$540 Million Medical Center to Expand Healthcare Access
By Fay Harvey
Annapolis, M.D., — The University of Maryland Medical System broke ground Oct. 21 on the UM Shore Regional Medical Center. The project reflects a major investment in improving healthcare access and support for Maryland’s rural communities.
Upon completion, the UM Shore Regional Medical Center will replace the existing hospital in downtown Easton. The new facility will sit on a 230-acre plot and house 147 licensed beds. It will provide a comprehensive array of care, including emergency, behavioral health, acute rehabilitation, neurosciences, orthopedics and cardiology services across six levels and more than 325,000 square feet. The facility’s location will also offer easier and safer access for ambulance and helicopter transport, in addition to ample parking for patients, staff and visitors.
“We are all here because we each share a simple but powerful belief: Everyone deserves access to health care. This isn’t about politics – this isn’t about ideology – this is about basic, foundational principles of a functioning society,” said Gov. Wes Moore at the groundbreaking ceremony.
The project, estimated at $540 million, will be paid for by bonds, public and private philanthropy, federal grants and $100 million in state funds committed under the Governor’s Capital Budget through FY 2028. The new facility is expected to open by the end of summer 2028. Project partners include Dallas-headquartered Covalus, which will serve as project manager; global architecture firm HKS; and national construction manager Whiting-Turner as well as Baltimore-based general contractor Mahogany Inc.
“Expanding access to healthcare across our 2,000 square mile region — with the goal of providing the ‘right care at the right place at right time’ — has required us to think outside the box,” said University of Maryland Shore Regional Health President and Chief Executive Officer Ken Kozel. “Our medical pavilions and freestanding emergency care centers, along with programs designed to achieve equity in health care access for our diverse communities, have enabled us to dramatically expand access to preventive care and chronic disease management outside the walls of the hospital. Now, thanks to the support of University of Maryland Medical System and scores of our Shore team members, the State of Maryland, our town and county governments, civic groups and private citizens, we look forward to realizing our vision of our new, state-of-the-art Shore Regional Medical Center.”