People in northern Kent County will soon have greater access to emergency medical care. Bayhealth has announced it will open a new emergency department in Smyrna.
Smyrna's population has exploded over the past decade. And officials at Bayhealth said the town's residents deserve better access to emergency care. The healthcare provider will open a $4 million, 5,000-square-foot emergency department at their current facility in the town.
Smyrna residents like Willie Brown were thrilled to hear the news.
"I think something like this will help the community, but also save some people the trip to Dover in the event something happens," said Brown.
Until now, patients who needed emergency care were taken to Kent General Hospital in Dover, a 20-minute drive from Smyrna. It's a drive Bayhealth's Senior Planning Analyst Jason Sinclair said could be eliminated with the new facility.
"That is another factor that plays into a patient's outcome is how quickly they can access the services," he said.
The new facility will not feature a full-trauma center and will not have a surgeon. Patients requiring extended hospital stays or surgery would still need to go to Dover.
The new emergency facility is expected to open next summer.