Since its beginnings as a 10-bed dispensary in 1892, The Chester County Hospital has delivered expert care to the community.

Today, the 220-bed nonprofit, independent hospital offers a full range of services, providing access to the latest medical technology and clinical protocols.

When a health crisis hits, area residents have the comfort of knowing they can receive cutting-edge care close to home.

A number of strategic affiliations with top academic medical centers make it possible to tap into the nationally renowned expertise of the Cleveland Clinic, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania. The higher patient volumes and on-site research programs of these major academic institutions are important components in establishing best practices of care. Through these partnerships with The Chester County Hospital, local patients receive the benefits of the large medical centers without having to leave behind the support system of family and friends.

“Each of our affiliates is known throughout the world, and our ability to make this level of medicine available locally is an unusual gift to our community,” says Jean Caulfield, the hospital’s senior vice president of professional services.

These partnerships also underscore the quality that is a hallmark of The Chester County Hospital and the commitment of the medical staff and hospital administration to invest time and resources in continually advancing patient care.

“The quality has to be A-plus when Cleveland Clinic forms an affiliation,” says Dr. Martin LeBoutillier III, a cardiothoracic surgeon.

The partnership provides on-call access and on-site training with their counterparts at Cleveland Clinic, plus ongoing access to educational broadcasts and real-time videoconferencing.

Similarly, local cancer patients benefit from the clinical trials and most advanced treatment options through the hospital’s participation in the University of Pennsylvania Cancer Network.

The network is a partnership between Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center and a select group of community-based hospitals.

“We can provide 95 percent of what a patient may need – and for the other 5 percent of cases, we have a direct line of contact down to Penn,” says Dr. Dennis Berman, medical director for Chester County Hematology-Oncology Services.

The partnership with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, routinely recognized as one of the top pediatric hospitals and research facilities in the world, actually places CHOP physicians on site at The Chester County Hospital.

Additionally, the hospital has been designated a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

“Someone with neonatal expertise is here 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and we are the only Level III NICU in Chester County,” says Dr. Pamela Russell, medical director for CHOP Newborn Care.

To ensure a smooth continuum of care from high-risk pregnancy through an infant’s first weeks of life, the hospital recently forged an agreement with the University of Pennsylvania to bring in specialists in maternal-fetal medicine.

For area residents, the bottom line is extraordinary health care, both on tap and on call right here at home.