Nemours opens new Milford outpatient facility
Looking to expand its services in Sussex County, Nemours has opened a new pediatric and senior outpatient care facility in Milford.
Nemours already had a presence in Milford, but facilities were scattered all over town. Now, the company has a single, 35,000-square-foot facility where it can offer even more outpatient services than before.
The facility, located across the street from the new Bayhealth Sussex Campus, will be opened in phases with primary pediatric and senior care offices now open, and specialty services coming online by April. Bayhealth will occupy the second floor of the building providing outpatient services starting Monday, Dec. 7.
The Nemours offices will host every specialty care the company offers other than pediatric surgery, which will still be held at the Nemours/A.I. Dupont Children’s Hospital. Dr. Aaron Carpenter, director of advanced practice nursing, said services will include audiology, dentistry, therapy and diagnostic imaging.
Kelly Thomas, office manager, said the design of the new facility allows easier communication between doctors and nurses, and while Nemours had begun building before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, nurse enclaves are able to be socially distanced.
“Funny enough, there’s very little adjustment. We had dividers for the clerical stations because we wanted to cut down on the sound, so that will give us the barrier we needed for COVID,” she said.
Patients who are COVID positive have a private entrance and separate exam room in order to prevent the spread of the virus through the whole building, Thomas said. She said Nemours also has a telehealth system where providers can use a phone system to communicate with a COVID-positive patient, in order to limit exposure.
“They can have less than 10 minutes of contact with a positive patient. Not something we designed, but just kind of fell into our lap,” Thomas said.
The building has color-coded wings so that doctors and patients can easily find where they are going. The pediatric and senior care offices are in two separate areas.
“We’ve been in the area for 25 years and now we’re all in the same area, which is great,” Thomas said.
Carpenter said he was excited that the primary and secondary care facilities will be together, making for a better patient experience.
“To be able to have our own primary care team there and be able to connect with specialists and have warm handoffs with patients is a huge benefit for our patients and families,” Carpenter said.
As for senior care, Thomas said that section includes dental and ophthalmological services, among others.
And finally, the most important feature of all: a Kaisy’s Delights stand near the entrance offering coffee and treats for visitors, which opened Nov. 9.
For more information on Nemours, visit www.nemours.org.
