Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Jake Day, center left, joins TidalHealth President and CEO, Dr. Steve Leonard, far left, and members of the TidalHealth family while presenting $1 million in revitalization seed money for the new Edward Q. Wilgus Community Clinic on Salisbury’s east side.
SALISBURY – Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Jake Day on Tuesday, August 13 presented $1 million in state funds to TidalHealth in support of the health system’s primary care clinic currently being constructed on East Church Street in Salisbury.
The Seed Community Development Anchor Institution funding will be applied to the Edward Q. Wilgus Community Clinic being built on the site of the former Hotel Esther. The award was one of five presented to Salisbury business and civic leaders by Day totaling $21.6 million and is part of Governor Wes Moore’s overall $63.7 million 2024 package of revitalization program awards.
“Every Maryland family deserves convenient access to healthcare, especially those with limited means and mobility. Building on several years of public and private investment in the neighborhood, TidalHealth’s Edward Q. Wilgus Community Clinic marks a tremendous victory for a neighborhood that had long been neglected,” said Secretary Day, a former Mayor of Salisbury. “This grant is one piece of the puzzle and a reminder that the Moore-Miller Administration and DHCD won't leave any neighborhood behind.”
The Edward Q. Wilgus Community Clinic will fill a desperate need for healthcare, directly at the doorsteps of residents, in the East Church Street community and neighborhood. It’s being built on a 1.8-acre parcel of land that 130 years ago was developed by Dr. Robert Naylor with the intent of being Salisbury’s first hospital. It was a dream Dr. Naylor would not live to realize.
“We consider affordable, high-quality, healthcare within walking distance of homes in the East Church Street neighborhood a fundamental human need for this community,” added Steve Leonard, Ph.D., MBA, FACHE, President and CEO of TidalHealth. “The Edward Q. Wilgus Community Clinic extends our promise to bring healthcare, leadership, mentoring and medical stability to those who need it most, but have the greatest challenges obtaining it.”
The Edward Q. Wilgus Community Clinic, which will open in 2025, will also provide community members with telehealth services, behavioral health, lab draws and preventative screenings. Residents will also have access to nutritional counseling, diabetes education, financial counseling, and various support groups.
The Edward Q. Wilgus Community Clinic will also serve as home base for TidalHealth’s resident physicians who are specializing in internal medicine in the health system’s Graduate Medical Education (GME) program. It is expected to accommodate between 12,000 and 15,000 visits per year.
Also underway is TidalHealth Foundation’s “SPARK” campaign. SPARK is an effort to raise $5 million in support of the resources necessary to support the GME program at TidalHealth, including the Edward Q. Wilgus Community Clinic. To donate in support of the growth of medicine in the Salisbury community, visit tidalhealth.org/foundation or call 410-543-7140.
