In a move that will dramatically improve access to top-level care in the state’s most rural communities, the Deborah Heart and Lung Center in Browns Mills has been approved for an $88.2 million loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, giving the hospital the final piece of funding needed for a planned $100 million capital improvement project.
The USDA loan will be used to upgrade Deborah’s double-occupancy in-patient rooms to private suites, pay for the construction of a new in-patient tower of individual patient rooms and provide other improvements.
The Deborah Heart and Lung Center is the state’s only specialty heart, lung and vascular hospital.
The loan is funded through the Department of Agriculture’s Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program.
Deborah Heart and Lung Center CEO Joseph Chirichella is thrilled to get the loan, saying the pandemic has shown its importance.
“We are delighted to receive word of the loan approval,” he said. “We had this project on the drawing board before the pandemic, and, even with the enormous difficulties and stresses placed on health care during the past year, our team forged ahead with our planning for the future.”
Chirichella said the loan means a lot to the area.
“As a rural hospital located in Burlington County, we are critical to the health of our community, the residents of which may not otherwise have access to the high-tech heart, lung and vascular services we offer,” he said. “This construction will ensure this access, and offers a vibrant opportunity for the area.”
The building project, dubbed “DEBORAH 100,” is expected to break ground within the next few months, with construction tentatively scheduled for completion near the end of 2022, to coincide with Deborah’s 100th anniversary.
The new three-floor addition will be constructed on top of existing hospital space and will include two floors with 18 private, critical care rooms on each floor, and a third floor dedicated to mechanical space. This project will give the hospital a total of 95 beds.
After the new construction is completed, the remaining double occupancy rooms in the hospital will be converted to private rooms. Additional plans include upgrades to the hospital’s cardiac catheterization labs, a new pharmacy clean room, and new technology and construction in the electrophysiology labs.
The USDA loan will supplement the Deborah Hospital Foundation’s ongoing fundraising efforts for the campaign, which to date total approximately $16 million.
“This is an exciting project and marks another milestone in Deborah’s storied 100-year history,” Chirichella said.
According to the USDA announcement, nearly 800,000 rural residents fall within Deborah’s service area. Acting State Director Brandon Pfeilmeier said the USDA is happy to play its part.
“USDA Rural Development is extremely proud to be a part of this exciting project,” he said. “Although our Community Facilities Program can help provide financial support to many different essential community projects, those projects that improve the health and safety of our residents would certainly be among the most important.
“Having access to high quality medical service is critical to the future of our rural New Jersey communities.”
