Sussex at turning point for healthcare

Sussex County has long stood at the crossroads of rapid growth and enduring health disparities. For years, residents have faced the challenges of too few primary care providers, long travel times for specialty care and a healthcare workforce stretched thin.

Gov. Matt Meyer’s sweeping proposal – anchored by Delaware’s application for up to $1 billion from the Rural Health Transformation Program – may finally signal a turning point.

At the heart of Meyer’s plan is Delaware’s first four-year medical school. The idea is to create a train-here, stay-here pipeline for providers. For a region where primary care is too often inaccessible, the strategy is both overdue and essential.

As Delaware Health Care Commission Chair Dr. Neil Hockstein put it, the state must become a net importer of healthcare talent, nurturing interest from middle school onward, and supporting students through training, residencies and loan repayment. 

Just as encouraging is the emphasis on meeting people where they are. Instead of investing in massive new facilities, the state aims to expand decentralized care through mobile clinics – a model Beebe Healthcare has already embraced. From a single repurposed library unit during the pandemic, Beebe’s mobile fleet has grown to five units equipped for exams, triage, phlebotomy and even wound care.

But Beebe isn’t the only local institution positioning itself to meet this moment. Bayhealth is also leaning into the challenges and opportunities of rural care. During an Oct. 8 visit to the Bayhealth Sussex Campus, Meyer acknowledged the “tremendous heroes” working in rural hospitals and highlighted the difficulty of staffing them. Bayhealth’s ongoing $300 million expansion reflects a major investment in both workforce retention and patient access. Its new mobile care unit, designed to deliver services such as mental health support and bloodwork directly to patients, aligns with the statewide shift toward comprehensive, community-based care.

With bold statewide investment, committed state and federal partners, and local health systems ready to innovate, Sussex County has an opportunity to reshape its healthcare future.