Three area health care providers are teaming up to expand medical education and resources in central and southern Delaware.  

ChristianaCare, BayHealth and Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine announced on Feb. 18 a new partnership to establish a Delaware Collaborative Clinical Campus.

That partnership aims to expand a network of undergraduate medical education and attract more physicians to Kent and Sussex counties, locations known as “Medically Underserved Areas” with a history of shortages of primary care, dental care and mental health resources.  

The news comes after ChristianaCare also announced plans for a $65.1 million health campus in Georgetown to fill similar service gaps on Feb. 11.

How will the Delaware Collaborative Clinical Campus operate? 

ChristianaCare and the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine have been longtime collaborators.

College students train at ChristianaCare facilities throughout New Castle County. And now, the Collaborative Clinical Campus expands that partnership by bringing Bayhealth into a “coordinated statewide training model of high-quality clinical rotations and academic mentorship,” ChristianaCare said in its announcement.  

The program is scheduled to begin in July 2026.

Five third-year medical students will complete clinical rotations primarily in Kent and Sussex counties at both Bayhealth and ChristianaCare facilities, with additional ChristianaCare opportunities in New Castle County. Training covers a range of clinical settings and specialties, including primary care, obstetrics and gynecology and psychiatry.  

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These five students are Delaware Institute of Medical Education and Research students from Delaware, returning home for clinical training. However, this collaboration will open opportunities to all Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine students. The first cohort will join the 55 students already training at the Delaware Branch Campus at ChristianaCare.

PENNSYLVANIA – The definition of middle class in the United States is always evolving, and changes drastically from state to state.

With cost of living and salary as two major factors, are you considered middle class where you live?

By the numbers:

A recent study revealed the lowest income needed to be considered middle class in each state, ranging from $39,418 to $69,885 — more than a $30,000 difference!

In Pennsylvania, you need to earn at least $51,697 this year, which is nearly $2,500 more than last year. The upper-middle class income range for Pennsylvania is more than double: $120,626 to $155,090.

Those numbers are even higher in New Jersey, which ranks as the second-hardest state to enter the middle class.

This year, New Jersey residents must make at least $69,529 to be considered middle class — a $3,015 increase from last year. To be upper-middle class in New Jersey, residents’ income has to range from $162,235 to $208,588.

Delaware falls in the middle with the lowest income of $58,356 and an upper-middle class range of $136,164 to $175,068.

Big picture view:

Mississippi is the easiest state to be considered middle class, while Massachusetts is the hardest.

Massachusetts

• Upper-middle class income range: $163,066 to $209,656
• Lowest income to be middle class: $69,885

Mississippi

• Upper-middle class income range: $91,975 to $118,254
• Lowest income to be middle class: $39,418

Dig deeper:

The Pew Research Center defines “middle class” as earning an income between two-thirds and twice the national median income, falling between the socio-economic hierarchy of the working class and upper class.

About half of the adults in the United States considered themselves to be part of the middle class in 2022, according to a Gallup survey.