Wilmington, Del. (December 7, 2022) –The ChristianaCare West Grove campus has received a $2.5 million grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services for facility renovation and the development of outpatient services. The grant consists of $1.5 million from the American Rescue Fund Plan Act (ARPA) and $1 million from the Commonwealth.
ChristianaCare finalized the purchase of its West Grove campus (formerly Jennersville Hospital) from Tower Health in June 2022. The hospital has been closed since Dec. 31, 2021.
“We are deeply grateful to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for these generous grants,” said Bettina Tweardy Riveros, J.D., chief health equity officer and senior vice president of Government Affairs and Community Engagement at ChristianaCare. “These funds will help ensure that the West Grove facility can deliver affordable, effective and equitable systems of care to our neighbors in southern Chester County for many years to come.”
The funding was secured through the collaborative efforts of Chester County’s bipartisan state legislative delegation.
“Securing this funding was a team effort and it represents another important step forward in returning vital emergency, preventive and wellness services to Southern Chester County,” said state Sen. Carolyn Comitta. “By bringing in a trusted partner like ChristianaCare and investing in the future of the West Grove campus, we’re working to expand better health outcomes for all, as well as the potential for economic opportunity, increased employment and community investment that come with it.”
“When ChristianaCare announced this summer that it would purchase Jennersville Hospital, we knew that Chester County and its surrounding neighborhoods would instantly benefit from them stepping up and filling the void of patient care in our area,” said state Sen. John Kane. “Given ChristianaCare’s trusted reputation of quality care and reputable values, supporting them with this funding alongside Senator Comitta and my colleagues in the state House and state Senate was a decision that made too much sense not to go all in on. With this funding ChristianaCare can continue to take the steps to open the West Grove campus and further stabilize the public health situation for the folks in Chester County.”
“The closure of Jennersville Hospital has been a serious blow to southern Chester County, so I am extremely pleased to obtain funding, in addition to funding secured by both Sen. Comitta and Rep. Lawrence, to put toward the renovations needed to open this facility,” said state Rep. Christina Sappey. “We have been aligned throughout this crisis and determined to find a solution. I am truly grateful for the partnership of my colleagues in the legislature and ChristianaCare.”
“These funds are a real win for our community and represent the next level of support for ChristianaCare’s efforts to reopen the old Jennersville Hospital,” said state Rep. John Lawrence. “The ChristianaCare West Grove campus will lead the way in meeting the health care needs of southern Chester County for years to come.”
“It’s hard to believe Jennersville Hospital closed its doors one year ago this month. Since then, vital services have been lacking across the board in our community, impacting everyone from seniors to college students at Lincoln University and all ages in between. So much work has been done since then to restore health care services to southern Chester County, but there’s still more to do,” said U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan. “ChristianaCare is working tirelessly to begin to serve patients at the West Grove campus, and these additional federal and state funds will expedite those efforts. Our collaboration with local officials, state officials and health care partners made this possible, and our entire community should find comfort knowing we are all working together to ensure their health and well-being needs are met.”
ChristianaCare is reimagining health care at the West Grove campus and is taking a phased approach to the opening of services. The first phase will be to reestablish emergency services. Planning for the new campus is ongoing, and ChristianaCare hopes to announce final plans within the next few months. ChristianaCare leaders have been actively meeting with community leaders and groups in the southern Chester County community.
“We’ve been meeting with small groups and with community leaders throughout the fall, and we’ve been gathering feedback that’s proving invaluable in our planning process,” said Douglas Azar, MHA, ChristianaCare senior vice president, Strategic Clinical Integration. “We’re making great progress in our planning, and we’re looking forward to being able to share plans with the community as soon as they’re ready.”
ChristianaCare’s assessment and inventory of the facility indicates that the site requires considerable renovation in key areas, such as information technology and laboratory space. Due to these needs, ChristianaCare currently anticipates that it will take a year or more to build out and open the facility.
ChristianaCare’s West Grove campus also received a $2.5 million ARPA grant from the Chester County Government in October 2022.
The West Grove campus represents a significant expansion of ChristianaCare’s commitment to provide health services to communities in southern Chester County. Since 2020, ChristianaCare has added three primary care practices located in Jennersville, West Grove and Kennett Square. Combined, these three practices are now the “medical home” for 22,000 residents in these communities.
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