Penn Biology professor Ala Stanford broke ground on a new imaging center in North Philadelphia on Monday.
The specialized healthcare facility is sponsored by the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium at the Dr. Ala Stanford Center for Health Equity, two organizations founded by Stanford. The center will provide direct access to diagnostic services — including ultrasounds, mammography, computed tomography scans, and X-rays.
The consortium hosted an April 20 groundbreaking ceremony at the health equity center in North Philadelphia.
“This new facility represents our commitment to providing the highest quality diagnostic care and cutting-edge technology to our community,” the organization wrote in an Instagram post. “Together, we are building a future of accessible, equitable healthcare for all.”
Stanford founded the consortium during the pandemic to increase access to resources in Philadelphia’s underserved communities. She then founded the health equity center — a multidisciplinary ambulatory care facility — to improve outcomes and healthcare access in areas of low life expectancy.
The new imaging center will expand her mission by providing access to “advanced diagnostic services.”
Stanford is one of four Democratic candidates in the race for the seat in the House of Representatives currently held by U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans (D-Pa.). Her candidacy follows Evans’ announcement that he would not seek reelection to Pennsylvania’s Third Congressional District seat, having held the position since 2016. The Third Congressional District includes West Philadelphia, parts of Center City, North Philadelphia, and South Philadelphia.
In a post to X, Evans wrote that he helped secure $3 million in federal funding to open the new imaging facility.
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“I’m proud to see the outsized impact Dr. Stanford and the center have had throughout our community, as they expand access to quality, affordable health care,” he wrote.
Other local politicians have also expressed support for Stanford’s work.
“The Black Doctors Consortium has demonstrated that those who would be served by this funding, despite the facility being located outside of PA-2, would be dispersed across parts of North Philadelphia,” U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) wrote in a news release announcing the center. “That would include my constituents, particularly those who are plagued by the multiple social determinants of health.”
