Why Should Delaware Care?
Delaware’s largest health system announced it will bring a new cancer center to one of the state’s booming suburbs as part of a larger effort to expand in the region. The new center would increase access for those south of the C&D Canal.
A new health center dedicated to treating cancer is coming to Middletown.
ChristianaCare, Delaware’s largest hospital system, announced Thursday it would build the new center as part of its larger expansion into the suburbs south of the C&D Canal.
The health care provider said in a press release that the center would open in May 2027 and would offer access to specialists “across all major cancer types.”
The new cancer center would be part of a new $92 million health center in Middletown, which is currently under development, bringing primary care, behavioral health, pediatrics, neurology and cardiovascular care, among others.
It comes as part of a larger expansion into the Middletown-Odessa-Townsend region and $865 million the hospital says it will be investing into the Delaware health ecosystem over the next three years. In its release, the hospital cites population growth around Middletown as part of its choice to further expand into the city.
ChristianaCare’s Helen F. Graham Cancer Center and Research Institute will also partner with the National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program on the center.
“As our community grows, so too does the need for locally accessible, state-of-the-art cancer services,” said Dr. Thomas Schwaab, the medical director of ChrisitanaCare’s cancer center, in a statement.
In Delaware, adult oncology services are run primarily by the state’s five main hospital systems, ChristianaCare, Bayhealth, Beebe Healthcare, TidalHealth and Trinity Health.
Middletown Mayor Kenneth Branner said he was excited about the expansion in a phone call with Spotlight Delaware on Friday.
When asked about how the city felt about its ability to house providers who may move to Middletown to work at the hospital, he said the town offers housing diversity for those looking for rentals or single-family homes.
“We feel very confident where we are, being able to meet the need for living status and ChristianaCare feels exactly the same way,” Branner said.
He also said ChristianaCare and Middletown have been partners for more than 20 years, and that the two have a “great relationship.”
Branner added that he attended the recent groundbreaking for the new $92 million facility, and that the amount of patients going to the current Middletown facility has exceeded expectations.
“They know whatever they need, we’re there for them,” Branner said. “And we’ll do whatever we have to do and make it work.”