Jefferson Health opens Honickman Center in Philly’s Market East

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Jefferson Health is making a big, shiny $762 million bet on Center City Philadelphia.

After four years of construction, Jefferson Health opened its new 19-story medical office tower in Market East, known as the Honickman Center.

The building sits at the corner of 11th and Chestnut Streets and spans 462,000 square feet.

“We’re going to make care more efficient, more customer-focused and will boost collaboration between our physicians,” said Dr. Joseph Cacchione, CEO of Jefferson Health.

It’s a specialty care pavilion, not a hospital, so it won’t keep patients overnight.

Instead, it’s an outpatient care center that offers same-day surgeries, doctor appointments with specialists, and medical infusion visits.

The goal is to make the journey for a patient to get the care they need less burdensome, said its CEO.

“The average patient with chronic illness sees seven physicians,” Dr. Cacchione said. “You could walk a 5K to get to all your appointments at Jefferson. That will change, and we’re very happy about that.”

The concept is to consolidate its operations, including the National Cancer Institute-designated Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, the Digestive Health Institute, Jefferson Transplant Institute, Korman Respiratory Institute and other specialties like cardiovascular, otolaryngology, rheumatology and urology in the same building.

The facility has more than 300 exam rooms, 58 infusion chairs, 10 operation rooms, six endoscopy rooms, imaging and laboratory services and a pharmacy. It also has an underground parking garage.

The new center has virtual surgical theaters, augmented and virtual reality and robotics.

Inside patient rooms, the chairs can be lowered down, making it easier for individuals in wheelchairs. A touchscreen television plays calming music and breathing exercises, and patients can scroll through art. Patient waiting areas have tactile walls and chairs that reduce sensory stimulation.

There’s also a rooftop garden for patients and visitors to promote peace and healing.

Jefferson Health plans to vacate more than 177,000 square feet of medical office space across 10 different buildings with plans to repurpose or sell them.

“We can’t create the future in facilities from the past,” said Dr. Baligh Yehia, president of Jefferson Health.

The Honickman Center is named after Lynne and Harold Honickman, their children Majorie and Jeffrey Honickman and Shirley and Richard Hahn after a $50 million gift. More than 2,000 individual donors chipped in roughly $150 million as well.

During construction, the project generated $772 million in economic impact and supported 4,000 jobs, in addition to $25 million in tax revenue for the city of Philadelphia.