UM Shore Regional Health Announces Plans For New Regional Medical Center In Easton

The Board of Directors of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) has approved a plan by UM Shore Regional Health (UM SRH) to submit a Letter of Intent next month to the Maryland Health Care Commission (MHCC) to construct a new Regional Medical Center in Talbot County.

"Building a new Regional Medical Center in Easton marks the most significant milestone in fulfilling our decades-long integrated facility and clinical service delivery plan," said Ken Kozel, President and CEO of UM Shore Regional Health. "Our growing communities expect and deserve access to a state-of-the-art center with advanced clinical care."

Since Shore Health System's affiliation with UMMS in 2006 and subsequent merger with Chester River Health System to form UM Shore Regional Health in 2013, UM SRH and UMMS leaders have worked steadily with community partners throughout the five-county region to reimagine and improve health care delivery across roughly 2,000 square miles of rural communities. Investments in the region have included modern inpatient and outpatient health care services to the residents of Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne's and Talbot counties on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

UM SRH has spent the last several years laying the ground work for the advancement of the new Regional Medical Center by making investments in other key supporting projects identified in the System's integrated facility and clinical service delivery plan. The completion of the freestanding medical facility in Cambridge, several medical pavilions and stand-alone emergency rooms in the region, urgent care centers in Denton, Easton and Kent Island, and numerous major equipment upgrades have totaled over $150M in capital investments. Plans are also moving forward in Chestertown with the construction of an Aging & Wellness Center of Excellence on its current campus.

Submission of the CON marks the first of several regulatory actions over the next year required to move forward with relocating the current hospital on Washington Street in Easton, parts of which dates back to the early 1900s.

The new Regional Medical Center campus is slated to occupy over 230 acres off Longwoods Road near the intersection of U.S. Route 50, adjacent to the Talbot County Community Center. This location is approximately 3.5 miles from the current hospital, and will provide greater visibility, easier and safer access for ambulance and helicopter transport as well as ample parking for patients, staff and visitors.

"We are building upon our long tradition of excellence in patient care and innovation to be a leader in the transformation of healthcare statewide. Our System is working throughout Maryland in diverse rural, urban and suburban settings to solve unique healthcare challenges, while remaining focused on the delivery of academic medicine for patients everywhere," said Mohan Suntha, MD, President & CEO of the University of Maryland Medical System. "Over the last decade, we have invested in a comprehensive and integrated care delivery system with a presence in every county in the Mid-Shore and this new Regional Medical Center in Talbot County will allow our team members to maximize our capacity to deliver better outcomes for patients from Hoopers Island to Rock Hall and everywhere in between."

While final specifications are subject to state regulatory approval and planning commission support, the facility's current design encompasses over 325,000 total square feet with an adjacent medical office and outpatient services building occupying an additional 60,000 square feet. The CON plans will include data- driven assumptions for ample inpatient and observation beds, operating rooms and Emergency Department treatment rooms to meet the needs of our Mid-Shore community.