Chester County Hospital Plans Expansion

The Chester County Hospital and Health System has announced plans to construct a new, three-floor patient care tower that will accommodate 72 private patient rooms and a state-of-the-art linear accelerator to enhance cancer treatment at the Hospital.

"At the core of the project is the need for more beds and specifically for private rooms," says Michael J. Duncan, President and CEO of The Chester County Hospital and Health System. "The plan we created addresses that primary need. In fact, the building plans - referred to internally as the Tower Project - are designed to accommodate 72 private patient rooms in total or 24 rooms each on three new levels." Initially, only one floor will be fit out with 24 beds. The remaining two floors will be completed to match the growing needs of the Hospital and community.

The new patient rooms include a large window for daylight to foster healing, a recliner for visitors who wish to stay, a table and chairs for dining, a flat-panel TV, free internet access, extra space for flowers and get-well gifts, in-room controls for lighting and heat, and an ADA-compliant bathroom designed to reduce the risk of falling.

The 93,000-square-foot Tower Project also includes the addition of a second vault to house a new, state-of-the-art Varian linear accelerator for the Hospital's cancer program. A linear accelerator is a piece of technology that uses electricity to form a stream of fast-moving subatomic particles creating high-energy radiation to treat cancer.

Board Chairman William W. Wylie, Jr. explained the need for the project, "The Chester County Hospital is the leading provider of care in Chester County, which is also one of the fastest growing counties in Pennsylvania. In order to meet the health care needs associated with this growth, the Hospital is embarking on this project to increase inpatient bed-capacity and to bring on-line the latest in radiation oncology technology."

"We are already beginning to see the effects of this trend in our Emergency Department," explains Michael Barber, Chief Operating Officer. "Bringing 24 news beds on line will provide us with the added capacity to accommodate Emergency Department admissions and will enhance our ability to triage inpatients."

The Tower will also be developed with sustainable design principles and "green" technology based on the environmentally friendly recommendations of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), an internationally recognized green building certification system.

Ballinger architectural firm has been chosen for the $45.2 million project which is already underway and has an expected timeline of 18 months. L.F. Driscoll Co. has been awarded the construction management contract. The project is being funded by the proceeds of a $25 million capital campaign and private financing.

Duncan concludes, "In time, when all three floors are operational, the addition will address the community's current need - more private-room beds - but will also provide us the space and flexibility needed to grow."