Bayhealth, Nemours partner to bring more services to Sussex

A recently announced collaboration with Nemours will bring new specialty services for seniors and children to Bayhealth's $300 million health campus slated to open in Sussex County in 2019.

Bayhealth officials recently announced the partnership with Nemours will feature hearing and vision services for seniors as well as pediatric care services.

“Nemours is expanding and committing to the lower part of this state in a way I think families will find much more convenient and accessible,” said Bayhealth President and CEO Terry Murphy.

Murphy said the first buildings of the health campus, located on a 165-acre parcel off Route 1 at Route 30 in Milford, will include a 250,000- to 350,000-square-foot hospital, 60,000-square-foot ambulatory care center and separate facilities for Nemours services.

Groundbreaking for the health campus is expected in spring 2016, Murphy said, with an opening expected January 2019.

The details of services to be provided by Nemours are not yet finalized, said Chris Manning, senior manager of public and media relations at Nemours, but the focus will be on meeting the needs of children, seniors and families in Kent and Sussex counties.

“Through this partnership, we will be meeting unmet needs, whether that's more of the services that are already provided, or adding services that don't exist,” Manning said. “Our goal is to meet the need.”

Both Manning and Murphy said Sussex County families often drive more than an hour for specific, specialized pediatric care, a burden that can be overwhelming for families.

“The more we can do to bring care to the communities we serve, the better,” Manning said. “Really what this collaboration shows is how we're moving toward a model of healthcare in Delaware that's really focusing on managing the health of the population.”

Some families may still have to travel to Wilmington or out of state for specialized pediatric care, but initial appointments, follow-up care, select speciality services and out-patient services will soon be available in Sussex County, as well as extended services for retirees in the area.

“Our relationship with Bayhealth is one of professional collaboration in pursuit of a larger goal: To give Delawareans access to the best possible care in their communities, no matter their age,” said Dr. Brent King, enterprise vice president for Nemours and chief medical officer of the Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, in a press release.

Bayhealth's new campus will also provide primary care, specialty physicians and diagnostic testing at the new campus. Bayhealth's Milford Memorial Hospital, a 22-acre site, is expected to be re-imagined for other uses when the new campus takes on healthcare services for the area.

For more information about Bayhealth's new health campus, go to ImagineDE.com.