Westside Health, Inc.

With eight NHSC providers on staff and a patient population increase of more than 50 percent in one year, it’s not surprising that Wilmington, Delaware’s Westside Health, Inc., impressed the 2004 NHSC Awards of Excellence judges. Among its accomplishments, Westside Health has enhanced team-building and enrichment programs, expanded access to care, developed innovative health education initiatives and community partnerships, and improved quality of care through chronic disease management programs.

Westside has created partnerships with:

• Christiana Care Health Services, enabling seven Westside family practice physicians (five of whom are NHSC Scholars) to provide obstetrical care and deliver infants at Christiana Hospital
• Delaware Health Care Commission, which awarded Westside Health $250,000 to support operation of its newest primary care delivery site in an underserved area in Newark, Delaware
• The American Cancer Society, The Wellness Community of Delaware, and Cancer Care Connection—three organizations focusing on screening and treatment that, in conjunction with Westside’s Cancer and Diabetes Collaborative, have made great strides in the quest to reduce mortality rates

Westside’s team building and enrichment programs have included:

• Diabetes and cancer collaborative, which strengthened staff cohesion, coordination, and competency by focusing employees on the importance of appropriate cancer screening and diabetes management
• Continuing medical education and certification policies, which promoted staff competency and coordination
• A financial fitness program, in collaboration with Interfaith Housing, that promoted responsible personal financial management and home ownership

What impressed the 2004 Awards of Excellence judges most, however, was Westside’s health education and preventive care programs:

• A certified diabetes educator, contracted through the Delaware Diabetes Control Program, facilitated direct access to on-site diabetes education while teaching diabetics to effectively manage and monitor their disease
• A childbirth and postpartum education program (in collaboration with Christiana Care) offered on-site childbirth classes in Spanish to complement prenatal and maternity education during patient visits

“We are proud and privileged to be one of the first sites to be recognized by the NHSC as a leader among our national peers,” says Lolita Lopez, Westside’s president and chief executive officer. “We hope that this recognition will encourage excellence and increase awareness of the important work we are doing here in Delaware toward improving health and eliminating health disparities.”