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PENN MEDICINE AT VALLEY FORGE OPENS DOORS Penn Medicine at Valley Forge saw its first patient this month at its $30M, 90,000-square-foot outpatient medical building at the intersection of Chesterbrook Boulevard and Swedesford Road in Tredyffrin Township, Chester County. Penn Medicine at Valley Forge has space for more than 50 primary care and specialty care physicians, and on-site laboratory and radiology services. The three-story building will also serve as a primary care training site for University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine students. The center is designed as a "green building" and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design- (LEED) certified. The design reduces water runoff and uses less energy. The building's primary uses include: education for medical students and community health programs; primary health care; specialty care; and diagnostic services. A portion of the $30 million funding for Penn Medicine at Valley Forge is coming from the Henry P. Erdman Trust. The trust was created almost 100 years ago to finance the expansion of University of Pennsylvania programs to the Valley Forge area. In the early 1900s, Penn administration and alumni were considering moving the University from its urban location in West Philadelphia to a more suburban setting. Penn alumni, including Erdman, felt the move would preserve the culture of a small college and allow students to focus on achievement, as opposed to just gaining credits toward a degree. Over the years, land in the Valley Forge area was either purchased or donated to Penn in support of the move. Eventually, the plans for moving the university were dropped and the land was sold in 1972 to become part of Valley Forge National Historical Park and the Chesterbrook corporate center. Penn remained committed to the Erdman Trust's original goal, and a proposal was created to honor the memory of Erdman and his gift through the construction of a medical center and medical education center, focused on primary care and community medicine. |
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