Answers to Community Concerns

Where will the new hospital be located?
The Largo Town Center, also known as the Capital Center, is the selected site.

What will the name of the new regional medical center be?
The name will reflect the regional nature of the new medical center’s programs and the affiliation with the University of Maryland Medical System.

How much will it cost?
The new regional medical center is currently projected to cost approximately $543 million.

What will the hospital's bed capacity be?
The regional medical center will be licensed for 205 inpatient beds.

Who is paying for it?
Capital financing is being contributed by the State and County with the remainder proposed to come through a combination of negotiated rates with the Health Services Cost Review Commission and new debt insurance by the hospital/health system.

How was the decision made?
The site selection was made according to the best fit with seven criteria established after a public forum was held at the Prince George’s County Sports and Learning Center. The decision was narrowed to two qualifying sites with the final decision for Largo based on site development costs and access to public transportation.

What stakeholders were involved in the site selection process? Did the public have a chance to comment?
The principle stakeholders were Dimensions Healthcare System, Prince George’s County, and the University of Maryland Medical System. Other stakeholders involved included the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, University System of Maryland and the University of Maryland at Baltimore. Public comments were received at a town hall meeting at the Prince George’s County Sports and Learning Complex, as well as two meetings of the County Board of Health.

Why was the Largo Town Center site chosen?
The Largo site was chosen for several reasons including the fact that the site development costs were significantly lower. The Largo site has walkable access to a metro station. The Largo site also allowed for the opportunity to build and realize the County’s vision of an urbanized transit-oriented development town center.

When will construction of the new hospital be complete?
The regional medical center is projected to be open in March 2021.

How will game-day traffic impact access to the new hospital?
Contingency plans are being developed. The Largo site provides several options that might help alleviate traffic. There is currently a system of emergency routes on game days that will be expanded to assist the regional medical center.

How will the new hospital affect the surrounding neighborhoods? Will there be excessive noise or disturbance?
There will certainly be additional road and air traffic. It is hoped that the many economic and health access benefits will justify the increased activity.

Will there be a medical school near the new hospital?
The new hospital will certainly be a major training site for new doctors and other health professionals. Whether any professional schools would locate here is unknown at the present time. A professional school is not part of the immediate plan.

How will the intended affiliation and new medical center affect the affordability and quality of health care for the area (Prince George’s County/ Southern Maryland/ State of Maryland/ Washington DC area/ DMV)?
The quality of health care will certainly improve based on the new access to university talent and resources. Additionally, the medical center will be an important support to the development of the primary care system that is critically necessary if the county is to improve its health status. Finally, the existence of a university-level hospital will be attractive to new physicians and health professionals to the region. To be successful, costs will need to be competitive with other comparable services in the region.