Patient & Visitor Guide

Wilmington Hospital

A Wilmington landmark since 1890, fully modernized Wilmington Hospital serves as Christiana Care's corporate headquarters and provides Christiana Care's distinguished, high-quality health care in the heart of Wilmington. This 241-bed, 622,100-square-foot facility currently includes:

An Emergency Department and helipad with aero-medical transport capabilities. The Emergency Department is a participating trauma hospital in the Delaware Trauma System.
Center for Rehabilitation.
Center for Advanced Joint Replacement.
Outpatient primary care services, including women's health and pediatric health care services, at the Wilmington Hospital Health Center.
The nearby Center for Comprehensive Behavioral Health, which offers the full range of mental health services in a caring, patient-centered environment.
The nearby Swank Memory Care Center, which uses a multidisciplinary care team to provide specialized care to patients with memory disorders and their families.
Diagnostic imaging and medical laboratory services.

The Wilmington campus also includes the Roxana Cannon Arsht Surgicenter and the Wilmington Annex.

Wilmington Hospital expansion project

Wilmington Hospital is currently undergoing a transformation project that will dramatically increase capacity and add hundreds of jobs.

History of Wilmington Hospital

The story of Wilmington Hospital begins in late 19th century, when a group of allopathic physicians purchased land at 14th and Washington streets in Wilmington to build a hospital. The hospital was named the Delaware Hospital, and it opened in 1890. It was constructed so that additional wings could be added as demand for health care increased. During the first year, 161 patients were treated at the new facility.

Just a decade later, the need to expand the hospital was clear. At a cost of $41,000, a new wing was built that contained 16 private rooms. In 1906, Delaware's first x-ray department opened at the hospital. And in 1910, a children's ward was established, and Delaware Hospital became a pioneering institution in neonatal care. In 1924, a fourth floor was added to the new wing for maternity patients.

From Delaware Hospital to Wilmington Hospital

By 1939, 5,000 people were being treated annually at the Delaware Hospital. Another building program was begun, and in 1940 a patient facility containing 120 beds, five operating rooms and two delivery rooms opened. A second building opened in 1941 that contained wards and clinics. And a third building opened in 1942 for use as a nurses' residence for students in the hospital training programs.

In 1965, Delaware Hospital joined two other hospitals—Memorial Hospital and Wilmington General Hospital—to form a unified health system in which each hospital became a "division." And so Delaware Hospital became known for a time as the Delaware Division of the Wilmington Medical Center. By the 1970s, the programs and services offered by the Wilmington Medical Center were growing fast, making it difficult for the three divisions—already contending with physical problems—to adapt. A decision had to be made whether to renovate or build new.

Ultimately, it was decided that the best path forward was to close two of the hospitals and build one new one, which would become Christiana Hospital. The remaining hospital, the Delaware Division, underwent a $22 million renovation project and was renamed Wilmington Hospital in 1985.

Into the 21st century

In the 1990s, the Wilmington Medical Center became Christiana Care Health System, and Christiana Care's Wilmington Hospital remained an integral part of the not-for-profit health system's committment to providing excellent health care to the people of Delaware and surrounding communities. In 2009, Christiana Care reaffirmed its committment to Wilmington with the announcement of a $210 million construction project that will dramatically transform Wilmington Hospital into a state-of-the-art facility, poised to deliver excellence in health care to the community for many years to come.

Wilmington Hospital
501 W. 14th St., Wilmington, DE 19801 directions
302-733-1000