ChristianaCare West Grove receives $2.5M grant for tech renovations

ChristianaCare West Grove campus has received a $2.5-million American Rescue Fund Plan Act (ARPA) grant from Chester County for capital improvement projects related to information technology, medical equipment and facility renovation.

ChristianaCare finalized the purchase of its West Grove campus (formerly Jennersville Hospital) from Tower Health in June 2022.

“We are enormously grateful to the Chester County Commissioners for this generous grant,” Douglas Azar, MHA, ChristianaCare senior vice president, said in a press statement. “Our assessment and inventory of the facility indicate that while it contains some usable equipment, including hospital beds and some imaging and diagnostic equipment, there is a lot of work to be done in many key areas. For example, the building currently contains no information technology infrastructure and no laboratory equipment. This funding will provide much-needed help as we build out these critical areas.”

The Chester County Commissioners approved ARPA grants to 73 groups and organizations totaling close to $40 million last month, following recommendations by six independent review teams. The teams, comprised of county residents and county government staff, developed a system that followed ARPA guidelines to review proposals and address priorities for funding.

Commissioner Josh Maxwell said “when ChristianaCare stepped up to take over Jennersville Hospital and bring health care services back to the county, we pledged to support those efforts in ways that we, as county government, can. The ARPA program has provided us with the opportunity to fulfill that pledge, with funding that might otherwise be cost-prohibitive.”

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 re-establish emergency services. Subsequent phases are still under consideration. Due to required facility upgrades and plan development, it is unlikely that any services will open within the next 12 months.

Since June, Azar, Farley and others at ChristianaCare have participated in meetings and listening sessions with community leaders and small groups to gain input into planning for services at the campus. They have met with local and state government officials, school officials, chambers of commerce, nonprofit organizations, emergency responders, faith leaders and employers in the area.

Commissioner Michelle Kichline noted the correlation between ChristianaCare’s focus on meeting community needs and the county’s focus on community involvement in the ARPA grant review process.

The West Grove campus represents a significant expansion and commitment of ChristianaCare 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.