Originally Released: October, 1999
MEDICAL SYSTEM BREAKS NEW GROUND TO USHER IN NEXT CENTURY
The University of Maryland Medical System will take an important step on October 4th toward constructing a spectacular new 380,000 square foot hospital building on Lombard Street. More than 200 people will gather at 10:00 a.m. for a groundbreaking celebration. Maryland Governor Parris N. Glendening, members of the General Assembly, and other government and community leaders are expected to attend the event, called "Breaking New Ground."
"This magnificent new building will enable the University of Maryland Medical System to continue to provide citizens throughout Maryland with excellent, state-of-the-art health care. It will also enable this great institution to achieve its mission as a leader in clinical research and medical training," says Governor Glendening.
The spacious, seven-story, $145 million building will open in the spring of 2002. It will be located in the 600 block of West Lombard St. between the modern Gudelsky building, which opened in 1994 and the world-famous Shock Trauma Center building, which opened in 1989.
"This building will set a new standard for hospital care in Maryland," says Morton I. Rapoport, M.D., president and CEO of the University of Maryland Medical System. "It will incorporate the most sophisticated design and equipment in a beautiful environment with garden terraces and skylights. "At the same time, it will enable us to provide more efficient, technologically advanced care," says Dr. Rapoport.
The building will house a new, 55,000 sq. ft. emergency center with an entrance adjacent to the Shock Trauma Center. The new emergency facility will have separate adult and pediatric waiting and treatment areas and provide expanded space for existing specialized services, such as a fast track for emergencies that are not life-threatening and a chest pain evaluation unit. The emergency center will also have a dedicated diagnostic radiology facility with x-ray, CT scan and ultrasound equipment.
The new emergency center will provide patients with more space and privacy. About half of the 54 emergency treatment bays will be located in private rooms. All beds will have state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment. A two-story, sunlit atrium along Lombard St. will house the emergency center's waiting areas.
Another highlight of the Lombard St. building will be 16 spacious new operating rooms, each at least 600 sq. ft. in size, as well as a new invasive angiography suite and three outpatient surgery rooms for minor procedures. Each operating room will have its own air filtration system to reduce the risk of infection. There will be space for adding additional operating rooms in future years.
The top three floors of the building will house patient rooms, all with great views of Camden Yards. An expanded diagnostic imaging department will be located in the building, as well as a new cafeteria and a patient resource center where patients and their families can find information on specific health problems and medical procedures. There will also be an employee training and learning center.
The exterior of the new facility will be compatible with the Gudelsky building, with a limestone base and brick from the third story to the top, as well as five large bay windows. Inside, visitors will notice a bright 22,000 sq. ft. atrium and terraced gardens.
"The new building is designed to enhance the delivery of health care by locating certain services closer together-such as emergency care, diagnostic evaluation, surgery and critical care units," says Stephen C. Schimpff, M.D., CEO of the University of Maryland Medical Center. "It will provide more space for growing programs, and give us flexibility to incorporate changes in technology and services in the years to come."
The new building is part of the University of Maryland Medical System's $218 million, Phase-Three expansion and renovation project. The State of Maryland is providing $100 million. Funding also comes from medical system operating revenues, philanthropic gifts, and the sale of bonds. The building is designed by Perkins & Will and Kohn Pederson Fox, along with the Design Collective of Baltimore.
"This new building, which is made possible through a combined private/public partnership, is crucial to our ability to serve the growing number of patients with the most serious, complex health problems who need and expect excellent care here," says Frank Bramble, Chairman of the Medical System's Board of Directors and Chairman and CEO of Allfirst Financial, Inc. "The Board is very grateful for the support of Governor Glendening and members of the General Assembly, which is key to this project's success," adds Bramble.
The University of Maryland Medical System is a private, non-profit institution, which includes the University of Maryland Medical Center, the Greenebaum Cancer Center, the Shock Trauma Center, Kernan and Deaton Hospitals and Maryland General Health Systems.
"This new facility will enhance our position in the regional health care marketplace, and help us to attract and maintain the best and brightest staff, says John W. Ashworth III, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the University of Maryland Medical Center. He adds, "I believe this building is a symbol for the bright future of this medical center at the beginning of the new century."
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This page was last updated on: July 19, 2011.