WILMINGTON, DE — ChristianaCare recently submitted a Notice of Intent to Delaware regulators for a new health campus in Camden that would include a neighborhood hospital and outpatient care center as the health system expands capacity in fast-growing parts of central and southern Delaware.
The proposed campus, estimated to cost $58.1 million, would be built on the west side of Route 13 south of Lochmeath Way and is expected to open in late 2028 or early 2029, according to the health system.
The project is part of ChristianaCare’s previously announced $865 million statewide expansion initiative and follows plans unveiled earlier this year for a similar campus in Georgetown.
The Camden site would include about 38,000 square feet of clinical space with primary care, specialty care, outpatient services, eight emergency department beds, and eight inpatient beds.
ChristianaCare projects the development will create 83 jobs, including 60 positions tied to the hospital component and 23 connected to the health center.
Kent and Sussex counties are federally designated Medically Underserved Areas, while population growth in central and southern Delaware is expected to accelerate demand for healthcare services over the next decade.
By 2030, the population in those regions is projected to increase by 8%, with residents age 65 and older expected to grow by 22%, according to figures cited by ChristianaCare.
Janice E. Nevin, president and chief executive officer of ChristianaCare, said the expansion is intended to reduce travel times and improve access to emergency and specialty care for residents in central Delaware.
ChristianaCare is partnering with Emerus Holdings Inc. on the neighborhood hospital portion of the project. Emerus operates 49 acute care facilities nationwide focused on small-format hospital models.
The health system already operates primary care, behavioral health, rehabilitation, hospice, virtual care, and specialty services throughout Kent County.
ChristianaCare also is expanding the neighborhood hospital model outside Delaware. The system opened a neighborhood hospital at its West Grove Campus in southern Chester County, Pennsylvania, in July 2025 and has additional campuses planned in Springfield and Aston in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.
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