State grant boosts Aspira Health expansion plans
True to its name, Aspira Health has big aspirations in the Sussex County healthcare realm.
Opening two years ago on Route 1 near Dartmouth Drive with a walk-in center and primary and pediatric care, Aspira already has plans to open a new multi-specialty medical and walk-in office on Plantation Road, and a walk-in facility in Ocean View.
Will Albanese, Aspira’s CEO, said plans for Plantation Medical Center would not have been possible without a $1.6 million Transportation Infrastructure Investment Fund grant offered by the Delaware Department of Transportation. The fund was created in 2019 to provide economic assistance for renovation, construction or any other type of improvements to roads and related transportation infrastructure.
“We could not have done it without the TIIF grant,” said Albanese during a tour of the Route 1 facility July 26 with Gov. John Carney.
The grant will help pay for sidewalks and the entrance. Permeable paving and walking paths will complement the facility, and the building will have a barn-like look when finished, Albanese said, a nod to the farming community that once surrounded the area. Ground is expected to be broken for the facility by the end of the year.
Aspira Health has made a name for itself as the first test-to-treat facility in the state, Albanese said. Throughout the COVID pandemic, he said, patients were able to come in and be treated with monoclonal antibodies if needed. “They don’t have to go to the hospital; they come to us because they say they can’t get in anywhere else,” Albanese said.
At the end of the tour, Carney applauded Aspira for its work, saying the state continues to work on bringing healthcare providers to the state.
“Obviously, you’re bringing this great energy into that changing environment where we’re trying to push things into primary care,” Carney said.
Also joining the tour was Rep. Steve Smyk, R-Milton, who said Aspira made its mark when it opened during the COVID pandemic and offered testing to the community.
“It was a very difficult time two years ago and that’s when they got off the ground. They answered a whole lot of needs for testing that was off the charts,” Smyk said.
