Hospitals Offer New Facilities, Services
Published Apr 16, 2006
St. Francis Hospital in downtown Wilmington has invested $50 million in infrastructure improvements and new programs over the past five years.
What’s new? Plenty these days at Christiana Hospital and St. Francis Hospital.
At Christiana, just south of Wilmington, a $121 million expansion project is under way, with the bulk of construction taking place in the emergency department. Seventeen emergency treatment bays are being added, along with 22 pre- and post-operative recovery bays.
Six more operating rooms are being built, as well.
“Christiana Care is one of the top 100 health-care systems in the U.S., and this hospital expansion will aid our ability to continue bringing innovation and the best in technology to our patients,” says Dr. Robert Laskowski, president and chief executive officer of Christiana Care Health System, which owns and operates Christiana and Wilmington hospitals.
A new learning center for increased medical research also is being constructed at Christiana Hospital, and three radiology laboratories will be expanded within the hospital’s Center for Heart & Vascular Health.
“We have a very sophisticated cardiac surgery program in place, with more than 800 open-heart procedures each year,” Laskowski says. “But we also have the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center on campus that is recognized nationally as a model for cancer care and research. In addition, we have been recognized by U.S. News & World Report for being one of the nation’s best in the treatment of diabetes and metabolic disease, and we have a neonatal intensive care unit that is second to none. And [during 2006], we will start a renal transplant program – something this region has never had before.”
Meanwhile, St. Francis Hospital in Wilmington has made news of its own.
In January 2006, Clarence “Ted” LaLiberty was named president and chief executive officer of St. Francis Healthcare Services, replacing Richard A. Long who retired in March 2005.
“One of the things that attracted me to St. Francis was its medical investments, with $50 million having been invested in infrastructure and programs over the past five years,” LaLiberty says.
“We have an open-heart program, a modernized catheterization lab and a state-of-the-art emergency department. My decision to come here (from a hospital in New York state) was an easy one.”
As for his vision for St. Francis Hospital, LaLiberty says, “We want to strengthen our standing as a small, caring community hospital and build on that image.
“We have opened a wound-care center for people who suffer the pain and frustration of non-healing wounds, and we are further implementing a bariatric surgery program that tackles drastic obesity issues. A lot is happening at St. Francis Hospital, and I’m excited about all of it.”
Story by Kevin Litwin
Photo by Stephen Cherry
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