The Doylestown Hospital Authority will receive an $11.1 million grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development to expand Doylestown Hospital, creating more than 450 temporary positions and 180 new healthcare-related jobs.
The funds will be used as part of an an $87 million relocation and expansion of the hospital's emergency department, designed to make the ED more visible and accessible, increase its size from 11,500 sq. ft. to 55,756 sq. ft. and reduce the time patients spend in the waiting room.
"This expansion and relocation project will allow Doylestown Hospital to better accommodate the growing needs of the community it serves," said DCED deputy secretary Dee Kaplan of the Infrastructure and Facilities Improvement Program investment. "This project to improve the hospital's infrastructure will boost employment opportunities and provide ... the facilities it needs for the people it serves."
The expansion will also include a chest pain center, an indoor Hazmat/bioterrorism treatment facility, infrastructure for a future rooftop helipad, expanded HVAC capabilities, a second-floor shell space to accommodate the potential expansion of 39 additional private treatment areas, and a 400-parking space garage.
The IFIP funds will be distributed annually for 20 years in $557,000 installments. The project is expected to leverage more than $75 million in private financing.
The IFIP is a multi-year grant program that helps with debt service payments for certain infrastructure and building projects, including costs associated with improvements, environmental remediation, administrative expenses and preparation of plans and studies.