By Greta Gilbode, MBA, vice president, Service Line Operations
Penn Medicine is committed to bringing high-quality care closer to the patient whenever we can. A key part of our overall strategy is identifying opportunities for expansion of ambulatory services, as Penn Presbyterian Medical Center is doing in Southern New Jersey. PPMC plans to add a range of services in our neighboring state, from primary care to surgery to advanced oncology.
Historically, PPMC has always had a large number of clinicians practicing in New Jersey. This includes our vast network of cardiologists with offices in Cherry Hill, Mount Laurel, Woodbury Heights, Somers Point, Cape May Court House, and Vineland. In addition to physician practices, PPMC offers outpatient services like medical oncology and infusion, radiation oncology, laboratory, and pharmacy at Penn Medicine facilities and other locations in New Jersey through partnerships with Virtua Health.
We have a number of joint ventures and expansion plans in various stages of development, including partnering with Virtua Health to bring the first proton therapy center to South Jersey. The $45 million Penn Medicine | Virtua Health Proton Therapy Center will open this month on the Virtua Voorhees Hospital campus, with plans to treat the first patient by early 2023. Local patients who would have needed to travel across a bridge to Philadelphia for this state-of-the-art cancer therapy can now stay close to home while undergoing treatment.
Proton therapy strengthens our oncology program in South Jersey by enabling PPMC to offer patients a wide array of advanced treatments right in their communities. With competition in the region from MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper in Camden and Jefferson Health’s Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center in Cherry Hill and Sewell, it’s an opportune time for Penn Medicine to build on the presence we’ve established.
We’re also looking at undeveloped space in our Cherry Hill and Mount Laurel buildings and exploring options for bringing more primary care to these locations, as well as ambulatory surgery for same-day procedures in specialties like ophthalmology, gastroenterology, and more.
Patient volumes and other market indicators tell us there’s high demand for trusted, quality providers in these areas, even among our own staff. (Did you know 40 percent of Penn Medicine employees live in NJ?) PPMC’s expansion strategy in South Jersey will increase primary and specialty care in the region, drive demand for ambulatory services, and give patients convenient access to the best available care.