Emily Bissell Hospital could soon be reborn. Plans for the Hockessin area site

The long-abandoned Emily P. Bissell Hospital in Brandywine Springs might be on the brink of a new beginning.

According to the Fiscal Year 2025 bond bill signed by Gov. John Carney on June 30 , $18 million was authorized to renovate the hospital, which permanently closed its doors in 2015.

As outlined in the capital budget, funding was requested to prepare and construct “a replacement lab and office space” for the Division of Forensic Science under the Delaware Department of Safety and Homeland Security (DSHS).

According to the budget , the division’s current office space has surpassed “electrical capacity,” and, as a result, “is no longer adequate to meet [their] needs and functions.”

In addition to funds, a committee will be formed to “maintain communications between the state entities and neighboring communities” regarding updates and renovation plans for the hospital site.

The advisory committee would consist of the following: the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the Controller General, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Safety and Homeland Security and two members from the House and Representatives and Senate.

Gov. Carney will also name two members of the public to represent the surrounding Brandywine Springs area.

A closer look: State-run Emily Bissell Hospital to close permanently

The history of Emily P. Bissell Hospital

The site along Newport Gap Pike was first acquired by the Anti-Tuberculosis Society in 1908 and first opened the doors of what would become the Emily P. Bissell Hospital in 1909.

Over the following decades, the hospital increased in both size and care. As tuberculosis cases began to decline by 1975, the state-owned property was then used to house and tend to low-income, elderly patients.

In the years that followed, the hospital-turned-nursing-home became clouded with controversy. Most notably, News Journal columnist Bill Frank called the site “a disgrace to the state of Delaware” in a piece published in 1976.

In 2008, The News Journal reported the physical and emotional abuse of residents, which resulted in the termination of three employees and unpaid suspension for two more.

The hospital temporarily closed in March 2015 for repairs, relocating 48 residents and 143 employees to several nursing homes across the state, including the Governor Bacon Health Center in Delaware City and the Delaware Hospital for the Chronically Ill in Smyrna.

State officials then announced that the hospital would close permanently the following September, citing declining occupancy and the desire of many residents to remain at the facilities where they were transferred.

While ChristianaCare still operates an adult day care on the campus, the main hospital has sat empty since, save for the ghost hunters and others who break into the building’s graffitied inside.

Background: Life, death and a ghost hunter's dream: What will become of the Emily Bissell Hospital?

What changed in the latest state budget

In 2020 , lawmakers began a “competitive process” to solicit bids to develop the hospital site, pointing out that anyone interested in redeveloping the property should have “the vision and capacity to bring economic development, jobs, and services to the area while maintaining the historical significance” of the original campus, as well as “the overall character of the site.”

The site was also included the 2024 bond bill with similar language, directing OMB “to work with state agencies to determine if the property is feasible” for further use and designating a committee to review and approve proposals completed via the Request for Proposal (RFP) process.

According to Sen. Spiros Mantzavinos, a Democrat who represents Elsmere and nearby communities and one of the co-sponsors of the bond bill, plans for the site had been included in bond bills “for a number of years.”

After assessing the needs of both the state and the DSHS, the committee seeking outside bids for the site was reworked into an advisory committee – a change reflected in the 2025 bond bill.

According to Mantzavinos., this will “allow for communications and a two-way dialogue with communities that are adjacent” to the site.

Timeline for renovations undetermined

As of now, it's unknown when the advisory committee will meet.

According to the Director of the Division of Facilities and Management Jennifer Coverdale, the committee plans to discuss clean-up efforts of overgrown plants and other greenery on the property.

While there has not yet been a timeline set, Mantzavinos envisions this will be a “multi-year project,” and said nearby residents will be informed throughout the process. The final product, whatever it may be, will “maintain the character of the area.”

“Once we get some further plans, there will definitely be more outreach to share with the community,” Mantzavinos said.

Olivia Montes covers state government and community impact for Delaware Online/The News Journal. Reach her at omontes@delawareonline.com .

More: The 5 takeaways from Delaware Gov. John Carney's 2025 budget address

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Emily Bissell Hospital could soon be reborn. Plans for the Hockessin area site