Dover, Del.-based Bayhealth plans to grow its Kent campus inpatient facility from four floors to 10 in a $250 million project, the largest piece of a seven-project investment strategy, NPR affiliate WHYY reported Oct. 14.
The strategy, dubbed “The Next Wave,” runs through 2029 and targets Kent and Sussex counties, where Bayhealth is preparing for a surge in older patients, according to the report. CEO Terry Murphy said about 32% of Sussex County residents are older than 65, compared with about 19% in Kent County.
The project in Dover adds about 225,000 square feet. Its first phase replaces a 32-bed medical-surgical unit and adds two more units, for 64 new private rooms. Mr. Murphy said the capacity will help reduce emergency department holds. Completion is expected by January 2029.
Other projects include:
- A roughly $40 million, 80,000-square-foot medical office building on the Sussex campus in Milford, with more than 100 exam rooms, slated to open January 2028.
- A $3.5 million addition of 10 beds at Bayhealth Total Care in Milton, doubling capacity by fall 2027.
- A Total Care facility in Smyrna expected to cost more than $50 million, pending state review, with a likely fall 2029 opening.
- A $9 million Kent campus emergency department project adding 10 low-acuity bays and five behavioral health beds by October 2027.
Bayhealth is also adding a four-room interventional suite in Milford, expected to open in January 2029, and plans to buy the rest of a former mall property in Dover for an ambulatory hub.
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