GEORGETOWN, Del. - Healthcare network ChristianaCare is looking to expand its presence in Delaware with a new health campus in Georgetown.
ChristianaCare says the new campus is part of an effort to provide increased outpatient and emergency care in Sussex County. Officials at ChristianaCare describe the area as both rapidly growing and medically underserved.
The health system announced on Feb. 12 that it had submitted a Notice of Intent to the Delaware Health Resources Board for a 42,000-square-foot campus on DuPont Boulevard in Georgetown.
The proposed campus, according to ChristianaCare, includes a health center offering primary care, specialty care, behavioral health, and other outpatient services. A “neighborhood hospital” featuring eight emergency beds and eight inpatient beds, a model the system says is similar to its West Grove campus in Pennsylvania, is also included in the plans.
ChristianaCare President and CEO Dr. Janice E. Nevin said Sussex County has a growing and aging population and is designated by the Health Resources & Services Administration as a Medically Underserved Area, adding the project is meant to bring care closer to where it’s needed.
“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,” Nevin said. “Our goal is simple: ensure that every Delawarean can access the care they need, in the right place at the right time.”
ChristianaCare says it’s partnering with Emerus Holdings, Inc. for the neighborhood hospital component, describing Emerus as the nation’s leading developer of the model and noting it has partnered in operating more than 45 acute care facilities nationwide. Emerus CEO Vic Schmerbeck said the company is “proud to continue” its partnership with ChristianaCare to expand healthcare services in Sussex County.
The health system estimates the Georgetown campus will cost $65.1 million and is expected to open in late 2028. ChristianaCare says it already offers services in Sussex County including primary care, specialty care, virtual care, and home health and hospice, but notes Sussex and Kent counties are projected to see an 8% population increase by 2030, with a significant rise in residents 65 and older. Officials with the health system say they will continue exploring other opportunities to expand access to care elsewhere in Delaware, including Kent County.
