To better serve the Middletown community and its surrounding areas, Christiana Care Heath System announced Monday that it has purchased a 108-acre site on Del. 299, near the Del. 1 interchange and plans to develop a medical campus.

    “By expanding in Middletown, Christiana Care makes the care our neighbors need and want more accessible,” Robert J. Laskowski, M.D., Christiana Care CEO stated in a press release. “This is a long-term project for Christiana Care and purchasing land now ensures we are able to meet the region’s future health care needs for several decades,” he added.

    Gary Ferguson, chief operating officer for Christiana Care, said Middletown has always been an important area to Christiana Care. As the Middletown area has grown, Christiana has been tracking the progress, waiting for the right time to improve access to its services. Christiana Care currently leases a medical building on Bunker Hill Road.

    “It got to the point that it was time to plan for a major campus,” Ferguson said.

    For the last year, Christiana has been looking for suitable properties. Ferguson said three regions were looked at: the U.S. 301 corridor in west Middletown, the Del. 1/Del. 299 area and locations closer to Smyrna.

    “We concluded that to serve the best access for southern New Castle County, that the Route 1 corridor made the most sense,” he said.

    Ferguson said there weren’t many properties that fit the criteria for a hospital. The property had to be something bigger than 75 acres with good access and availability as well as sewer and infrastructure support. It was important to find something within town limits.

    The property that was purchased had been approved by the Middletown Mayor and Council as a a mixed-use development earlier this year. Developer Rick Woodin had presented plans for apartment buildings, a small retail space, a daycare and hotel.

    Ferguson said they approached the property owners to see if they were willing to sell.

    He said he could not comment on the amount of the sale.

    He said reactions have thus far been positive.

    Middletown Mayor Ken Branner was excited by the news.

     “This is something you dream about and it’s been talked about for a long time,” he stated. “Now that it is becoming a reality, it’s really unbelievable. We have worked with Christiana Care for 15 years with their satellite locations and now this. We look forward to continuing our partnership.”

    State Rep. Dick Cathcart (R-9th district) stated, “Our community has been interested in making Christiana Care’s services more accessible for some time. I am very pleased with the news that Christiana Care has listened to me and our community and is taking the first important step in bringing Christiana Care closer to our neighbors here in Middletown, Odessa and Townsend.”

    Ferguson said this part of the process has moved very quickly. Now it is time to step back and evaluate what makes the most sense for the property.

    “Do we have enough of a patient population to support the services? Do we have enough physicians to provide the services?” he said.

    Christiana Care will work on a business plan for the new property, which Ferguson said they hope to present to the Board of Directors in 2009.

    Options for the campus include physician offices, outpatient services and possibly a freestanding emergency department.

    Ferguson said the most exciting thing is the possibility of the emergency room.

    “What we’ve consistently heard is there is need for improved access to emergency services. My sense is  that’s something that would really be appreciated by the community,” he said.

    It would be open 24 hours a day and be a full service emergency department.

    The physicians and offices currently at the Bunker Hill site would be relocated to the new campus.

    Ferguson said for now they’ll keep looking at what the community needs.

    Laskowski stated, “Next steps in the planning process include specific research and review of what health care needs are most in demand for our neighbors.”

    Kristen Krenzer, public relations officer for the Town of Middletown, said Christiana Care will need to come before the Mayor and Council with a conceptual plan. From there they will be required to present the preliminary and then the final record plans.

    She said another thing that will change is the Park & Ride on Del. 299. It will be expanded and the current exit will be eliminated.

    A driveway will be created to align with Gloucester Boulevard, which will lead to the new Middletown Police Station on the south side of Del. 299.

    A traffic light will be installed there when the intersection is eventually complete.