Grand View Health announced an ambitious five-year, $210 million facilities expansion plan at its annual business meeting Sept. 26. The initiative will grow core services to patients in Montgomery and Upper Bucks counties.
Robert Pritchard, chairman of the board of trustees for Grand View Health, at the 2019 annual meeting said, “Today we take a significant leap forward with a five-year, $210 million investment in new, state-of-the-art facilities dedicated to the health and wellness of our community.”
He shared the news with the assembled group that included the Grand View Health Foundation and Grand View Health boards of trustees, hospital management, medical staff and guests.
“Grand View is really about the people. We live right here. This is our community, and we want to do right by you,” said Sanford L. Alderfer, chairman of Grand View Health Foundation board of trustees.
Among the proposed improvements is a 170,000-square-foot, five-floor hospital expansion on Grand View Hospital’s existing Sellersville campus. The plans include a new emergency department, radiology suite, cardiac catheterization lab, operating rooms, intensive care and private inpatient rooms.
The expansion is slated to complete in 2024. Construction of a stand-alone, state-of-the-art cancer center is also planned in Sellersville.
Alderfer said the investment in technology, buildings and facilities aimed to support a new era of wellness and healthier living in the Grand View Health service community.
“We believe exceptional health care should always be just a step away,” said Jean Keeler, Grand View Health president and CEO.
Outpatient centers in Pennsburg will be moved to a newly renovated space, expected to open in 2020.
A 13,000-square-foot outpatient center in Dublin is also planned for construction. It will have walk-in primary care, physician offices and an imaging suite. The building is expected to open in 2021.
Orthopedics investments include the Mako Robotic-Arm Assisted Technology for knee replacement surgery, in which a 3-D model of the new joint can be prototyped and discussed with patients ahead of surgery.
Mako offers the surgeon a way to minimize trauma to muscles and tendons and improve patient recovery results, according to the Boston-based Tufts Medical Center website.
The Pennsburg Outpatient Center will move to a newly renovated space in a convenient, highly visible location with easy access. The project will be completed in 2020.
Grand View Health announced construction plans in July for a new 12,000-square-foot orthopedics center in Hatfield near the Southeast Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) Colmar Train Station.
Grand View Hospital will become the first health care facility in Pennsylvania to receive accreditation as a geriatric emergency department, said Jane Ferry, chief medical officer for Grand View Health.
According to the U.S. News and World Report website older patients are an ever growing demographic requiring health care services.
Emergency department staff requires specialized training to better diagnoses and treat health issues in older patients. Some illnesses, such as urinary tract infections, might appear differently in younger patients.
The report said four components set a geriatric emergency department apart from conventional emergency departments: “Structure, screening processes, staff education and community connections” are four basic components to delivering specialized care to older patients.
“We have resources, education and multi-disciplinary practitioners – it’s a big deal,” Ferry said.
