Westside Health Clinic in Wilmington DE is one of the finalists in Toyota’s 100 Cars for Goo Facebook Campaign. Today, July 18, you can vote and help get them a minivan to help low income and rural communities get the healthcare they need. Just Click here to vote.
In general, I think this kind of campaign that pits worthwhile charities against each other is a little ugly. You have to choose which one you care most about, if you engage at all. It’s kind of like throwing charities into the lion pit and asking them to do everything (and possibly taking their eyes off their mission) to compete for a rare resource- and something that really matters to their organization.
In this case, I can’t help but support and urge others to help Westside get a minvan. The doctors go out to get patients without transportation to appointments. They provide healthcare to low income and migrant workers. They do community outreach and help people get healthcare where they are.
My husband is a doctor and works for the local hospital. The doctors in the hospital practice rotate through the Westside clinic, providing prenatal and maternity care to the patients, and then cares for them when they are in the hospital as well. The clinic provides more than just maternity care, of course. They treat families, and do outreach in the local and rural communities in the state, serving underserved and low income people with much needed healthcare, and provides transportation to those who don’t have it.
Heck, any parent knows how hard it is when your child is sick. Imagine if you can’t afford to take your child to the doctor. Or you aren’t sure how you can get there, even when you know they need to go. Or how you are going to take time off work that you need to take care of the whole family, to take a child to the doctor, or get pre-natal care for yourself and your new baby. It’s a serious problem, and it can effect a whole family, and whole community.
By supporting Westside in their effort to get a car from Toyota, you are really supporting providing quality healthcare to a whole community. And even though I don’t like the voting/pitting charities against each other thing, I respect Westside for trying to get this grant and get the vehicle that will allow them to do so much. Help them out, if you can. It only takes a minute, and if I can’t convince you, take a look at the great video one of the nurse’s kids put together for the contest. It will warm your heart.
(PS. I am not directly involved in this campaign in any way- I just want to see them continue to serve the community, and help if we can, even in this small way. )