Governor Moore Joins TidalHealth for Salisbury Clinic Opening, Expanding Access to Health Care in Rural Communities
ANNAPOLIS, MD — Governor Wes Moore today joined leaders from Salisbury-based health system TidalHealth for the ribbon cutting of its new Edward Q. Wilgus Community Clinic, which will deliver community-based healthcare to Salisbury’s historically disinvested east side. The state-of-the-art facility—supported by a $1 million grant through the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development—will strengthen community health and access to care, reduce unnecessary emergency department visits, and contribute to the pipeline of rural healthcare jobs.
“In Maryland, we share a simple but powerful belief – everyone deserves access to quality, affordable health care. The Edward Q. Wilgus Community Clinic will expand access to world-class medical treatment and services for our rural communities, and advance our commitment to leave no one behind,” said Gov. Moore. “At a time when the federal government is cutting funding and access to health care for our rural hospitals, Maryland is proving that there is a better way.”
The Edward Q. Wilgus Clinic will bring essential medical services to the Church Street neighborhood, a historically disinvested area in east Salisbury. The clinic will offer full primary care services for adults, telehealth, behavioral health services, blood draws, and preventive screenings, in addition to nutritional counseling, diabetes education, financial guidance, and community support groups. As the primary location for TidalHealth’s resident physicians specializing in internal medicine, the clinic is expected to handle between 12,000 and 15,000 patient visits annually.
“TidalHealth is committed to offering accessible, affordable, high-quality medical care for adult patients with a team of experienced and compassionate providers who are dedicated to understanding the unique healthcare needs of our east side community neighbors,” said TidalHealth President and Chief Executive Officer Steve Leonard, Ph.D., MBA, FACHE. “The Edward Q. Wilgus Community Clinic extends our promise to bring healthcare, leadership, mentoring, and medical stability to the front doors of those who need it most but have the greatest challenges obtaining it.”
The State of Maryland provided a $1 million grant for construction of the project through the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development’s Seed Community Development Anchor Institution Fund, which provides competitive grants and loans to higher education or hospital institutions for community development projects.
“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 Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Jake Day. “This grant is one piece of the puzzle and a reminder that Maryland’s Moore-Miller Administration and DHCD won’t leave any neighborhood behind.”
The project is a key element of the TidalHealth Foundation’s “SPARK” campaign—a $5 million initiative to support graduate medical education across the health system, including the Wilgus Community Clinic. TidalHealth’s graduate medical education program aims to attract outstanding resident physicians, provide them with a place to train, and ultimately encourage them to plant roots and serve the community long term.
As President Trump and Republicans in Congress are cutting a quarter of a billion dollars from Maryland’s rural hospitals, the Moore-Miller Administration is committed to improving healthcare access and support for Maryland’s rural communities. In October 2024, the governor joined elected officials to break ground on the UM Shore Regional Medical Center, marking a major investment to improve healthcare access for Marylanders on the Eastern Shore.
The Maryland Department of Health is also engaged in a number of partnerships to advance key initiatives in rural health, including with the Maryland State Office of Rural Health to build local resources and expand health care access; with Area Health Education Centers to enhance training, recruitment, and retention of future and practicing health care providers in rural Maryland; and through more than $37 million in behavioral health investments for FY 2025 and FY 2026 across the Mid-Shore to build a more robust continuum of behavioral health care.
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CONTACT:
Allison Foster, Director of Communications – allison.foster@maryland.gov
