Anchor Health Properties Celebrates the Completion of an 80,000 Square Foot, Multi-Phase Redevelopment, Transforming a Former Retail Center into a Premier Healthcare Facility
Dedicated to pursuing better healthcare through real estate solutions, Anchor recently celebrated the comprehensive redevelopment of a former retail center into a dynamic, multi-service medical outpatient building in Dover, Delaware. As the owner’s representative and development manager, Anchor worked alongside key leadership from Bayhealth Medical Center, the largest health system serving the central and southern portion of Delaware, to realize the vision for the facility and successfully deliver on the execution of this transformative project.
In collaboration with dedicated specialists from Bayhealth Medical Group and key stakeholders, Anchor provided expertise and resources throughout the project, including identification and acquisition of the site, planning, programming, and oversight of the design and construction of the facility. Ever mindful of Bayhealth’s mission to strengthen the health of the surrounding community, the team considered how the spatial flow and placement of services within the redeveloped building would affect the patient experience as well as the providers’ business plans. Anchor worked diligently with the project team to integrate the key components of the building in a cohesive design model benefiting the programmatic needs of the individual service lines as it relates to suite footprint, medical equipment, registration, and support space within the overall synergy and operations of a successful healthcare facility.
"As we continue our long-standing relationship with Bayhealth, we are thrilled to support their mission and operations through achievement of their strategic goals with this project,” shared Matthew Pirolli, Vice President of Development with Anchor. “Bayhealth at Blue Hen is transformative in many ways – significantly enhancing access to high-quality healthcare services, beautifying an existing space for patients, visitors, and staff, and creating an environment for training the next generation of healthcare leaders. This redevelopment showcases the project team’s creative approach to development, design, and construction while ensuring that the surrounding community benefits from a premier healthcare facility in their neighborhood for decades to come.”
Bayhealth at Blue Hen has been designed to increase local access to convenient care with multiple specialties and services all in one place. Originally built in 1968, the fully repurposed facility now features a seven-day-a-week walk-in clinic, primary care, endocrinology, pulmonology, neurology, gastroenterology, speech therapy, outpatient rehabilitation, outpatient services and occupational health, among others. Additionally, a 20,000 square foot conference center, used for training and facilitating the on-boarding of staff and for medical education for nurses and physicians, supports Bayhealth’s mission through education.
Dedicated patient drop off isles and unit specific entrances for each service provides intuitive wayfinding and directional signage throughout the facility maximizing the patient experience.
“We are thrilled to have transformed this underutilized space into a patient-centric healthcare facility that meets the growing needs of Bayhealth’s patient base and breathes new life into the area,” added Justin Istenes, AIA, Director of Construction with Anchor. “By repurposing the existing infrastructure, we are able to provide convenient, accessible care while making a positive environmental and economic impact. This redevelopment reflects the full project team’s commitment to innovative healthcare real estate solutions that improve both the delivery of care and the communities we serve.”
Regionally based firms with extensive healthcare facility experience served as part of the project team, including Becker Morgan Group, who provided architecture and civil engineering services, The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company, who served as the general contractor and Furlow Associates who provided MEP engineering services.
Bayhealth at Blue Hen opened in stages, with the first phase – featuring primary and specialty practices – welcoming its first patients in June 2024. The final phase, dedicated to outpatient rehabilitation – began serving patients in September 2024.