When she recently was filming promotional videos inside Inspira Health Center Deptford — an 80,000-square-foot multispecialty medical hub that will dramatically increase access to health care for the community — Inspira Health CEO Amy Mansue kept getting interrupted.
Locals were tapping on the windows and knocking on the doors.
“They wanted to get in and see it,” she said.
There has been that much anticipation.
The facility, which had its official ribbon-cutting Tuesday afternoon, already has begun seeing patients in three specialties — primary care, sports rehabilitation and OB/GYN services. Additional services including Cooper and Inspira Cardiac Care (cardiology, diagnostics and cardiac rehabilitation), Cooper and Inspira Neuroscience, Imaging by AMI at Inspira, Premier Orthopedics and more, will open at a later date, Mansue said.
Inspira Health Center Deptford, which represents the 18th outpatient location for the health system in the region, is all about bringing health care to where the people are, Mansue said.
“Post-COVID, everybody likes to be in one place at one time,” she said. “We want that coordination of physicians; we want them to be able to see each other in the hallway. Having all these little offices all over the place doesn’t lend itself to that.”
This center does.
“We were looking to have a big footprint in Deptford,” she said. “We had a big vision about this, but it took time to find the right space. But I’m so excited; it’s absolutely beautiful.”
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Basketballs, footballs and baseballs. Hunting gear. Workout wear.
That’s what you used to be able to find at 1450 Almonesson Road, when it was a Dick’s Sporting Goods. When Dick’s moved to a new location nearby, the store sat idle.
It was a perfect fit for Inspira, Mansue said.
Construction and development began in the summer of 2022. As of today, the standalone outpatient building includes 61 clinical exam and procedure rooms. An ambulatory surgery center is under consideration for within the space, too.
On top, there are solar panels, just one of the many energy efficiency features of the building. All lighting fixtures are LED. And many areas of the facility are equipped with occupancy sensors to help reduce power consumption.
Inspira partnered with Rendina Healthcare Real Estate to complete the $50 million project — and did it with the effort of local labor and the full support of the town.
“Obviously our entire team worked so hard to get this done, but I have to tell you, this was a lot, and it doesn’t happen without Mayor (Paul) Medany and the council,” Mansue said.
“I really feel like we are being welcomed by the entire community for setting up these services. And lots of our physicians are getting better spaces than they’re in right now. So, it’s a win-win-win all the way around.”
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Health care of the future has meant a lot of things in recent years. For Inspira and Mansue, it means more than just taking services to the people — it means collaboration.
Mansue points to partnerships Inspira has with Cooper University Health Care and AMI.
“We’re so fortunate that we have great partners, like Cooper, who we’re doing a cardiac and neuro partnership with,” she said. “We’re agnostic where you get your care, we just want to have a coordinated seamless entry into those services.”
The same goes for radiology.
“We had a very good radiology program and outpatient radiology, but AMI was best-in-class,” she said. “So, we went and talked to them and said, ‘Is there work we can do together?’ And, sure enough, we put together a joint venture that allows them to staff and recruit, because now they have more services, more opportunity.
“It’s just like everything else, if you have that ability to have a larger footprint and excellence, it’s going to work for everybody.”
AMI, Mansue notes, is a leader in using artificial intelligence technology, just one of the ways the center will be a step ahead.
“The reality is, that’s what people expect after COVID,” she said. “No one expected that your doctor was going to email you at night, or that you would have a chat bot that would be able to answer your questions. Those expectations have become required.”
No one, however, will be left behind, Mansue said.
“My seniors are really clear,” she said. “They don’t like the portal. No problem. We still have a medical records department. Whatever is needed.”
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Tuesday’s ribbon-cutting was a nice start. Mansue is eager for more. She said additional services are ready to go — they are just waiting for state approval.
The recent knocks on the door let her know that Inspira isn’t the only one who is wanting. That’s what happens when you bring health care of the future to an area of the state that needs it in the present, Mansue said.
“We’re going to meet people where they are,” she said. “I think it’s easier to do that when you have a demographic that you understand, and you can do it in a beautiful building.
“I’m really excited about the great work we’re going to do here. And I’m excited about the chance to reaffirm to the community that, ‘We’re here and we’re not going anywhere.’”
That’s why Mansue welcomed the knocks on the door. For her, it was an affirmation, not an interruption.
“I don’t know that there’s a better testimonial than that,” she said.
