ChristianaCare will expand its cancer treatment services to Middletown.
Cancer services will be offered in Middletown via the already-in-progress Middletown Health Center, aiming to bring healthcare to more patients by cutting down on travel time for those seeking care.
Helen F. Graham Cancer Center medical director Dr. Thomas Schwaab says those currently being treated at the center’s flagship treatment facility must travel to Newark for their appointments.
“And for cancer in particular, the last thing you want to do when you're sick and undergo daily chemotherapy or radiation treatment, is to get in the car and battle traffic and the weather. The goal really is to provide the highest quality cancer care as close to the patient’s home as possible.” he told DPM.
Schwaab also says patients can expect the same level of care at the new facility.
“They will have access to our nurse navigation program, all the other wrap-around services like social work, dietary support, physical therapy support, care coordination, all of that they’ll have access to. It’s as if they were to walk into our flagship cancer center, except it’s going to be in Middletown.” he said.
ChristianaCare reports the Graham Center received over 240,000 visits last year.
Middletown was selected because it is one of the fastest growing areas in the First State. Its population has grown by 550% since 1990 and it’s expected to add another 8% by 2029. ChristianaCare officials say much of that growth will be residents 65 and older.
“As our community grows, so too does the need for locally accessible, state-of-the-art cancer services,” said Schwaab. “This expansion represents a pivotal investment in the health of the Middletown–Odessa–Townsend corridor and beyond.”
Schwaab emphasizes cancer treatment as interdisciplinary work, which he says will bring more specialists and medical professionals working with ChristianaCare under one roof.
Construction of the Middletown Health Center began earlier this year. The building will cost just over $92 million according to ChristianaCare officials, and that's part of their plan to invest nearly $900 million into the first state over the next three years.
Middle Health Center is expected to begin treating its first patients in May 2027.
