Somerset Hospital Streetscapes

Somerset Hospital is a rural, nonprofit provider of critical healthcare services to more than 80,000 residents of Somerset County and surrounding communities. With more than 800 employees, the hospital is not only one of the largest employers in the county, it is also a significant contributor to the economic and community well-being of the Borough of Somerset. Encompassing a four-block area adjacent to downtown Somerset, the hospital targeted over $25 million in capital improvements to the main facility and neighboring structures. Recognizing that additional healthcare facilities would be constructed nearby in the future, the hospital – in partnership with the Borough of Somerset and Somerset County – needed to develop and implement an environmentally friendly streetscape design to create a common ambiance throughout the area, increasing pedestrian safety and bolstering the vitality of this section of the borough.

Somerset Hospital hired Delta to help develop and implement a comprehensive public funding strategy for the hospital in order to secure financial support for the proposed streetscape plan. Delta worked collaboratively with hospital management to secure the support of key project stakeholders at the local, county, and state levels. Delta then assisted the hospital in the funding application process for the Home Town Streets Program through the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT).

With Delta’s assistance, Somerset Hospital secured two separate grant awards in the amounts of $393,000 and $402,637 from PennDOT’s Home Town Streets Program. The money was used to install sidewalks, curbs, crosswalks, lighting, and landscaping throughout the hospital campus, providing a safer, more aesthetically appealing connection to the Borough of Somerset’s Main Street district. The project has increased the safety of the hospital’s visitors, patients, and employees, as well as the safety of local students who utilize the Athletic Training Center located on the hospital campus. The project has served as an additional catalyst to the borough’s downtown revitalization efforts.