Wilmington, DE – Westside Family Healthcare will be offering its patients the opportunity to register to vote and to receive information on the voting process in order to mark National Health Center Week 2012 (NHCW), a weeklong campaign (August 5-11) to raise awareness about the mission and accomplishments of America’s Health Centers.
This effort at Westside Family Healthcare to help its staff and clients become more engaged in their community is also part of Community Health Vote 2012; a national initiative started in 2008 by the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) to establish permissible, nonpartisan voter engagement activities — voter registration, voter education, and get-out-the-vote (GOTV) in the low-income, medically underserved communities served by health centers across America.
Partner organizations, including the Wilmington DE Branch of the NAACP, the League of Women Voters of Delaware, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, are providing trained volunteers to operate 14 non-partisan voter registration events this week at Westside Family Healthcare locations in Wilmington, Northeast Wilmington, Bear/New Castle, Newark, and Dover. Patients will also have the opportunity to register to vote when they check-in for their appointment, or when seeking assistance with financial aid.
“Voter engagement is consistent with our founding purpose of improving the life and well-being of our communities,” said Lolita López, President and CEO. “We hope the effort will help our patients and communities become more informed and civically engaged, especially in this important election year.”
The deadline to register to vote in the upcoming September Primary Election is August 18, 2012. For the November General Election, the deadline is October 13, 2012. To register, individuals must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old by Election Day, and a resident of Delaware.
Westside Family Healthcare provides comprehensive, high-quality primary health care services to residents of New Castle and Kent Counties including Family Medical Care, Prenatal and Maternity Care, Family Planning and Gynecological Care, Disease Management and Prevention, Dental Care, Adolescent Health Services, Mental Health Care, Podiatry Care and Support Services. It is part of a network of Federally Qualified Health Centers that offer services at affordable prices for the uninsured and medically underserved. In 2011, Westside Family Healthcare provided care to over 20,000 patients.
