FOR DELAWARE STATE HOUSE
DISTICT 8 - MIDDLETOWN
GENERAL ELECTION
PUBLIC SAFETY + COMPASSION / FACTS FIRST. PEOPLE ALWAYS. / BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CLINICIAN / CO-RESPONDER MODEL / DELAWARE HOUSE DISTRICT 8 / EVIDENCE- BASED POLICY /
NEARLY TWO DECADES OF SERVICE
IN THE COMMUNITY - DELAWARE
SHE HAS WORKED INSIDE THE SYSTEMS SHE WANTS TO FIX.NOW SHE'S TAKING THAT EXPERIENCE TO LEGISLATIVE HALL.
Watara Heath has called Middletown home since 2010. Since entering the behavioral health field in 2008, she has devoted her career to helping individuals and families struggling with addiction, mental illness, and trauma.
Today she serves as a clinician with the Dover Police Department's Behavioral Health Unit and in the same capacity with the Milford Police Department - responding alongside officers to calls involving mental health crises, substance use domestic violence, homelessness, and human trafficking.
"That work is my calling, and it has given me a firsthand understanding of both the strengths and the shortcomings of our public systems."
WHERE I STAND
Modernizing Delaware's public health and public safety laws through innovation, data-driven decision-making and evidence-based practice.
01
REAL AFFORDABILITY - BEYOND THE VOUCHER
Delaware's conversation about affordability needs to include what happens after someone gets housing, not just how they get in the door.
02
MODERNIZING PUBLIC HEALTH AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH LAW
Substance use, mental health, homelessness, and disability are not separate problems. They are the same problem showing up in different rooms — and Delaware’s laws should reflect what we now understand about how to address them together.
03
STATEWIDE SERVICE EQUITY
Delaware may be a small state, but the distance between our counties can feel much larger than it is. Policy changes made in Dover should reach communities in every county.
Law enforcement officers, clinicians, healthcare workers, teachers, and case managers are doing hard work in complex conditions. Supporting them is essential to supporting the communities they serve.
04
SUPPORT THE PEOPLE DOING THE WORK
THE POPULATIONS DELAWARE FORGETS
05
I have watched us leave these people behind for my entire career.
06
SUPPORTING LAW ENFORCEMENT, SUPPORTING COMMUNITIES
I proudly support our law enforcement officers and first responders across Delaware and throughout the nation. Through my work alongside agencies across the state, I have gained valuable insight into the realities they face.
CAMPAIGN STATEMENT
PUBLIC SAFETY AND COMPASSION
ARE NOT OPPOSING VALUES.
THEY GO HAND IN HAND.
WATARA HEATH
“Substance use, mental health, homelessness, and disability are not separate problems. They are the same problem showing up in different rooms.”
EXPERIENCE IN THE REAL WORLD
THE ROOMS WHERE THE WORK ACTUALLY HAPPENS
01
02
03
04
05
06
CLINICIAN, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH UNIT
CRISIS NEGOTIATION TEAM
NATIONAL CO-RESPONDER CONFERENCE
SPECIALTY COURTS
ACROSS THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SYSTEM
FAITH & COMMUNITY
Serves with the Dover Police Department and Milford Police Department, responding alongside officers to mental health crises, substance use, domestic violence, homelessness, and collaborates with other specialized law enforcement units, providing support surrounding human trafficking cases.
Civilian member of the Dover Police Department’s Crisis Negotiation Team, and works in the capacity as mental health specialist on the Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) team supporting first responders after traumatic events.
Selected in 2026 to present the Dover Police Department Behavioral Health Unit’s co-responder model in Dallas, sharing Delaware’s innovative approach to public safety and behavioral health.
Works closely with Kent County’s Veterans Court and Mental Health Court, collaborating with Veterans Affairs, EMS, emergency departments, and Victim Services.
Experience spanning Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) teams, methadone clinics, residential addiction treatment, and Delaware’s correctional system since 2008. Acute Psychiatric Hospital, Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), and Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP).
A proud member of the AME church tradition, serving on the Steward Board of Trinity AME Church in Middletown, and collaborating with volunteers and collaborates with other churches and organizations throughout the State.
HOW I WILL LEAD
Delaware deserves honest conversations grounded in respect, transparency, and a shared commitment to finding solutions.
01
Bring emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and mutual respect to every conversation in Legislative Hall.
02
Have the courage to engage in discussions that may be uncomfortable while remaining willing to truly listen to perspectives different from my own.
03
Combine lived experience with factual information, because both are essential to good policy.
04
Work in good faith across differences, because that is the only way we build stronger communities together.
