When Hahnemann University Hospital closed in the summer of 2019, many of Philadelphia’s most vulnerable residents were left with a void where they had once turned for health care. Almost overnight, the city lost one of its busiest emergency departments, in addition to obstetrical care and treatment for diseases ranging from HIV to hypertension.
This year, many in the Philadelphia community grew worried about history repeating itself with the financially strapped Mercy Philadelphia Hospital, just a few short miles from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. Mercy has been a hub of close-to-home care for the community and jobs in West Philadelphia for more than a century. But this time, the health care community — and those who live in the neighborhoods nearby — are banding together to chart a different path for the future of the hospital campus.
I’m proud to say that Penn Medicine and our partners from leading health care organizations, Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC), Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic (Mercy Philadelphia’s owner) and Independence Blue Cross, have come to the table with bold ideas and an inspiring commitment to do something different — something better — than merely saving an endangered hospital. Together, we will transform the campus to one centered on promoting public health through preventive care and an array of supportive services to boost wellness in more foundational ways.
The closure of Hahnemann and, this year, the COVID-19 pandemic have been seminal events that have reinforced the vital importance of addressing health at the level of social determinants like education and economic factors that drive disparities, particularly those along racial lines.
When the Mercy campus transformation is complete, Penn Medicine will run the facility’s emergency department and accompanying inpatient medical and behavioral health beds as a remote location of HUP. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) is also exploring the option to offer pediatric behavioral health services on the campus.
The bigger part of the story is how our coalition will work in partnership with the community to address many health conditions, like heart disease, diabetes, and depression, before they become emergencies. All too often, people with the fewest resources rely on visits to emergency departments for their care, many of which could be avoided with better access to preventive care. As part of our coalition to transform Mercy, we will look to our community partners — local leaders and residents alike — to help us understand where help is needed most to influence the development of programs to address issues such as food insecurity and health and wellness education. Our aim is to equip the community with the resources and education needed to support wellness and manage chronic conditions — and even prevent them from developing in the first place.
Another Penn Medicine location recently opened its doors: Penn Medicine Mount Laurel, a health care facility serving the South Jersey community. The multispecialty facility — which currently includes cardiology, primary care, and an outpatient lab services — provides easy access for patients to get the care they need and stay close to home.
Evening and weekend appointments are available and on-site parking is free!
Research has proven that primary care provides the foundation for good health. Penn Medicine’s own primary care practices serve as the medical home to over 512,000 patients. Our system has worked to reimagine our delivery of primary care through innovative programs like Penn Integrated Care, proactively bringing behavioral health to patients in primary care who aren’t getting the support they need. And across the health system, when our patients have more complex health needs, we are working to bring advanced ambulatory services closer to the neighborhoods in which they live and work — including those just opened in recent months, our multispecialty site in Mount Laurel, N.J. and the new state-of-the-art Penn Medicine Radnor facility.
Our commitment to the region we serve is universal and unwavering, and we have to stand up and be there for everyone, no matter their zip code.
As an organization, we’re focused on the bigger picture, beyond the patients who walk in our doors. We must strive to connect our care to the health of our community. With the transformation of the Mercy campus, we are building on our own expertise, working past the walls of individual institutions, learning from our partners and becoming a stronger force for better health together.