Page 27 - Chester County Chamber - 2023 Guide & Membership Directory

Advocacy, Connections & Community | chescochamber.org
CHRISTIANACARE
A new addition to Chester County’s healthcare landscape will be ChristianaCare’s West Grove Campus, which is set to open in late 2024 at the location of the shuttered Jennersville Hospital. West Grove will include 10 emergency department beds and 10 inpatient beds and will offer emergency care, including diagnostic capabilities such as ultrasound, X-ray, and laboratory services.
ChristianaCare has a strong presence in Chester County already, said Dr. Heather Farley, Chief Wellness Officer for ChristianaCare and clinical leader for the West Grove Campus planning. “We have three primary care practices that serve as a medical home for more than 22,000 patients.”
While ChristianaCare is based in Delaware, “we see southern Chester County as our neighbors and since we are committed to exceptional, equitable care, we saw it as our responsibility to serve the significant need in the community,” Farley said.
The new West Grove facility will be a neighborhood hospital — in other words a small-format hospital that can treat patients with common acute
issues such as strokes, falls, behavioral health emergencies, or car accidents. If patients require surgery or ICU level care, they will be stabilized and then transferred to a tertiary care facility.
“There will be board-certified emergency physicians on site 24/7,” Farley said, and specialists will be available for consultations on a largely virtual basis.
“The reason we selected this small-format neighborhood hospital design is because we
« “WE SEE SOUTHERN
CHESTER COUNTY AS OUR NEIGHBORS AND SINCE WE
ARE COMMITTED TO EXCEPTIONAL, EQUITABLE CARE, WE SAW IT AS OUR RESPONSIBILITY
TO SERVE THE SIGNIFICANT
NEED IN THE COMMUNITY.”
— Dr. Heather Farley
ChristianaCare
really wanted to create a model that delivers the right care in the right place at the right time, and is sustainable,” she added. “Healthcare is changing rapidly, and almost every day, small rural hospitals are closing. We know this community has been through a lot and has lost healthcare services, so we want to ensure we are here for the long haul.”
In planning the West Grove neighborhood hospital, ChristianaCare has engaged in a
lot of community conversations, and those conversations may also lead to further service expansions down the line.
“We’ve spent a lot of time learning what the needs are,” Farley said. “Now we’re shifting to, how do we best meet those needs?”
INDEPENDENCE BLUE CROSS
The insurer Independence Blue Cross (IBX) has been another source of support for Chester County patients.
“As a company that is anchored here, we take our role in the community very seriously,” said Mitch Vidovich, Vice President of Government Affairs. “We work hard with our local elected officials to come up with solutions for those facilities that are struggling.”
IBX is in regular discussions with a number of regional providers interested in filling, in various degrees, the void left when Tower closed the facilities in Chester County. “We remain hopeful for an equitable and affordable long-term solution for the residents,” Vidovich said.
Beyond addressing the shortage, mental health care is a major focus for IBX in the wake of the COVID pandemic. “We’re all aware that the levels of anxiety and depression are going up, so we’re trying to make sure we’re responding and offering benefits for our members to help them access appropriate services,”Vidovich said.
IBX has found that about 10% of its members have a mental or behavioral health condition. In Chester County in particular, IBX has funded pilot programs at Penn Medicine and Chester County Hospital to integrate mental health services more readily with other healthcare. “We’ve seen some really great results from giving those practices access to licensed clinical social workers and psychiatrists to help them not only screen, but also address mental health needs,” Vidovich said.
Another major focus for IBX is health equity. “Chester County is really fortunate to be known as
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