Bayhealth Tuesday announced plans for a $250 million health care center in Milford.
A hospital had long been in the works to replace Milford Memorial. However, the scope of the project may have come as a surprise in some quarters. Completion is slated in 2018. The price tag rivals the nearly completed expansion and renovation of Wilmington Hospital and an expansion at Nemours A.I. duPont Childrens Hospital near Wilmington.
“Health care is changing and at the same time so are the needs of our community. After evaluating the direction of health care and conducting detailed research, we realized the community needs more than a hospital,” Bayhealth CEO Terry Murphy said.
By way of a press conference and the use of a health campus website ImagineDE.com, Murphy and Bayhealth officials offered details on a site that will feature an inpatient hospital with the latest technology that will also be complemented by outpatient services.
“Many services that used to be provided in a hospital are now often delivered in an outpatient setting. With a health campus model, our patients will have access to physician offices and expansive diagnostic testing on the same site as the new hospital. The location and expansion of services really means more convenient access to comprehensive, higher quality and better coordinated care for many decades to come,” Murphy said.
The new campus will be located along Wilkins Road and Cedar Creek Road in Milford. This location gives patients and emergency services access off a new Route 30 bypass, directly linking into south Milford.
Milford Memorial serves areas in Kent and Sussex counties that have seen growth that includes an influx of retirees drawn to the area by low taxes, small town lifestyles and access to coastal areas.
Bayhealth announced it will work closely with state and community leaders to ensure that the current Milford Memorial site “becomes a resource for the community.”
“From the moment our research pointed us to a new location, the future of the Clarke Avenue facility has remained a top priority. We will remain very transparent and keep the community informed of the possibilities as we re-imagine the Milford Memorial location along Clarke Avenue. We will partner with state and regional leaders as well as the people of Milford to develop the best approach for this well established community resource,” Murphy said.
Bayhealth is currently interviewing firms with expertise in adaptive reuse of locations like the Clarke Avenue facility and have committed to select a firm by the end of 2014. Bayhealth said the current hospital site was analyzed and it was determined that a new site was needed that could evolve with the changes in health care.
Also, a new tower would not fit in with the neighborhood and would increase congestion.
“It quickly became evident that the best decision was to move the site so we could give the community more than just another hospital. The community needs a location that can evolve with new models of health care and provide more convenient access to expertise and innovations—from prevention to treatment,” Murphy said.
ImagineDE.com, Bayheath will provide details about a construction approach known as the LEAN design process as the project progresses. LEAN is focused on design efficiency with the ultimate goal of improving patient safety.
“The community has waited a long time for this. We recognize that and we are eager to fulfill this promise. It’s crucial for everyone in the community to be engaged in this project, especially patients. It’s their health campus and we want to build it together,” Murphy said.
