Wilmington Campus Receives $1 Million Donation From the Rocco A. and Mary Abessinio Foundation

Jun 14, 2024

2 min

LeRoi Hicks, M.D., MPH

ChristianaCare has received a $1 million gift from The Rocco A. and Mary Abessinio Foundation Inc. in support of ChristianaCare’s Wilmington Campus.


“All families and communities deserve the excellent care that Wilmington Hospital and ChristianaCare provide,” said Rocco and Mary Abessinio. “It is an honor for our family to support the health and wellbeing of the Wilmington community.”


The funds will support areas of greatest need, including the expansion of patient care initiatives aimed at reducing disparities in screening and treatment for cancer and cardiovascular disease in the city of Wilmington.


“We are tremendously grateful to the Rocco A. and Mary Abessinio Foundation for their continued, generous support of the Wilmington Campus – a vital resource serving the greater Wilmington community,” said Janice Nevin, M.D., MPH, ChristianaCare president and CEO. “With their help, we are closing gaps in health disparities and improving health for everyone, including some of Delaware’s most vulnerable populations.”


The Rocco A. and Mary Abessinio Foundation provided a $1 million gift in 2014 for the redesign and renovation of the health center, which was then named the Rocco A. Abessinio Family Health Center at Wilmington Hospital. The health center is home to three primary care practices and other programs and services that offer high-quality health care, wellness and preventive health visits for people of all ages, regardless of their income or ability to pay.


“As a result of the Abessinio family’s longstanding partnership and investment in our mission of service, we are making significant progress in addressing disparities and building strong and healthy communities,” said LeRoi S. Hicks, M.D., MPH, FACP, campus executive director of ChristianaCare’s Wilmington Hospital.


A Wilmington landmark in the heart of the city, the ChristianaCare Wilmington Hospital has been serving the diverse medical needs of the city and surrounding region for over 125 years.


“Philanthropy is essential to ChristianaCare’s mission of service to our community, and we extend our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to Rocco and Mary Abessinio for their inspiring and visionary philanthropic leadership in support of the Wilmington Campus,” said Dia Williams Adams, MPA, vice president of philanthropy at ChristianaCare. “Their gift is a legacy that not only allows us to increase our ability to make a positive impact on patients and community, but honors the incredible work that our caregivers do every day.”


For more information about ways to support ChristianaCare’s mission of service to the community, visit: https://christianacare.org/us/en/make-a-gift.



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LeRoi Hicks, M.D., MPH

LeRoi Hicks, M.D., MPH

Campus Executive Director, ChristianaCare, Wilmington campus

Dr. Hicks is the recipient of numerous clinical and research awards and is nationally known for his research on health care disparities.

Social Determinants of Health/Health DisparitiesMedicineChronic DiseaseInternal MedicineHealth Equity

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