SPRINGFIELD, P.A. (KYW Newsradio) — At a time when hospital beds are becoming more and more scarce in Delaware County amid closures and bankruptcies, a new effort by nonprofit healthcare system ChristianaCare could change fortunes.
ChristianaCare has plans to bring a new, 10-bed, emergency room hospital to Springfield. Jim Byrne, the township’s solicitor, said the facility will also have an additional 10 beds for people to stay for short-term visits.
“They have some plans that have been reviewed by township staff,” he said.
Byrne also said Springfield’s planning commission will hear from the healthcare system about its plans later this week. They will then decide whether or not to recommend the plan to the township’s board of commissioners, who will also hear out ChristianaCare before voting for or against the project.
The healthcare system is also making its pitch to local residents, some of which are concerned about new construction. Others, Byrne said, are happy to get a new facility two years after the closure of Springfield Hospital.
“There are some people that are excited about getting hospital care in Springfield because right now we have no hospital care and the hospital care across the county is pretty scarce,” he said. “If you have an older person in your family or need to go to the hospital quickly, it looks like you’re taking a ride now to Lankenau or Riddle, or someplace farther away.”
ChristianaCare is also in the process of completing a new healthcare campus in Aston.