Bayhealth to Expand Healthcare Services at Blue Hen Corporate Center in Dover  

by Terry Rogers

Bayhealth plans to purchase a large portion of the Blue Hen Corporate Center

As the regional healthcare leader, Bayhealth is committed to meeting the growing needs of the communities we serve. Among its latest plans for strategic expansion, Bayhealth has entered into an agreement to purchase a large portion of the Blue Hen Corporate Center in Dover. This acquisition will provide an additional 185,000 square feet for Bayhealth to efficiently grow its patient-centered care model while improving access to care for central Delaware residents.  

 This real estate transaction is expected to close before the end of 2021. The acquisition will add to the space Bayhealth already operates at Blue Hen Corporate Center. It will bring an expansion of Bayhealth clinical services, including primary and specialty care practices and diagnostic services, to the property.  

 “We are excited about the ability to repurpose this landmark facility by reimagining it as a central location for healthcare services to benefit the people of Kent County,” said Bayhealth President and Chief Executive Officer Terry Murphy, FACHE. “This acquisition will give us the room to further grow our organization and the services we offer in fulfilling our ongoing mission to strengthen the health of our community.”

With the goal of improved access and one-stop availability of services, Bayhealth is finalizing the design for the clinical offerings to be provided at the Blue Hen Corporate Center. Renovation will begin in early 2022 with opening scheduled for spring 2023.

What is now the Blue Hen Corporate Center opened in 1969 as the Blue Hen Mall. At the time, it was the only enclosed shopping mall in Delaware. J.C. Penney and Woolco were original anchor stores in the mall. When Sears could not reach an agreement with the Blue Hen Mall, they moved to the newly constructed Dover Mall which opened in 1982. Slowly, stores began moving to the new mall and the Blue Hen Mall began to fade.

In the 1990s, the Blue Hen Mall became the Blue Hen Corporate Center and retail space was converted to office space. Bank of America opened a call center there and Aetna opened an office in the building. Both businesses left the center in 2009. Bayhealth has been renting space in the mall since 2013.

 Visit Bayhealth.org to learn more about the healthcare services Bayhealth provides in central and southern Delaware.