New Millsboro Health Campus Aims to Reduce Emergency Care Travel Times in Sussex County

Beebe Healthcare leaders and staff pose Wednesday as construction begins on the new Millsboro Health Campus, set to expand emergency and outpatient care access in central Sussex County. (Photo credit: Beebe Healthcare.)

Beebe Healthcare broke ground Wednesday on a new health campus in Millsboro, a project aimed at expanding access to emergency and routine medical care in one of Sussex County’s fastest-growing areas.

The Millsboro Health Campus will be anchored by a hybrid freestanding emergency department serving both adults and children. The first phase includes a three-story medical building, with the 48,000-square-foot first floor dedicated to emergency, walk-in and diagnostic services.

Plans for the initial phase include 16 emergency treatment rooms and two pediatric rooms staffed by Nemours Children’s Health specialists, along with 12 walk-in care exam rooms for non-emergency needs. The facility will also offer diagnostic imaging services such as CT, MRI, ultrasound, mammography and X-ray, in addition to on-site laboratory services, pharmacy operations and a retail pharmacy. A dedicated on-grade helipad is also planned to support rapid air transport for patients requiring higher levels of care.

“This groundbreaking is more than the start of a building – it’s the start of a new era of access for central Sussex County,” said Dr. David Tam, president and CEO of Beebe Healthcare. “Families and EMS have faced long travel times for emergency care, sometimes 45 minutes or more. This campus changes that. It keeps care in Sussex County and close to community members’ homes.”

Future phases of the project call for medical office space on the second and third floors of the building, each adding approximately 25,000 square feet. Beebe officials said the additional space will allow services to expand as the surrounding community continues to grow.

The campus is located near the new Delaware Department of Transportation bypass at Dupont Boulevard and Hardscrabble Road, a site chosen to improve access for residents and emergency responders. Sussex County’s population increased by about 10% between 2020 and 2023, and healthcare providers anticipate continued growth in demand over the next decade.

“Beebe has worked with numerous groups to ensure the needs of the Millsboro community are met,” Tam said. “We worked with DelDOT to provide land for the new bypass to streamline travel and improve emergency response times, and we’re proud to say that Nemours Children’s Health will offer pediatric emergency services for families in this growing region. The town of Millsboro and Plantation Lakes have also offered insightful feedback on our plans. We want this campus to be able to provide all the healthcare services that area residents or visitors may need.”

The site also includes additional acreage for potential future expansion or community resources, according to Beebe.

“This will be Beebe’s third emergency department, strategically located to serve a community that needs faster access to care,” said Dr. Nick Perchiniak, an emergency medicine physician with Beebe Healthcare. “We’ve already seen the positive impact that Millville emergency department has had on patients and EMS in the South Coastal region. With emergency services, walk-in care, advanced imaging, and lab all under one roof, this campus will give patients and EMS a centralized location for high-quality care.”