The exciting vision of a new, state- of-the-art freestanding medical facility in Cambridge, Maryland, is now taking shape. University of Maryland Shore Medical Campus at Cambridge is under construction with anticipated completion by fall 2021. Located in the new Cambridge Marketplace on Route 50/Ocean Gateway, the project was designed by the Baltimore-based architectural firm Marshall Craft Associates and is being built by Chesapeake Contracting Group of Annapolis.
The campus will include a two-story freestanding medical facility (FMF) with a full 24/7 Emergency Department, a second-story medical services pavilion, a helipad and ample parking.
“The Cambridge Marketplace site is perfect—it offers convenient access to public transportation and emergency vehicles and efficient access to the helipad,” says Ken Kozel, president and CEO of UM Shore Regional Health. “We are excited that our medical campus will be conveniently located among other services at the Marketplace that benefit local residents.”
Architects’ rendering shows the entrance of the UM Shore Medical Campus at Cambridge, now under construction at Cambridge Marketplace.
The first floor of the new building will house the state-of-the-art, 39,000-square-foot Emergency Department including 18 private treatment rooms, six private observation rooms and a separate, three-bed unit for the assessment and treatment of patients needing emergency care for behavioral health issues. As is now the case, the new Dorchester ED will have telemedicine capabilities that enable physicians and other care providers to consult with specialists at Shore Regional Health’s other facilities, at University of Maryland Medical Center and around the globe.
“Like our Shore Emergency Center in Queenstown, nearly 20,000 people come to the Emergency Department in Dorchester each year. We are looking forward to having a top-notch facility where our outstanding emergency care teams can continue to provide the best care possible,” says William Huffner, MD, senior vice president and chief medical officer, UM SRH.
Other services located on the first floor will include Shore Behavioral Health’s Bridge Clinic and Intensive Outpatient Program, Cardiac Rehabilitation, the Infusion Center, and laboratory and radiology services. An MRI facility will be located adjacent to the building.
Aerial view of the construction site at Cambridge Marketplace.
The second floor will serve as a medical pavilion offering a wide array of services, including an outpatient surgery center, diagnostic imaging and laboratory services, rehabilitation services (including the Balance Center), chronic disease management services and a community education room. The Cambridge offices of UM Shore Medical Group pediatric, women’s health and surgery practices will also be located on the second floor, along with a multispecialty suite where patients can see providers from various specialties including diabetes, cardiology, primary care and urology.
Plans for UM Shore Medical Campus at Cambridge have been in the works since 2015. An important part of the process was a series of community listening sessions, conducted in 2016, in East New Market, Cambridge, Vienna and Madison. Hosted by officials representing University of Maryland Medical System and UM Shore Regional Health, these sessions attracted hundreds of Dorchester residents as well as local physicians, business and civic leaders, elected officials, state and county health care officials, and representatives from the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS). Those in attendance gained an overview of the changing landscape of health care delivery and the forces driving that change, as well as plans for the new medical campus.
In July 2018, UM SRH held a public information session at Cambridge South Dorchester High School as part of the process of seeking legislative approval for the FMF model to be implemented in Cambridge. Senate Bill 707 passed in the Maryland General Assembly’s 2019 session and was signed by Governor Larry Hogan. In late April 2019, the Maryland Health Care Commission unanimously approved three Certificates of Exemption, which included plans for UM Shore Medical Center at Dorchester to be replaced by UM Shore Medical Campus at Cambridge once the new campus is completed and fully operational.
“From the outset, our goal has been to ensure that quality, accessible and affordable health care is available to all residents of Dorchester County,” says Kozel. “We sought a convenient, visible location that would meet the key health care needs in the region, and also serve as a modern place of employment, a focal point for public transportation, and an attractive draw to physicians and advanced practice providers needed to provide care in the region. It’s exciting and gratifying to see this vision now becoming reality.”
For more information about Shore Medical Campus at Cambridge, visit umshoreregional.org/cambridgecampus.
As part of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), University of Maryland Shore Regional Health is the principal provider of comprehensive health care services for more than 170,000 residents of Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. UM Shore Regional Health’s team of more than 2,200 employees, medical staff, board members and volunteers works with various community partners to fulfill the organization’s mission of Creating Healthier Communities Together.
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