West Center City Neighborhood Medical Home Calls for Equitable Resources

William Hicks Anderson Community Center community longs for economic development and resources for an upgrade. The Neighborhood Medical Home aims to improve the community’s health by improved access to social and

vocational services in the center. My vision is to get this once thriving community, now blighted and sick, back on its feet. Real estate development is happening all around the city which includes a $45 million investment in a

bike trail on the Riverfront, a $100 million Governor Printz development project, a $10 million project to re-locate the Rodney Square transit hub, a $20 million new Baynard Stadium, and a State $65 million bond for real estate developers.  As an alumnae, I even watched in awe as the

University of Delaware allocated $180 million to build a biotechnology center.  Though the university was not interested in investing resources to support access to quality primary specialty care in a ‘One Stop Shop,’ which was something that I advocated for.  Delaware citizens are sicker than most average states, with higher rates of chronic disease (obesity, heart disease and diabetes) in part driven by poverty, food scarcity, homelessness, underemployment and violence. Our state is

consistently ranked among the states that spend the most on health care, yet have poor outcomes. Independent Primary Care Practices once a mainstay to help reduce healthcare costs are at risk of closing up as administrative costs become unbearable. Without changes and investment in primary preventative care, it is estimated that Delaware’s total health care spending will more than double from $9.5 billion in 2014 to $21.5 billion in 2025. Transferring $3 million dollars to this project would pay for the new building construction and would create three full-time city employee jobs who would have health insurance, a pension, sick and vacation time and union representation. As the legendary music icon and activist James Brown sang, Get Up, Get Into It and Get Involved. We can do this! Signing out for 2018. To find out more information about the Beatty Place project go to www.tovacommunityhealth.org or call the mayor’s office.

Dr. Nina Anderson, Chief Editor

Jay Cooperson, AIA, Cooperson Associates

TOVA COMMUNITY HEALTH

www.tovacommunityhealth.org

302-429-5870 ext. 120