prioritize “foundational” public health initiatives like promoting vaccination and ensuring access to clean water and food, along with issues like adequate access to healthcare, especially among the state’s elderly.

“More people will die because they have inadequate access to healthcare in Delaware than will die of measles, mumps, or rubella this year,” he said, citing infectious diseases now rising as vaccine rates have declined.

Hockstein said he sees his role as twofold: Communicating about health initiatives with the public, while also supporting healthcare workers.

“They’re hurting right now, and I think having a voice that understands what they do on a daily basis and the threats that they’re feeling is important.”

He said he still plans to see patients for about eight hours a week.

Meyer said he also wants Hockstein to focus on adolescent mental health, partnering with local school districts to raise awareness about the issue.

“It really needs to be attacked with a public health mindset,” he said. “We have an epidemic of loneliness. We have children who know how to interact with their phones and with video games, but not with each other.”