Growth in specialty programs, preservation of historic Alfred I. duPont Institute building underscore Nemours Children's continued commitment to Delaware andthe health of its children

WILMINGTON, Del., Dec. 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Nemours Children's Health announced several significant investments today, including plans for a groundbreaking Maternal and Fetal Health Program, expansion of its neonatology, cancer and cardiology programs, and the revitalization of the historic Institute building on the Alfred I. duPont Campus in Wilmington. Investments in these projects will total $130 million in 2025—the largest one-year capital investment in Delaware in Nemours history.

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"We are proud to announce our next phase of growth as the largest provider of children's health in Delaware," said R. Lawrence Moss, MD, FACS, FAAP, President and CEO of Nemours Children's Health. "Every dollar earned by Nemours is invested back into our mission. These capital investments build on Alfred I. duPont's legacy of stewardship, and our strong financial position helps further Nemours Children's vision to create the healthiest generations of children in Delaware and beyond."

"Nemours has deep roots in Delaware and an enduring commitment to its children and families," said Mark R. Marcantano, JD, President, Nemours Children's Health, Delaware Valley. "We will continue working with our partners in state and local government, school districts, academic institutions, and community organizations to go well beyond medicine for Delaware's kids."

New Maternal and Fetal Health Program

Nemours will expand its Advanced Delivery Program at Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware into a nationally leading, state-of-the-art Maternal and Fetal Health Program.

"As maternal-fetal care advances, Nemours sees transformational potential to elevate the health of children and families in Delaware through improved diagnostics and cutting-edge maternal-fetal therapies," said Kate Deans, MD, MHSc, Surgeon-in-Chief, Nemours Children's Health, Delaware Valley.

Nemours plans to expand the Advanced Delivery Program at Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware to include four new labor and delivery birthing suites, eight new antepartum and postpartum rooms and three operating rooms that can be used for both fetal and maternal care.

Dr. Deans added, "It is critical that we provide these services to Delawareans who would otherwise need to leave our state to receive this level of care. This places unnecessary burden on families to travel away from their other children and their support networks. We aim to provide the highest level of quaternary care to these families right here in Delaware."

Nemours commitment to a more comprehensive maternal-fetal health strategy has attracted distinguished specialists to expand its in utero diagnostic and surgical interventions. Three highly accomplished maternal-fetal medicine specialists will be joining the Nemours team over the next 15 months: Eric P. Bergh, MD, Julie Moldenhauer, MD, FACOG, FACMG, and Christina Paidas Teefey, MD, PMH-C.

Dr. Bergh will collaborate closely with the Advanced Delivery Program and Delaware executive team to expand Nemours existing care portfolio. Dr. Moldenhauer and Dr. Paidas Teefey will work with the Florida maternal-fetal medicine teams to offer highly specialized care in Florida.

"We are laying the foundation here in Delaware to become the nation's first multi-hospital, multistate children's health system providing fetal diagnosis and therapy—and, ultimately, one of the country's largest fetal medicine programs," said Dr. Deans.

Growth in Neonatology, Cancer and Cardiology programs

In Neonatology, Delaware's only Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) will be expanding in 2025, adding 14 new inpatient rooms. With this expansion, the NICU will house 45 beds as a contiguous unit.

With the support of a generous donation by the Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation, Nemours plans to open the Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation Institute for Cancer and Blood Disorders in early 2025. Spanning 24,000 square feet, the first phase of the Moseley Foundation Institute will feature 24 inpatient beds reflecting a family-centered state-of-the-art design that overlooks the beautiful gardens of the Nemours Estate to promote healing and recovery. With further investment from Nemours with support by the Moseley Foundation, the Moseley Foundation Institute will also feature a 19,000-square-foot outpatient Day Hospital and Infusion Center—more than quadrupling its current size. In addition to providing a patient-centered care experience, the outpatient area is designed to foster clinical trial participation to advance the treatment of children with cancer, sickle cell disease and other blood disorders.

Nemours has also named two distinguished new leaders to advance its Cardiology practice: Aaron W. Eckhauser, MD, MS, will become chair of Cardiovascular Medicine, chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery and executive director of the Nemours Children's Cardiac Center in the Delaware Valley, and Mark Twite, MA, MB, BChir, FRCP, will be chief of Cardiac Anesthesia and co-director of the Nemours Cardiac Center.

Revitalization of historic duPont Institute building

Nemours will continue to revitalize the original Alfred I. duPont Institute on its Wilmington campus as a state-of-the-art administrative office building, while paying homage to its origin as the founding A.I. duPont Institute.

The Institute opened in 1940 as a children's orthopedic hospital and was the original health care structure funded by the Nemours Foundation. In 1984, the first major hospital expansion on the Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware campus was complete. The 450,000-square-foot expansion of Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital opened in 2014.

The renovations to the Alfred I. duPont Institute will preserve the building's core architectural elements and maintain a direct connection to clinic spaces in the duPont Pavilion. To be completed mid-2026, the project includes an expanded, state-of-the-art Simulation Center to provide hands-on, interactive pediatric simulation experiences in a safe, realistic environment. This collaborative teaching and education enhance technical skills for care providers across the organization, improving the quality of care and leading to better outcomes.

"In the 80-plus years since our founding, Nemours has grown to become one of the nation's most respected multistate children's health systems," said Marcantano. "Our commitment to Delaware's families has only grown over the years, and that deep connection and partnership continues to advance the health of children in the First State."

About Nemours Children's Health
Nemours Children's Health is one of the nation's largest multistate pediatric health systems, which includes two free-standing children's hospitals and a network of more than 70 primary and specialty care practices. Nemours Children's seeks to transform the health of children by adopting a holistic health model that utilizes innovative, safe, and high-quality care, while also addressing children's needs well beyond medicine. In producing the highly acclaimed, award-winning pediatric medicine podcast Well Beyond Medicine, Nemours underscores that commitment by featuring the people, programs and partnerships addressing whole child health. Nemours Children's also powers the world's most-visited website for information on the health of children and teens, Nemours KidsHealth.org.

The Nemours Foundation, established through the legacy and philanthropy of Alfred I. duPont, provides pediatric clinical care, research, education, advocacy, and prevention programs to the children, families and communities it serves. For more information, visit Nemours.org.

SOURCE Nemours Children's Health