Beebe Healthcare and CAMP Rehoboth representatives held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Aug. 27 to celebrate the opening of the Beebe Health Suite at CAMP Rehoboth.

The health suite offers HIV and STI screening, PrEP services, vaccinations, care coordination, referrals, health education and outreach to the community.

Located at 39 Baltimore Ave. in downtown Rehoboth Beach, the health suite represents an important partnership between Beebe and CAMP Rehoboth focused on expanding access to preventive healthcare services in a trusted community setting.

“CAMP Rehoboth is excited to welcome Beebe Healthcare to its campus in the City of Rehoboth Beach,” said Robin Brennan, DrPH, CAMP Rehoboth executive director. “This partnership expands welcoming and affirming care not only to the LGBTQ+ community, but for all of southern Delaware.”

“Today is an exciting milestone, not just for Beebe Healthcare and CAMP Rehoboth, but for the entire community,” said Bill Chasanov, DO, infectious disease physician and chief health systems design officer at Beebe Healthcare. “This partnership is built on a shared belief that healthcare should be accessible, convenient and connected to the communities we serve.”

The health suite ensures important screening, counseling and prevention resources remain available in downtown Rehoboth Beach. When conversations between Beebe and CAMP Rehoboth began, one thing became clear: These services matter deeply to the community, and there was a strong desire to ensure they not only continued but expanded.

The health suite is also an example of Beebe’s commitment to value-based care, focusing on prevention, education, wellness and helping people stay healthy. Through this partnership, patients will have easier opportunities to access screenings, education, prevention services and support within their community.

Care at the health suite will be available to all patients. It will continue HIV and STI screening and related counseling while expanding prevention services, including plans for what will be Delaware’s first pharmacy-led PrEP program.

“We’re also introducing an innovative pharmacist co-led care model that helps expand access while maintaining the high-quality standards patients expect from Beebe Healthcare,” Chasanov said.

“PrEP may be one of the most transformative public health advances of our lifetime,” said Rebecca Marcinak, PharmD, a clinical pharmacist with Beebe Healthcare. “It offers not only protection from HIV, but also peace of mind, dignity and opportunity. Every person who gains access to prevention brings us one step closer to ending the HIV epidemic.”

Marcinak also highlighted how pharmacists can help expand access to preventive care. In Delaware, new pharmacy practice laws allow pharmacists to connect patients with PrEP services while collaborating closely with physicians and other healthcare clinicians. These changes enable Marcinak to leverage her expertise as a board-certified infectious diseases pharmacist and American Academy of HIV Medicine credentialed pharmacist to help improve access to HIV prevention and care.

“My hope is that our health suite becomes more than a place to receive medication,” said Marcinak. “I hope it becomes a place where people feel welcome, supported, informed and empowered to take charge of their health.”

The health suite is the beginning of a broader vision that includes the future wellness and clinical space at 39 Baltimore Ave. As the partnership moves forward, decisions will continue to be guided by community input, community need and a shared commitment to improving health.

“This partnership demonstrates what can happen when healthcare organizations and community partners come together around a common purpose,” Chasanov said. “We are grateful to CAMP Rehoboth for their partnership and excited for what comes next.”

To learn more, go to beebehealthcare.org/locations/beebe-health-suite-camp-rehoboth.