TidalHealth Nanticoke set to build a new mobile van to help communities
SEAFORD, Del. – Expanding health access, to all, that’s the goal of Tidalhealth’s community outreach initiative. We’re told with the recent grant of $350,000 to build a mobile health van, they’re on their way to accomplishing that goal. “When you have primary care you’re better able to manage your chronic condition, and then you can have a better quality of life,” says Kat Rodgers, the Director of Community Health Initiative at TidalHealth Nanticoke. “Healthcare is a basic right and we just want to make sure people have access to it, and they’re able to live their best life,” adds U.S. Congresswoman Lisa Blunt-Rochester.
Medical experts at TidalHealth Nanticoke tell us, their Wagner Wellness van showed them what the community needs, and how many parts of Sussex county were lacking in terms of health care and education. Now with the help of Congresswoman Blunt-Rochester, the hospital says they can better assist community members. “Transportation becomes a barrier, but also sometimes just fear of coming out and getting access,” says Blunt-Rochester.
We’re also told the money will be used to build a smaller version of the Wagner Wellness van to get to harder to reach areas of the community. They say they want to visit churches, health clinics, homeless shelters, and even food pantries to find those that need medical help the most. Rodgers says, “To do cancer screenings, diabetes assessments, blood pressure screenings, and make sure we are as healthy as we can be and improve the wellbeing of our community.”
The mobile health van is just a small part of the hospital’s overall initiative, to keep the community healthy. Whether through medical, social, or economic needs, they say they’re ready to help Sussex county. “And really connect all the dots so that they can get those other social factors under control and better manage their health,” says Rodgers. Blunt-Rochester adds, “It’s vital, the delta variant is still out there and there may be more to come so we just need to stay on it with our health care.”
The Congresswoman also tells us, health care is her number one priority and she wants to make sure everyone has access to it, no matter where they live. Rodgers adds, they’re always looking for more community partners such as a local church, or a non-profit to expand their outreach or provide health education.
