Westside Family Healthcare’s Lolita Lopez, President & CEO, to Serve on Governor’s Pandemic Resurgence Committee
June 24, 2020
Westside Family Healthcare’s Lolita Lopez, President & CEO, to Serve on Governor’s Pandemic Resurgence Committee
Lolita Lopez, FACHE, President & CEO of Westside Family Healthcare, will serve on Governor John Carney’s Pandemic Resurgence Advisory Committee as a member of the Equity Subcommittee.
Governor John Carney created a Pandemic Resurgence Advisory Committee (PRAC) to plan for a potentially dangerous resurgence of COVID-19 in fall 2020. The PRAC plans to develop public health strategy that is ready in case of a resurgence; identify tactics and resources to manage a resurgence; assess methods to protect vulnerable populations and consider disproportionate effects on minority-owned businesses in the event of a resurgence of COVID-19. Co-chairs, Lieutenant Governor Bethany Hall-Long and Secretary of State Jeff Bullock, lead the committee.
“Federally Qualified Health Centers, like Westside Family Healthcare, are key in reaching vulnerable populations hard hit by the virus in both urban and rural areas,” said Lolita Lopez, President and CEO of Westside Family Healthcare, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) with offices in Wilmington, Newark, Bear, and Dover. “As a trusted community health provider, we will help design Delaware’s COVID-19 resurgence plan to ensure communities most at risk receive the resources they need to stay safe throughout the course of the pandemic.”
As COVID-19 hit Delaware, Westside immediately implemented rigorous precautions in their health centers to protect patients, staff, and our community. These precautions include engineering controls for social distancing and transmission reduction, administrative controls to train staff and provide a safe work environment, and securing adequate PPE to stop the spread of COVID-19 in vulnerable communities. Westside is executing COVID-19 testing events in Delaware hotspot neighborhoods in partnership with the State of Delaware, community health centers, hospital systems, and other health partners. As a community healthcare provider, Westside leads these events to keep communities safe, increase knowledge of the prevalence and spread of the virus, and gain valuable information that can help make better-informed decisions.
Learn more about free, COVID-19 testing events by following Westside on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
###
About Westside Family Healthcare
Westside Family Healthcare is a Joint Commission Accredited non-profit community health system with locations currently in Wilmington, Northeast Wilmington, Newark, Bear/New Castle, and Dover providing care to 28,316 patients through 99,012 visits in 2018. Westside is the largest community health system in the state, providing family medical, dental, prenatal, and behavioral health services, regardless of ability to pay. Thirty three percent of Westside Family Healthcare’s budget in 2018 comprised of Federal funds. Care is provided for all individuals, regardless of insurance status or ability to pay. Learn more about Westside at www.westsidehealth.org.
Media Contact:
Maggie Norris-Bent
Director of External Affairs
(302) 656-8292/ 302-584-0654 (cell)
maggie.norris-bent@westsidehealth.org
###