The Schreiber Center for Pediatric Development kicked off construction of a 14,700-square-foot addition Thursday afternoon with a groundbreaking ceremony.
“The demand for our services continues to grow, and we’ve run out of space,” said James DeBord, Schreiber's president and CEO.
The Schreiber Center serves children ages birth to 21 in Lancaster County and the surrounding region. Its 59 therapists treat more than 4,000 children annually for physical and cognitive disabilities.
To accommodate the demand for therapy rooms, the center moved its administrative offices to a nearby building. The annual lease is a six-figure expense that DeBord wants to eliminate, bringing all of Schreiber's operations back under one roof.
The expansion will add 20 rooms, eight for physical therapy and six for behavioral health treatment. It also will include a physical therapy gym, a multi-therapy suite and an outdoor therapy garden.
Officials say it will allow the center to hire more staff, reduce wait times and provide a greater range of services to more children.
The $10 million project cost includes $8.3 million for the addition and $1.3 million for a state-of-the-art heating, ventilation and air conditioning system. The system will mitigate infection risk by dramatically reducing airborne pathogens.
Schreiber has raised $6.4 million so far, including $620,000 from Lancaster County's American Rescue Plan Act funds, which will go toward the HVAC component.
Schreiber hopes to have all the work completed by early 2024.
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