Westside Family Healthcare Launches New Children’s Book
WILMINGTON, DE July 24, 2024 – Westside Family Healthcare, Delaware’s largest community health center, is thrilled to announce the publication of a children’s book titled: Captain Westside and the Health Heroes: Caring for Delaware’s Families. Captain Westside and the Health Heroes follows Carmen, a young Delawarean, as she fights her fear of doctors and health care with the help of Captain Westside, the superhero leader of the “Health Heroes.” The story teaches children the significance of staying healthy, being courageous, and feeling more confident as they navigate the challenges of today’s world and encourages children to join the Health Heroes as they improve the health of the community and strive for health equity for all. Westside partnered with Mainstay Publishing, a local children’s book publisher, to produce the book, which was written by Denise Blum and illustrated by Lori Shields.
Captain Westside was inspired by Westside’s own superhero, former President & CEO Lolita Lopez. In July of 2023, Lopez retired from Westside after 33 years of service, tirelessly advocating for health equity for Delawareans. Since she began her career in early childhood development in the 1980s, Lopez has been a passionate advocate for the un- and underinsured in Delaware. Carmen is based on Lopez’s mother, who immigrated to America from Spain at the age of six in 1924.
“Lolita hired me as an intern in 1999,” said President & CEO Chris Fraser, “and inspired many of us over the last 30 years. This project is not only a testament to Westside’s commitment to health equity and early childhood development, but it also honors the legacy of our own fearless leader, Lolita Lopez, who has always championed innovative approaches to community health and health equity for all.”
Lopez read Captain Westside and the Health Heroes at the Wilmington Public Libraryto celebrate the book’s official publication and launch Westside’s distribution efforts, which will spread Captain Westside’s message to our communities across Delaware. Westside is grateful for the support of our dedicated community members, many of whom attended the reading of the book on Wednesday.
“Sometimes things make so much sense that we forget how visionary they were when they started, and Westside Family Healthcare is a great example of that,” said attendee First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney. “Comprehensive, multi-generational, truly accessible care responsive and accountable to the people it serves. We know now that’s the only way to get the job done. Thank you to Lolita and all the health heroes at Westside along with Mainstay Publishing for bringing this inspirational book to life.”
Westside’s goal is to distribute 6,000 Captain Westside children’s books during the first year after publication through the Reach Out and Read program. Reach Out and Read partners with medical centers like Westside to encourage children and their families to incorporate readings into their holistic health plans. The program provides new books to young patients during their routine visits and provides books for children in-need throughout our communities. The success of the Reach Out and Read model has been proven, as parents who participate in the program are two and a half times more likely to read to their children, and children’s language development is improved by 3-6 months by the time they reach Kindergarten. Westside has partnered with Reach Out and Read for 15 years, as early childhood education and literacy remain key components in our vision of health equity for all.
“I am grateful and honored to take part in this important celebration of the book, ‘Captain Westside and Health Heroes,’ said Kyu Rhee, MD, MPP, President and CEO of the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC). “As a Community Health Center pediatrician, dad, and board member of Reach Out and Read, I have seen firsthand the transformative effects of fostering early childhood literacy. The health care heroes at Westside Family Healthcare, and at every Community Health Center in this country, know that reading and language proficiency are a key social driver of health and an essential tool for generating better health outcomes and reducing health disparities.”
Delaware is uniquely challenged when it comes to literacy and early childhood education—particularly for Delawareans living in poverty. Delaware’s 2024 KIDS COUNT report revealed that only 25% of students from low-income families are reading at an appropriate grade level—a measure that has decreased by 6% since 2019. Westside serves more than 24,000 patients per year, more than 90% of whom are at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level, and more than 6,000 of whom are children.
“Westside is incredibly proud to launch Captain Westside and the Health Heroes as a critical initiative in our efforts to tackle the on-going literacy challenges facing children and their families in Delaware, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic” Fraser continued. “By distributing 7,000 copies in English and Spanish across our health centers and the broader community, we aim to foster a love of reading and, ultimately, to improve educational outcomes for our children.”
Captain Westside was written and published by Mainstay Publishing in collaboration with Westside Family Healthcare. This project was funded by the HRSA American Rescue Plan Act.
Email externalaffairs@westsidehealth.org or visit www.westsidehealth.org/captainwestside to secure your copy today!
About Westside Family Healthcare:
Westside Family Healthcare has been a leader in community health in Delaware for more than 30 years. Westside is the largest Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in Delaware, serving more than 24,000 patients annually from underrepresented communities across the state. We are Joint Commission Accredited and have been certified as a Primary Care Medical Home. We offer integrated health services including primary medical, behavioral, and dental services, and we operate special programs that address social conditions that impact health. Westside has five locations in: Bear/New Castle, Newark, Dover, and Wilmington (4th Street and Northeast), as well as a mobile health unit that travels to farms in Sussex and Kent Counties. Our mission is to improve the health of our communities by providing equal access to quality healthcare, regardless of ability to pay and our vision is to achieve health equity for all.
