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As Delaware sees a growing population of senior residents who require more medical attention, Bayhealth will be investing more in their care region. The hospital system announced its plans for a multiyear investment strategy, focusing on facilities in Sussex and Kent counties.
“As you think about the population over the age of 65 going from 56 million in the country to 80 million in the country by 2040, that’s a pretty significant increase, and it’s just as big of an increase for those over the age of 85,” Bayhealth CEO Terry Murphy said at a press conference Wednesday. “As a health system, we have to really be prepared and do significant planning so that we’re ready when that hits us in 2040.”
Murphy said about 18% of New Castle County’s population is over the age of 65. In Kent, he said that number is about 19%, and in Sussex, about 32%.
Kyle Benoit, the chief operating officer of Bayhealth, said that the health system is looking at opportunities in increasing care to older populations, particularly in figuring out ways to “meet them where they’re at.”
“[The] 65 and older population is the highest utilizers of health care, and so that’s why we’re doing a lot of these advances,” Benoit told WHYY News.
Bayhealth is dubbing the investment “The Next Wave,” with seven projects outlined that will extend through 2029.
Benoit said some of the projects will focus on outpatient services, mainly through what he describes as “responsible growth” amid the state’s increasing population.
“The worst thing we could do is overexpand, overextend and then we cannot deliver on the care that we want to provide,” Benoit said.
Benoit also said that outpatient service centers are often more cost effective for patients compared to traditional inpatient care, and are typically more accessible.
“We’ve got to make sure we have the professionals to recruit, the facilities that they can access and provide excellent care, and that’s what we’re committed to do,” Benoit said at the conference.
