The Central Delaware
Chamber of Commerce (CDCC) hosted a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for Westside Family Healthcare on October 14th, 2022, at 12
noon. The event was held at Westside Family Healthcare located at 1020 Forrest
Ave., in Dover. Chamber members and friends joined the team of Westside Family
Healthcare to celebrate the Grand Opening of their Community Refrigerator!
Westside
Family Healthcare has partnered with Planting to Feed and Ubuntu Impact to
launch a new community refrigerator at Westside that will create access to
fresh, nutritious foods in low-income areas, serving both Westside patients and
community members in need. Unlike traditional food pantries,
this grassroots initiative encourages anyone to put food in and take food out
without limit, is there for patients and community members, and accessible 24
hours a day and 365 days a year. The goal is to create equitable access to
healthy foods, particularly where healthy food is scarce. While
community fridges are part of a national movement, this will be the first
community fridge in Kent County!
The Community Refrigerator
at Westside is funded through the Neighbors Helping Neighbors program. This program pulls together all of Westside
Family Healthcare initiatives that address the vital conditions that impact the
health and wellbeing of their patients and surrounding neighbors. This program
is primarily funded by corporate sponsorships, private foundations, and
individual donations, and is to be used for supplies that address the social
determinants of health, like hunger, safety and literacy.
Westside’s sponsors for this project
include: Bayhealth, Young Conaway
Stargatt & Taylor, LLP, M&T Bank, WSFS, Highmark Health, Gallagher
Benefit Services, LabCorp, Amerihealth Caritas Delaware, Incyte, Patterson
Schwartz Foundation, New Castle County Office of the Executives, The Wawa
Foundation, Helen F. Graham Cancer Center, Walgreens, PEP Cleaning Service,
Baird Mandalas Brockstedt Federico & Cardea, LLC, Del One Federal Credit
Union, and Matthews Formal Wear Inc.
“At Westside,
advancing health equity to improve the health of our communities is integral to
our work as a health center”, said Lolita Lopez, President and CEO at Westside
Family Healthcare. “Food insecurity has been a widespread and longtime issue of
poverty, and we believe that everyone deserves access to healthy food to live
healthier lives.”
“Focusing on food
insecurity and the factors that contribute to illness, or the social
determinants of health, has always been the mission of Community Health Centers
like Westside. “We know that there’s a role for Westside to play increasing
access to healthy foods and improving health outcomes in the neighborhoods we
serve,” said Tom Stephens, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Westside Family
Healthcare.
Westside is the
largest community health system in the state with five health centers and a
mobile health unit serving Delaware state-wide with family medical, dental,
prenatal, and behavioral health care, regardless of ability to pay. Westside’s
vision is to create health equity for all. As a community health center,
Westside historically serves marginalized communities, and the Dover community
showed a high need for affordable, culturally competent, integrated care.
Westside Family Healthcare opened our Dover health center in 2011 for health
services and expanded to offering dental services in 2014.
To learn more about Westside Family Healthcare and their
new Community Refrigerator, stop by their office, visit them on the web at https://www.westsidehealth.org/ or
give them a call at 302-678-4622. Please join the Central Delaware Chamber of
Commerce in congratulating the Dover Westside Family Healthcare team on the
Grand Opening of their Community Refrigerator!
