Christiana Care Health System has announced long-anticipated plans for a $260 million project at Christiana Hospital south of Newark.
The proposed Women and Children’s building — developed in collaboration with patients and their families — will better integrate services for mothers and babies, a release stated.
“This important investment in our community will advance the most innovative, high-quality, comprehensive specialty care for women, children and babies,” said Janice E. Nevin, CEO of Christiana Care Health System. “These improvements will enable Christiana Care to provide an exceptional experience with the goal of optimal health for the women and children we serve.”
The proposed eight-story building will include:
- A new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to replace the current NICU, featuring private rooms with sleep-in space for families.
- New and expanded labor and delivery suites.
- Private rooms for families after delivery.
- An expanded triage area.
- Separate admitting and discharge areas for the convenience of our patients.
- The Continuing Care Nursery for babies with newborn jaundice, feeding challenges, neonatal abstinence syndrome and other health problems.
Christiana Care presented the project to the Delaware Health Resources Board (DHRB) as part of the state’s Certificate of Public Review process.
Plans for the proposed project were submitted to the DHRB on Oct. 1 following the health system’s letter of intent to the DHRB in January. Christiana Care has remained silent on the project until now.
Christiana Care plans to break ground in April 2017, with completion expected in 2020. The project includes both new construction and renovation of existing facilities within the current Women and Children’s building, which opened in 1995.
Complementing the Women and Children’s project will be a four-level parking garage near the hospital’s main entrance for patients and visitors and a new employee parking deck behind Christiana Hospital. Parking has been at a premium at the hospital for years.
Last year, more than 6,450 babies were born at Christiana Hospital — an average of more than 17 births each day – making Christiana Hospital one of the busiest maternity centers on the East Coast.
The center is also expected to help the hospital system better deal with the growing problem of mothers with heroin addiction. Delaware, while making progress in recent years, has a high infant mortality rate.
“At the foundation of Christiana Care’s innovative model of women and children’s services is a stronger partnership between women and their health care providers to ensure optimal health prior to pregnancy, provide increased access to prenatal care during pregnancy, and give babies the healthiest start possible once they are born,” said David A. Paul, M.D., chair of Pediatrics and clinical leader of Christiana Care’s Women and Children’s service line. “Through this project, our investments in our community — concrete, programmatic and collaborative — will strengthen the health of women and children in Delaware and our region.”
Christiana Care has a Level III neonatal intensive care unit, the only hospital in Delaware that offers the highest level of care to the most critically ill newborns.
Christiana Care Health System is one of the country’s largest health care systems, ranking as the 22nd leading hospital in the nation and 12th on the East Coast regarding admissions. Preventive medicine, rehabilitation services, and patient/family advisors for core health care services.
Christiana Care includes two hospitals with 1,100 patient beds.
