PAM Healthcare held a ribbon cutting for their new facility on the Bayhealth Sussex Campus
Legislators, state officials and dignitaries were on hand at the newest PAM Health Rehabilitation Center to celebrate the grand opening of their state-of-the-art facility. Located on the Bayhealth Sussex Campus, the new facility is the most recent to open for the growing physical therapy company.
“I think back to the very beginning, when we opened our first Pam in the state in Dover in 2019, and soon after, didn’t something happen? Oh, yeah, a pandemic,” John Bauer, Corporate Executive Vice-President, said. “So, we certainly have come out stronger. And I think it shows what we can do in collaborating and working together and making sure that we have the resources for the folks that need this level of care here in our area. I mean, prior to that, a lot of people had to travel out. They didn’t have the support that they needed, they didn’t have the technology, they didn’t have the expertise. And now we’re bringing that again to the state here and into the Milford area as well as central Delaware and surrounding and we’re really proud of being able to do that.”
The facility opened its doors on August 5, offering a range of treatments in their rehab hospital. The facility offers 40 private rooms and state-of-the-art therapeutic equipment to assist with rehabilitation needs.
“This is a very special event for us to grow, not only as a Bayhealth healthcare system, but also as a regional provider of healthcare. And having multiple healthcare systems come together to expand for the southern part of Delaware, that is so exciting, and I am privileged to be a part of it,” Mike Ashton, Administrator of Bayhealth Sussex Campus, said. “There are many, people that have been part of making this vision come true. I want to take the time to also recognize the fact that, yes, this is a beautiful building behind us, and I hope you take the time and opportunity to go through it, I want to speak to the fact that it has not just been built as a great building, it also was thought of and prioritized with the advanced technology we have come to expect from PAM.”
Lt. Governor Bethany Hall Long recalled how it took members of the General Assembly to bring the first PAM location in Dover to fruition, pointing out that it takes involvement from many aspects of the community for a facility like the one that opened in Milford.
“Because it is a collective of a village, and it really does start when there isn’t the media, there isn’t a lot of press, when we’re not all dressed up on this beautiful day outside. It’s what happens at 2 AM, at 4 AM, at 8 AM so the nurse in me is speaking now,” Lt. Governor Hall-Long said. “So as a nurse and someone who’s seen those horrific challenges with family who had those experiences or whether you’re part of the physical therapy team, the rehab team, physician, nurse, food and nutrition program, it takes that incredible village, and that’s what we have here. And PAM, you have got it figured out correctly.”
Lt. Governor Hall-Long explained that she and Governor John Carney were working to strengthen the health system in the state, believing that the state was only as strong as the healthcare system.
“We all lived through that incredible pandemic. And you heard us say every week, every other day, when we gave those data reports, a healthy community is a healthy economy, and this is a vital central hub, and being here in the Milford community, where demand is up, we are so delighted. So, we’re going to lean in. We’re going to continue to commit those remarkable resources that are necessary,” Lt. Governor Hall-Long said. “We want us in this state to be recognized as a rehabilitation hub triangle for the future with the best technology to make the best difference for families.”
Pat Abel, President of the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Milford, stated that these were exciting times in Milford as the residential and commercial community continued to grow, especially in the area of medical health and wellness. Sara LeBright, Executive Director of Downtown Milford Inc. also welcomed PAM to the city, explaining that she not only had a business relationship with PAM, but also a personal one.
“We are a small nonprofit that downtown, and we help to keep the downtown thriving so they don’t just turn into an area where people drive through. We like to think of it as kind of a Hallmark commercial. So, we know our residents, our residents are family. We’re a tight community. I, myself, have lived in Delaware my whole life, and we’re about four to five generations deep, so this is really nice for me. I’ve grown up about three miles from here,” LeBright said. “We ended up having PAM Healthcare become sponsors for our Bug and Bud Festival, which we love, which helps bring tons of people to our to our area and our community.”
LeBright continued, stating that she worked with Erin Sharp on the sponsorship for DMI, but on a personal level, shortly after she met Erin, her father had a stroke.
“So he actually had three strokes in a short period of time, his last stroke, he was not able to move the whole left side of his body. So, this was before this was finished, of course, but I immediately called Erin and we were able to take advantage of PAM healthcare at the hospital, and he, of course, was approved to be there because of how bad his condition was. And I can say firsthand, the nurses were amazing. They were very personable. From the cleaning staff that would come in that would greet my father and know him by name and ask how he was, they just wouldn’t come through and do their job and leave. The meal, I mean it wasn’t offensive all to me when my father said it was some of the best meals he ever had,” LeBright said. “And then from the physical therapy, he was always very encouraged by the physical therapist that came in when you deal with something like that, on a personal level, your entire identity is gone. He went from a practicing dentist to he can’t walk, so he didn’t even get the chance of choice of retirement.”
LeBright explained that the faces seen inside the hospital were not just patients but families who depended on the services they offered.
“I just want to thank all the people that I don’t know that allowed this to happen for our community, our family members and our older generations, even people that are younger, that have some type of physical ailment that takes away their freedoms, they are the lifeblood of our community, and it impacts all of our families. So I just appreciate that so much care has been put into this facility,” LeBright said. “As I did the walkthrough, I was telling Erin it feels like it feels safe when you walk in and clean, which you want when you’ve gone through a trauma experience. But it also is bright. You get light in every area, so it doesn’t feel like that facility feeling and just the care they put with the doors that you can move in and out freely if you have a walk or a wheelchair, that they slide, the attention to detail, the showers being open like they are, we just appreciate all the detail and everything that you brought to our community.”
Mayor Todd Culotta pointed out that the gathering to celebrate the opening of the facility truly represented what Milford was all about.
“One of the hardest things to see your parents or a loved one go into care and come out and have to go into rehab and have to go to Philadelphia or New York or something like that. I’m just proud as the mayor here at Milford to see a facility like this. As mayor, I want to make Milford the medical capital, not only of Delaware, but nationwide. With a beautiful facility like this, we’re just going to continue to grow.,” Mayor Culotta said. “This is just a start, and this is just a wonderful opportunity for our economy, one opportunity for our residents here, who are treated here. And PAM, it has over 80 locations, so that’s a big deal. I was excited to be on council when we voted for this to come here, it was an easy decision.”
Brittany Misitano, Associate General Counsel and Division President of PAM Health stated that she was very proud of the new facility.
“We have monthly operations calls with all of these hospitals. And a constant theme from the executives down is be like Dover. Be like Georgetown. Be like the hospitals in Delaware. So much so to the point where other CEOs that are nationwide will call the CEOs here, will call other people here and say, ‘How do you do it? How do you stay so elite?’ And I think major part of that is the team that we have here in Delaware,” Misitano said. “I think another large part of that is our partnership with Bayhealth. Mike and Terry Murphy, you guys have just been so great to work with, very collaborative, very transparent, and I look forward to continuing that relationship in the future. But I think one of the biggest factors was the Delaware community really opened its arms and accepted us all the way back when we were just starting in Dover.”
PAM Health Rehabilitation Sussex Campus is located at 202 Healthy Way in Milford. They can be reached by phone at 302-213-1880.
Local News
Comments / 0