When ChristianaCare and its partner, Emerus Holdings Inc., unveiled the plans last week to open three neighborhood hospitals in southeastern Pennsylvania, it was also announced that the first one to open will be the ChristianaCare’s West Grove Campus in southern Chester County.

That’s good news for local residents, who have lacked access to local emergency room care since the Jennersville Hospital closed.

ChristianaCare and Emerus Holdings Inc. have plans to develop two new neighborhood hospitals in Delaware County. The concept of the neighborhood hospital is to provide convenient access to a high-quality emergency department and health care services tailored to the community.

ChristianaCare said that each neighborhood hospital will operate 24/7 with approximately 10 inpatient beds and a full-service emergency department. The emergency departments will treat common emergency care needs such as falls, injuries, heart attacks and strokes. 

The hospitals will also provide diagnostic capabilities, including ultrasound, CT, X-ray and laboratory services. In addition to on-site staff, the hospitals will benefit from access to ChristianaCare’s large network of specialists and support services — such as neurology and cardiology — through virtual consults.

ChristianaCare also will add a health and wellness center at each location with an array of outpatient services. These services will be developed based on community needs and could include primary care, outpatient diagnostics and other specialty services.

We hope ChristianaCare’s West Grove Campus is a success, and that it serves as a model for other neighborhood hospitals.