ChristianaCare confirmed its plan to build a $50 million micro-hospital in Aston, Delaware County
The 10-bed hospital is expected to open in 2026.
ChristianaCare, Delaware’s largest health system, has settled on Aston as the location for the first of two micro-hospitals it plans for Delaware County.
The Aston facility with 10 beds and a small emergency department will be less than four miles from financially beleaguered Crozer-Chester Medical Center and could draw patients from that 300-bed hospital’s emergency department. ChristianaCare considered acquiring Crozer in 2022, but decided the deal wouldn’t work financially.
The Aston hospital is expected to open in the second half of 2026. The $50 million price tag includes the land and an outpatient health center on the second floor, a spokesperson said. The nonprofit ChristianaCare had $3 billion in revenue in fiscal 2024.
ChristianaCare has not disclosed what towns it is considering for the second Delaware County micro-hospital. The health system in the process of turning the former Jennersville Hospital in West Grove, Chester County, into a micro-hospital that is expected to open next year.
ChristianaCare’s partner in the three micro-hospitals is Emerus Holdings Inc., a Texas company that specializes in such facilities. Emerus’s other Pennsylvania partners include Allegheny Health Network and WellSpan Health.
Micro-hospitals, also called neighborhood hospitals, must have an emergency department that is always open, but typically only have 10 inpatient beds for short-term stays. They are gaining popularity as a way for health systems to expand their reach in areas that can’t support a full-scale hospital.
Before being acquired by Thomas Jefferson University, Lehigh Valley Health Network opened micro-hospitals in Gilbertsville, Montgomery County, and Macungie, near Allentown.