Dover-based VA outpatient clinic to relocate, expand services in 2020
PRESS RELEASE
May 2, 2019
Wilmington , DE — WILMINGTON, Del. — The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will relocate its Kent County Community Based Outpatient Clinic.
CONTACT: Brendan Mackie, Public Affairs Officer
PHONE: (302) 633-5389
DATE: 05/02/2019
Dover-based VA outpatient clinic to relocate, expand services in 2020
WILMINGTON, Del. — The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will relocate its Kent County Community Based Outpatient Clinic, the director of the Wilmington VA Medical Center announced on Wednesday during an employee town hall. Besides the move, the Dover-based clinic is slated to more than triple its current size from 9,200 square feet to 29,745 square feet.
“We are proud of our presence in Kent County and remain fully committed to providing convenient and high-quality health care closer to where our Veterans live,” said Director Vince Kane, who oversees the Wilmington VAMC and its five outpatient clinics in Delaware and southern New Jersey. “We’ve seen our Veteran population grow and have heard Veterans who have repeatedly said they need more services in Kent and Sussex Counties. We want this state-of-the-art clinic to be a one-stop shop where Veterans can receive both excellent health care and related services that will enhance their health and wellbeing.”
The new clinic, which is expected to open in the summer of 2020, will be located at 655 South Bay Road in the Blue Hen Corporate Center. The landlord will be Pettinaro Management, LLC.
“Wilmington VA is excited to partner with Pettinaro to bring expanded services and capabilities to Dover,” said Jake Spruance, the chief of facilities at Wilmington VA Medical Center. “The prime location of this CBOC enables us to enhance access with modernized systems and enough room for anticipated growth that will only benefit Veterans of Kent County.”
The new clinic, according to details of the lease agreement, will include 18 primary care exam rooms, 12 mental health rooms, 5 specialty exam rooms, 3 women’s health rooms, optometry rooms, an audiology suite, phlebotomy lab, procedure rooms, telehealth rooms, conference/group meeting rooms, staging area for home-based primary care, physical medicine and rehabilitation suite, offices for care coordinators, and requisite waiting, check-in, storage, and medication rooms.
“The award nearly triples the size of the existing VA footprint and provides for significant improvements to the delivery of health care to Kent County and the surrounding area,” said William Griffiths, director of ambulatory care, who manages delivery of outpatient care for 31,000 Veterans in Delaware and southern New Jersey. “The new location will be designed prioritizing appointments that are Veteran centered with access to an integrated health care team, standardization of exam and consultation rooms, and enhanced use of virtual technology.”
A post-award meeting between the Wilmington VAMC and Pettinaro will be held in May to discuss terms and conditions of the lease and the build out of the existing space in the Blue Hen Corporate Center. Construction is expected to commence within the next six months.