TidalHealth community clinic gets rolling in Sussex
TidalHealth and TidalHealth Nanticoke’s mission to expand its community health and wellness reach into more western Sussex County neighborhoods recently gained some much-appreciated extra traction.
The TidalHealth Community Wellness team kicked off its mobile health screening and outreach effort in Seaford Feb. 28, aboard its new Wagner Wellness Van.
The mobile clinic on wheels is dedicated to Delaware and operated in partnership with the Seaford Community of Hope. It made its first official stop at the Meadowbridge and Chandler Heights apartment complexes, where nurses provided residents with diabetes risk assessments, blood pressure checks and health education. Free blood pressure cuffs were also given to those in need.
“The SCOH program is excited to partner with TidalHealth’s Community Wellness team to bring vital health services to the families we serve in their natural environment. Health disparities have disproportionally impacted Seaford residents. Therefore, access to resources that will increase the health and well-being of this community is critical,” said Midline Oware, SCOH Children and Families First program manager.
Seaford Community of Hope is a collaborative that serves vulnerable families in Seaford with a focus on families living in low-income housing communities.
TidalHealth’s new mobile health clinic initiative in Seaford is funded through a federal grant provided by Sussex County Council and a second grant awarded through the Health Resources and Services Administration.
“We have been working for two years to get the funding needed to launch these types of initiatives in Sussex County,” said Kat Rodgers, MPH, director of community health initiatives. “It is so exciting to see this hard work come to fruition. These funds allow us to better address the needs of our communities by meeting people where they are, and providing preventative health screening and education. We are also now able to connect residents to community health workers to identify and address needs preventing people from accessing healthcare.”
