ChristianaCare submitted a notice of intent Feb. 12 to the Delaware Health Resources Board to develop a new health campus in Georgetown.

The move comes as part of $865 million in new investments in Delaware over three years that ChristianaCare announced last July.

The proposed campus will bring more comprehensive care closer to home for residents of Sussex County, an area experiencing rapid population growth and long-standing gaps in access to essential health services.

Similar to ChristianaCare’s West Grove Campus in southern Chester County, Pa., and its upcoming campuses in Springfield and Aston in Delaware County, Pa., the new campus will feature a health center offering primary care, specialty care, behavioral health and other outpatient services, and a neighborhood hospital with eight emergency beds and eight inpatient beds. This facility is designed to make it easier for residents to receive timely, high-quality care in their own community.

“Sussex County is home to a growing and aging population, and is designated by the Health Resources & Services Administration as a medically underserved area,” said Janice E. Nevin, MD, MPH, president and CEO of ChristianaCare. “This new campus will help close gaps in access by bringing high-quality, equitable and more convenient care directly into the community that needs it most. Our goal is simple: ensure that every Delawarean can access the care they need, in the right place at the right time.”

This new ChristianaCare campus will add local outpatient care, and emergency and inpatient care, creating a closer network of services connecting residents to advanced specialty care at ChristianaCare’s regional hospitals.

With respect to the neighborhood hospital component, ChristianaCare is partnering with Emerus Holdings Inc., the nation’s leading developer of this acute-care delivery model. This partnership reflects ChristianaCare’s commitment to bringing nationally recognized, high-quality care to Delaware.

“We are proud to continue our partnership with ChristianaCare to bring sustainable, compassionate and high-quality healthcare to the residents of Sussex County,” said Vic Schmerbeck, CEO of Emerus Holdings Inc. “Together, we are building a next-generation model of care designed around the needs of the community – today and for the future.”

The 42,000-square-foot Georgetown campus is expected to open in late 2028 at 20769 DuPont Blvd., Georgetown. The campus is estimated to cost $65.1 million.

ChristianaCare already offers a range of services in Sussex County, including primary care, specialty care, virtual care, and home health and hospice services. Both Sussex and Kent counties are projected to see an 8% population increase by 2030, with a significant rise in residents age 65 and older. As demand for emergency, primary and specialty care grows, the new campus is designed to make care more local, more connected and more responsive to community needs.

ChristianaCare also will continue to explore opportunities to expand access to care in other areas of Delaware, including Kent County.

At a time when there is uncertainty about the future of heathcare in the U.S., ChristianaCare is doubling down on its investments to expand access to care in the First State.