The Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) provides essential services to improve the quality of life for Delaware’s citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations.
Department of Health and Social Services Cabinet Secretary Christen Linke Young is a nationally recognized health policy leader with more than 15 years of experience in federal and state government. She served as Deputy Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council and Deputy Assistant to the President for Health and Veterans from 2021 to 2025. In that role, she led the Administration’s health policy team as a senior White House staff member, overseeing implementation of the prescription drug pricing provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act, efforts to achieve the lowest uninsured rate in U.S. history, and national initiatives addressing crises in maternal health, mental health, and overdoses.
Before her White House service, Young was Deputy Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, leading initiatives in Medicaid, behavioral health, public health, and social services programs.
She also held senior roles at the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Obama White House. In addition, she has served as a Fellow at the Brookings Institution, producing nationally recognized research on health coverage, pricing, and outcomes.
Young holds a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School and a Bachelor of Science from Stanford University.
DHSS Leadership Team
The Office of the Secretary (OSEC) Leadership Team provides administrative oversight for the Department of Health and Social Services, setting policy, as well as representing and advocating for the agency with the Office of the Governor, members of the General Assembly and community stakeholders. The OSEC leadership team also recommends and manages state and federal funding for the agency’s nine public-facing divisions delivering health and social services that touch nearly every Delawarean.
| Position | Name | |
|---|---|---|
| Cabinet Secretary | Christen Linke Young | Christen.Young@delaware.gov |
| Deputy Cabinet Secretary for Special Populations | Dava Newnam | Dava.Newnam@delaware.gov |
| Deputy Cabinet Secretary or Social Services and Innovation Lead | Lisa Schieffert | Lisa.Schieffert2@delaware.gov |
| Director of Health Care Reform/Associate Deputy Secretary | Vacant | |
| Chief Operating Officer / Associate Deputy Secretary | Rebecca Reichardt | Rebecca.Reichardt@delaware.gov |
| Chief of Staff | Julie Devlin | Julie.Devlin@delaware.gov |
| – Executive Assistant | Susan Bailey | Susan.Bailey@delaware.gov |
| – Executive Assistant | Jerry Birdwell | Jerry.Birdwell@delaware.gov |
| Chief Policy Advisor | Alexa Scoglietti | Alexa.Scoglietti@delaware.gov |
| Legislative Director | James Berryhill | James.Berryhill@delaware.gov |
| Director of Change and Internal Improvement | Vacant | |
| Director of Complex Case Unit | Benjamin Griffith | Benjamin.Griffith@delaware.gov |
| Director of Community Relations | Martha Lodge | Martha.LodgeHelojoki@delaware.gov |
| Director of Constituent Relations | Leigherin Williams | leigherin.williams@delaware.gov |
| Deputy Director of Communications | Timothy Mastro | Timothy.Mastro@delaware.gov |
| Manager of Internal Communications | Jeffrey Gentry | Jeffrey.Gentry@delaware.gov |
| Chief Accessibility and Digital Officer | Joshua Garnick | joshua.garnick@delaware.gov |
| Community Relations Officer | Emily Belitskus | Emily.Belitskus1@delaware.gov |
| State Long-Term Care Ombudsman | Judith Ramirez | Judith.Ramirez1@delaware.gov |
| Freedom of Information Act Coordinator | Eschalla Clarke | Eschalla.Clarke@delaware.gov |
Administration
Audit & Recovery Management Services
Provides audit, investigations, and recovery services addressing acts of fraud in public welfare programs administered by Delaware Health and Social Services (DHSS).
To report fraud related to TANF (cash assistance), child care assistance, SNAP food benefits or Medicaid, call (302) 255-9010 or Fax: (302) 255-4443
Financial Management
- Accounting
(302) 255-9006
Fax: (302) 255-4443 - Collection Enforcement
(302) 255-9007
(302) 255-9022 - Tax Programs
302-255-9022
Fax: (302) 255-4443
Operations
- New Castle County
Complaint Line: 302-255-9010
Fax: 302-255-4443
Herman Holloway Campus, Biggs Building
1901 N. DuPont Highway, New Castle, DE 19720 - Kent County
Complaint Line: 302-741-9200
Fax: 302-741-9201
Thomas Collins Building
540 S. DuPont Highway, Dover DE 19901 - Sussex County
Complaint Line: 302-933-3880
Fax: 302-933-3881
Stockley Center
23558 Campbell Circle, Georgetown, DE 19947
Budget & Program Analysis/Revenue Management Services
Manages budget requests, prepares expenditure reports, and provides technical assistance to the agency.
- Financial Management
(302) 255-9010
Fax: (302) 255-4443 - Accounting
(302) 255-9006
Fax: (302) 255-4443 - Collection Enforcement
(302) 255-9007
(302) 255-9022 – Tax Programs
(302) 255-4443 – Fax
Contract Management & Procurement
Provides commodity purchasing, professional services, Requests for Proposals and contract management services for DHSS.
302-255-9290
Fax: 302-255-4436
Facility Operations
Provides security, housekeeping, capital programs, administrative and maintenance management services for DHSS.
Fiscal Management
Provides accounts payable, grants, cash management, cost allocation, payroll, controller’s office, general and payments services for DHSS.
Provides accounts payable, grants, cash management, cost allocation, payroll, controller’s office, general and payments services for DHSS.
302-255-XXXX
Fax: 302-255-4432
Human Resources Management
Provides HR training and administration and applicant services and labor relations/EEO services for DHSS.
Human Subjects Review Board
Reviews and approves all research involving DHSS clients (or client data).
Information Resources Management
Provides helpdesk, application, network and telephone support, information technology training, planning, management and purchasing services for DHSS.
302-255-9150
Fax: 302-255-4454
Labor Relations
Provides guidance and advice regarding employee relations/labor issues.
Planning
Provides planning assistance, carries out special in-depth research and analysis and manages projects.
Quality Control
Reviews a statistical sample of various public assistance program cases to determine the accuracy of benefits received based on policy and procedure of each program reviewed.
