La Red gala celebrates 25 years of care and a vital role at Milford Wellness Village

La Red Health Center will celebrate 25 years of expanding health care in Southern Delaware during an anniversary gala Sept. 24, while highlighting a mission that has become an important part of the Milford Wellness Village.

Community health center is a key partner in the Village’s effort to give Milford-area families coordinated access to medical, behavioral and dental services

By George D. Rotsch, Editor, Milford LIVE

MILFORD, Del. — La Red Health Center will celebrate 25 years of expanding health care in Southern Delaware during an anniversary gala Sept. 24, while highlighting a mission that has become an important part of the Milford Wellness Village.

The 25th Anniversary and Community Awards Celebration will run from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Hyatt Place Dewey Beach. The event will recognize the community partners, business leaders and supporters who helped La Red grow from a bilingual telephone referral line into a comprehensive health center serving more than 15,000 patients annually.

“This event is very special for La Red, we aren’t only celebrating the milestone of turning 25,” said Rachel Hersh, La Red’s President and CEO, “we are honoring our founders’ vision and the commitment of everyone involved that has led to La Red become a flourishing healthcare center that 15,000 people rely upon every day for their healthcare needs. It really is a testament to what communities can do when they work together.”

For residents of Milford and northern Sussex County, La Red’s work is visible at 21 W. Clarke Ave., where the organization operates as a key service partner within the Milford Wellness Village.

The Village brings more than 30 health, education and community-service organizations together on the former Milford Memorial Hospital campus. Its goal is to make care more accessible and coordinated by allowing residents to find multiple services in one location.

La Red plays a vital role in that model by providing a direct entry point into primary and preventive health care for children, adults, seniors and families — including people who may have difficulty obtaining care because of cost, insurance status, language or transportation.

A health care anchor within the Village

La Red moved its Milford Family Practice into the Milford Wellness Village as the former hospital campus was being redeveloped into a collaborative health and wellness center.

The move gave La Red room to expand pediatric and adolescent care, adult and senior services, women’s health, behavioral health and oral health services in northern Sussex County.

That combination makes La Red more than another tenant at the Village. It is one of the organizations helping the campus fulfill its central purpose: connecting residents with care in a convenient setting where medical providers, rehabilitation programs, laboratories, child care organizations and social-service agencies can work near one another.

“La Red was the first tenant to join the Milford Wellness Village and significantly enhanced its facility when it moved here, including the addition of a brand-new, six-chair dental center,” said Meir Gelley, founder and owner of Milford Wellness Village. “As a medical home serving uninsured and underinsured residents, La Red is a key component of primary care at the Village and plays a vital role in making quality health care accessible to the Milford community.”

The Village’s model is intended to reduce the stress of traveling to separate locations for medical appointments, testing, rehabilitation and support services. For patients with multiple health needs — particularly older adults, families with children and people

managing chronic conditions — having services concentrated on one campus can make it easier to remain engaged in care.

La Red contributes broad family health services to that network. Its Milford center provides adult and senior care, pediatric and adolescent care, women’s health and prenatal services, health screenings, treatment for acute illness and chronic disease management.

Services also include behavioral health care, dental care, substance-use disorder treatment, laboratory services, cancer screening referrals, HIV screening, diabetic retinopathy screenings and help obtaining affordable medications.

La Red’s presence ensures that the Milford Wellness Village includes a community health provider whose mission is specifically focused on reaching people who might otherwise fall through gaps in the traditional health system.

From hotline to health network

La Red’s story began before its formal incorporation in 2001, when it operated as a 24-hour telephone hotline. The service helped people with limited English proficiency connect with bilingual physicians who offered discounted medical care.

In 2001, a group of Sussex County physicians joined with a hospital, community center, faith-based organization and local government to establish La Red Health Center.

“La Red” means “the network” in Spanish, a name that reflects both its origins and its continuing reliance on partnerships.

The organization became an independent ambulatory care center in 2003 and later received full status as a Federally Qualified Health Center. That federal designation helps nonprofit, community-based providers deliver care in areas where residents may face financial barriers or shortages of medical services.

Today, La Red operates health centers in Georgetown, Seaford, Milford and a mobile health unit. It welcomes patients regardless of insurance status, income, language or background.

Care beyond an appointment

La Red’s role extends beyond examinations and treatment.

Bilingual community health workers, known as promotoras, help patients understand medical information and navigate the health system. Transportation assistance helps residents reach appointments, while the organization’s mobile health unit carries primary care, vaccinations and pharmacy assistance into Sussex County communities.

La Red also helps patients enroll in insurance programs, obtain medications and coordinate care among providers.

Its outreach includes support for people experiencing homelessness, individuals returning to the community after incarceration and businesses seeking employee wellness programs.

The Produce RX program works with local farms to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to patients in need. On-site services through the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, commonly known as WIC, offer nutrition education and assistance to families at La Red’s Georgetown location.

Those programs support the same principle behind the Milford Wellness Village: Health is affected not only by what happens during a medical appointment, but also by whether a patient has food, transportation, information and access to continuing support.

Partnerships drive the mission

La Red works with hospitals, schools, nonprofits, businesses and government agencies across Sussex County. Its regional partners include Bayhealth, Beebe Healthcare, TidalHealth Nanticoke, the Delaware Division of Public Health and the Sussex County Health Coalition.

At the Milford Wellness Village, that collaborative approach is built into the campus itself. La Red operates alongside organizations providing rehabilitation, skilled nursing, child care, laboratory testing, mental health support and other services.

The arrangement allows La Red to serve as both a health care provider and a connection to a larger network of help.

The anniversary gala will recognize the people and organizations that have sustained that network during La Red’s first 25 years. It will also raise support for the health center’s future work, including its efforts to improve access and health outcomes for families in Milford and across Sussex County.

Individual gala tickets are $175. Sponsorship opportunities are available at several levels.

To Go Box

What: La Red Health Center’s 25th Anniversary and Community Awards Celebration
When: Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, from 6 to 10 p.m.
Where: Hyatt Place Dewey Beach, 1301 Coastal Highway, Dewey Beach
Tickets: $175 per person · Registration: Tickets are available through the La Red Health Center gala page
Information: 302-855-1233 · Sponsorships: Contact SSmith@LaRedHealthCenter.org
Milford health center: La Red Health Center at the Milford Wellness Village, 21 W. Clarke Ave., Milford Appointments and services: Call 302-855-1233 or visit La Red Health Center