Delaware
Delaware County looks to boost maternal services in face of need
As the Delaware County Health Department recognized success over a year period, county officials also voiced work needed to be done particularly in light of infant and maternal outcomes.
“Unfortunately, in Delaware County, we do still have some issues with maternal and child health,” county Executive Director Barbara O’Malley said. “Between 2019 and 2023, 1.3% of our births were classified as ‘very low birthweight.’
“That’s actually higher than our neighboring suburban counties, which are all under 1%,” she explained. “And Philadelphia is at 1.6. So, we know we have work to do and that’s what our health department is here to do.”
O’Malley added that 15.6% of Delaware County residents received inadequate prenatal care, which is determined by when someone begins their prenatal care.
In addition, County Deputy Health Director Stephanie Reese said the disparity among communities of color has grown.
“While Pennsylvania’s Black and white infant mortality gap has narrowed in recent years, Delaware County’s gap has widened. Black infant mortality in Delco increased from 2.9 to 3.9 times that of whites,” she said.
That’s a factor driven by low birthweights linked to premature birth and preventable social and environmental factors.
Last week, Delaware County Council approved to advertise a request for proposals for an awareness and education campaign for the county health department’s Centralized Intake System and the Delco Doula Collaborative. This is funded through a U.S. Department of Labor grant.
This action will allow the DelcoDoula.org to go live once completed. This site for the Delco Doula Collaborative is a web-based registry of perinatal doulas offering doula information and matching services in Delaware County.
“We have so many resources available to people but they may just not be aware of how much we can do for people that are around maternal and child health issues,” O’Malley said.
She said the intake system would be a single point of entry for maternal and child health resources, including eligibility-based matching.
“Once we maybe learn about you, we can give you customized services and resources that you would qualify for,” O’Malley added.
The executive director explained why it’s critical to focus on these outcomes.
“We do know that maternal and child health is very important for so many reasons,” O’Malley said. “A healthy infant, a healthy pregnancy obviously gives people a healthy life, a great start in life, has better health outcomes, educational outcomes and better outcomes for the families.”
Doula programs can help, she explained.
“Research shows that doula programs such as the one that is supported by grant funding through the health department (and) through The Foundation for Delaware County … that there are lower rates of pre-term births, lower rates of low birthweight, lower rates of Caesarian section and higher rates of breastfeeding,” O’Malley said.
One way to support this is through increased awareness of these programs and initiatives, something O’Malley said is hoped to improve birth outcomes and advance health equity in Delaware County.
While the awareness campaign is coming, many of these programs already exist.
“People can avail themselves of them right away,” O’Malley said, directing the community to the health department website.
There, moms and moms-to-be can get support through virtual pre- and postnatal partum doula groups, where moms can learn how to care for their baby, free supplies including diapers and baby essentials, immunizations for infants as well as mental health support for new moms.
“It is critical that we get our Delaware County infants and youth off to the right start and taking care of their moms and families is the way to do it and we do have a lot of resources and we want to make sure that people take advantage of them,” O’Malley said.
Other health programs
Among some of the efforts the Delaware County Health Department have done include meeting with residents during February to offer free blood pressure screenings across the county, including Yeadon, Lansdowne, Chester and Springfield.
Through its Delco Revive! program, it also continues to offer free CPR classes with another one being held at the Yeadon Wellness Center at 125 S. Chester Road from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, March 26.
“According to the American Heart Association, about 70% of cardiac arrests that happen outside the hospital occur in homes,” county Council Chair Richard Womack said. “Please take the opportunity to learn how to save a life by participating in one of these classes.”
The health department also released its 2025 Annual Report that focused on strengthening public health infrastructure, expanding equitable access to services, and deepening community partnerships across the county.
Some of the accomplishments included expanded doula services, maternal wellness programming, and youth health initiatives to support healthy families and improve early-life outcomes; comprehensive Back-to-School events and community-based education efforts, including the Lead Free in 1-2-3 campaign connecting residents to screenings, supplies and preventive services.
Over the last year, the department has also offered continued implementation of Delco Revive! by increasing community training, lifesaving supply distribution, and overdose response capacity while also strengthening data-driven monitoring and outbreak response to guide prevention strategies and protect residents from communicable diseases; and also expanded the public health kiosks.
The department is also responsible for conducting inspections, investigations and regulatory enforcement to safeguard food safety, monitor environmental hazards, respond to complaints, and prevent vector-borne disease.
The annual report stated that 83% of the department’s $11.4 million budget came from federal and state funding and that the remainder for that time period was funded through American Rescue Plan Act revenues.
“As we reflect on 2025, this report represents the dedication of our staff and partners who work every day to protect and promote the health of Delaware County residents,” county Health Director Lora Siegmann Werner said. “We remain committed to building a resilient, equitable public health system for the future.”
The full Delaware County Health Department annual report can be viewed at https://delcopa.gov/sites/default/files/2026-02/DCHD-2025-Annual-Report-Revised.pdf.
Delaware State Police have identified the man who was struck and killed by a vehicle while lying on the roadway in Harrington, Delaware.
On Monday, July 13, 2026, Jimmy Burgess, 62, was struck by a Chevrolet Silverado driving westbound near the 1500 block of Whiteleysburg Road.
According to police, the Silverado, which was operated by a 17-year-old boy from Milton, Delaware, was unable to stop once he saw Burgess on the road, striking him. The driver of the Silverado was not injured during the crash.
Burgess was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead, said police.
The roadway was closed for approximately three hours while the scene was investigated and cleared.
The Delaware State Police Troop 3 Collison Reconstruction Unit continues to investigate this crash.
Troopers ask anyone with information about the crash contact Sergeant M. Long at (302) 698-8518.
Information can also be provided by sending a private Facebook message to the Delaware State Police, or by contacting Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-(800) 847-3333
Where the music grew
Soon playing the restaurant piano became part of Leonard’s regular routine.
In early 2024, a friend encouraged him to record himself playing the old instrument and post the videos online.
The series, “Putting the Chinese restaurant on to jams,” featured Leonard performing R&B, funk and soul covers in the restaurant and interacting with customers. Before long, the videos found an audience online.
Leonard made one thing clear: It was never about building a following; it was about having peace.
As more videos were posted, he invited his friend to join him. In every live stream, viewers suggested adding more instruments and upgrading the sound system, which he initially thought was ridiculous.
“We started bringing speakers. We started to make music. We started to remix music,” he said. “We pretty much treated it as a public studio at that point.”
Word continued to spread of Leonard’s music and the Chinese restaurant where he played. Drummers, bass players, saxophonists and singers began making their way to the restaurant, transforming an ordinary neighborhood takeout spot into an open jam session where no two performances were ever the same.
“Everything is bliss. So it’s not planned. We just show up,” he said. “I may start a groove — and usually it’s like R&B, gospel, funk, soul, somewhere in that vein — and then it takes off, because the drummer may have a way that he wants to add to the groove. We all just feed off of each other, and then we create something. It’s almost like magic.”
Audiences became part of the performance. Some sang along. Others danced. Many pulled out their phones to capture the moment. Customers who stopped in for dinner often stayed long after their food was ready.
“You’ll have some people come in, maybe to order food, and then they’ll forget that they’re in a restaurant because of everything that is happening,” he said. “They may order food and then stick around for maybe 10 to 15 minutes and then leave.”
For Leonard, the biggest change wasn’t the growing audience or the recognition. It was rediscovering the confidence he thought he had lost.
“When I picked up the … DoorDash at the Chinese restaurant, that piano was my reminder of leaning more towards my creative side and not really pushing it all the way to the side,” he said.
“Me being able to bring things to life in a Chinese restaurant with a piano, able to reach a lot of people from across the globe, it definitely built my spirit back up.”
An imperfect piano; a perfect community
As the jam sessions grew, Leonard realized they were becoming something larger than just music.
“The piano being out of tune and not really in good shape … I actually thought it… would actually push more people away from it,” he said.
Instead, the opposite happened.
Leonard said he believes the piano’s imperfections are what made the phenomenon possible. Because the instrument is out of tune, musicians have to adapt to it and to one another, creating a sense of collaboration and shared purpose.
“We can still make it adhesive if we all agree to be in tune with the piano,” he said.
He hopes people leave the restaurant with more than a memorable performance.
“I hope they feel recharged,” he said. “They leave that restaurant feeling great, and they feel like they can do whatever they want to do. No matter what goes on in the world.”
The jam sessions have also introduced Leonard to opportunities he never imagined, connecting him with other artists and collaborators. He has even produced a couple of songs with British singer-songwriter, rapper and producer KWN.
“Honestly, I just hope it grows in a direction where it needs to,” Leonard said. “I’m just following God at this point, because I mean, to me, a year ago, I didn’t really see this happening. But it just happened.”
Leonard said he hopes to continue creating music similar to his jam sessions, curating spaces where strangers become collaborators and where art feels accessible to anyone.
What to do if you come across a serious car accident
These are the steps you should do if you encounter a serious car accident.
A 62-year-old man was killed late July 13 when a truck ran over him as he lay in the roadway, Delaware State Police said.
The man, from the Harrington area, has not been identified by police.
The incident occurred about 10:45 p.m. July 13 as a teen drove a Chevrolet Silverado west on Whiteleysburg Road near Harrington.
As the teen neared the 1500 block of Whiteleysburg Road, police said a man was lying on the roadway. The teen was unable to stop the Silverado and hit the man, who was taken to an area hospital where he died.
The teen, a 17-year-old Milton boy, was not injured.
Anyone who has information about the crash should contact investigators at (302) 698-8518. Information may also be provided by sending a private Facebook message to the Delaware State Police or by contacting Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-847-3333.
Send tips or story ideas to Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or eparra@delawareonline.com.
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