Delaware County moves step closer to opening health department

Delaware County takes steps to open much-needed health department

Marcus Espinoza reports from Yeadon, Pa. on the opening of a new wellness center, which will, eventually, serve as the hub for a much-needed health department for the county.

YEADON, Pa. - Delaware County may not have its own health department, yet, but Wednesday, they cut the ribbons on a new wellness center.

The location in Yeadon will serve as a vaccination site and, eventually, be the hub of the county’s health department.

Which is music to the ears of the people of Delco.

"Today is just really super exciting because it’s been an effort since 1968 to establish a health department in Delaware County. This is really the birth of that," exclaimed COVID Director for Delaware County Rosemarie Halt.

A historic opening in Delaware County on two fronts Wednesday. The first, the beginning of that much desired health department. The second, another vaccination clinic in the area to serve Delaware County residents.

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Yeadon mayor Rohan Hepkins tells FOX 29 it’s the perfect spot for both those things.

"For it to be housed right here, in Yeadon Borough, is a form of prestige and a feather in our cap that the county thought it worthy of housing the entire county health center right here," Mayor Hepkins.

The mayor added one major reason why that’s the case.

"We’re densely populated, we have two major hospitals here, Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital and Delaware County Memorial Hospital up the street. We have four or five elderly care facilities, so it makes sense. We’re the most undeserved population. I believe in the county," Mayor Hepkins added.

Dr. Monica Taylor, Vice Chair with Delaware County City Council says they’ve worked toward this since they were sworn in.

"We started to form a transition team that put together our plans to move forward. In January, once we were sworn in, we started to work toward the process. We met with the state to learn how to put in a health department," Dr. Taylor explained.

Rosemarie Halt is the COVID Director for Delaware County. She says the pandemic has really accelerated the pace at which the center is finally being built.

"We’re pretty much driving the car and building it at the same time. It’s a challenge, but I think everybody is really excited and we have such a commitment from the community, not just council," Halt stated.

Halt says they will be running vaccinations four days a week to start and hoping to have 2,000 a week beginning next week.

"We’re vaccinating the vaccinators today, basically to keep everybody safe and then we’ll be a critical operating weekly. Right now, we’re limited on the vaccine supply," Halt added.

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