Expanding Hope
Community Leaders, Business Leaders, Elected Officials Come Together To Break Ground On $34 Million Expansion Of Emergency Room Facilities At MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center
By Raoul Dennis // Photography By Frank Solomon
It was the kind of winning moment that makes the world a little better to live in.
The Sept. 19 groundbreaking for the expansion of emergency room services at MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center in Clinton, MD is the start of a quality of living enhancement for Southern Maryland residents for decades to come. (Click here for “An Upgrade In Care,” to get a look at the new expansion and its impact.)
This $34 million project will add 18,000 square-feet to the existing building. The expansion will increase emergency department beds from 28 to 40, and create an area that exclusively services patients with mental or behavioral issues to increase safety for both these patients and others in the emergency department.
“The expansion of our emergency department represents an expansion of our ability to care for the patients of our community,” says Dr. Chiledum Ahaghotu, the Vice President of Medical Affairs at MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center (MSMHC). “We believe that by expanding our ability to care for our patients we are continuing a noble mission to care for people in a safer, more comfortable space. We will be able to improve our flow of patients as they come through the emergency department with less wait time. And then, we will do a refresh for the lobby area so it will be a much better welcoming area as you come into the hospital.”
The diverse level of support for the expansion was also a notable point for the hospital center.
“We worked hard to get to this day,” says MSMHC President Christine Wray of the over capacity crowd at the ceremony. The planners expected 70 guests but the outdoor tent was standing room only, expanding the number closer to 110 VIPs, business leaders, community and health A-listers and elected officials. “We are so excited and have so much support from so many members of our community. Several colleagues have said they have never seen so many elected officials come out for an event.”
Indeed, elected leaders from at least two counties (Prince George’s and Charles) as well as state officials --- and chief among them Maryland Senate President Thomas V. “Mike” Miller, Jr. Miller is the longest sitting state senator in the nation’s history.
“It’s great to be here. This used to be my sleigh riding hill,” Miller says with a smile of the land the hospital was built upon in the years before it was erected. “The fact is so many people use emergency rooms as their health care unit of first resort. This hospital has a tradition of not keeping people waiting, of quality care and it means an awful lot, not just for this community but for all of Southern Maryland.”
MSMHC has a special meaning for the iconic senator who hails from southern Prince George’s. He was an early advocate for the hospital decades ago when Southern Maryland residents had few choices for health care. In his remarks, Miller recognized the late Dr. Francis Chiaramonte, the visionary and forceful founder of Southern Maryland Hospital in 1977.
“I was involved with the planning for this hospital,” Miller says. “I was on the planning committee when we were trying to find a site for this hospital and I was at the groundbreaking and dedication then. Now, this expansion is great stuff for all of us.”
Other state and county officials applauded the move and many had a hand in it, including The Prince George’s County Council passage of legislation allowing the expansion.
Kerry R. Watson Jr., MGM Vice President, Government Affairs and Vice Chair of the board at MSMHC. PHOTO: FRANK SOLOMON, PRINCE GEORGE’S SUITE MAGAZINE & MEDIA
“Several years ago, led by then-District 9 Councilmember Mel Franklin, we passed legislation that gave us the opportunity to have this expansion,” said Prince George’s County Council Chairman Todd Turner “We want to thank MedStar for this additional investment. It will provide updated facilities to the service they provide every day. This investment continues the efforts to expand our [health] network here in Prince George’s,” Turner says.
Councilmember Mel Franklin agreed and says the move is part of an overall interest in developing the county to become a world class health care destination.
“It was critical that [the legislation supporting this expansion] happened because we really want to become a national and international leader in health care,” Franklin says. “The Regional Medical Center being built in Largo and MedStar is extraordinarily valuable in terms of all of Southern Maryland. This investment is the beginning of an effort transforming MSMHC which has been a long time necessity for the residents of all of Southern Maryland. I’m happy to see it happen as it has been years in the making.”
Franklin also acknowledged the new relationship between Doctors Community Health System and Anne Arundel Medical Center as well as the purchase of Fort Washington Medical Center by Adventist Healthcare. The At-Large councilman considers these developments, along with the Regional Medical Center, as part of a sweeping momentum that will carry the county into the future as an internationally renowned model for best health practices, care, research and technology.
“Ten years from now, they will be talking about how everyone comes to Prince George’s County for their health care,” he says.
Friends In High Places
Steve Proctor, President and CEO of G.S. Proctor & Associates, the largest African American owned lobbying firm in Maryland, wore two hats at MSMHC. As a member of the MedStar Health board, the veteran lobbyist was especially satisfied with the prominent event.
“This is a huge day for MSMHC but even bigger for the residents,” Proctor said. G.S. Proctor & Associates represented the hospital for over 20 years. The firm will be celebrating its own 25th anniversary in 2020. “I think this is long overdue. This hospital has been a pillar of the community for decades. This type of upgrade and investment is absolutely phenomenal and I think that was reflective in the turn out today.” (Click here for more details on the impact of the expanding emergency room care)
The turnout also included other business leaders such as Kerry R. Watson, Jr., MGM National Harbor vice president of government affairs. Watson is also vice chair of the MSMHC board of directors.
“A day like this is great and easy for me to balance,” Watson says. “At MGM we are so dedicated to [being a part of the communities we are based within] and sitting on the board at MSMHC is an awesome way to set that example. I’m proud that I was chosen to do this,” says the longtime resident of Prince George’s. “This is an example of the kind of growth and modernization that the county has been seeing.”
Dr. Chiledum Ahaghotu, the Vice President of Medical Affairs at MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center (MSMHC). PHOTO: FRANK SOLOMON // PRINCE GEORGE’S SUITE MAGAZINE & MEDIA
Maryland State Senator Melony G. Griffith stressed the need to be certain that all residents have full access to quality care.
“Emergency care is so critical and making sure all our citizens have access to high quality health care at every step of the continuum is so important,” she said.
Griffith also recognized the value in the new center as an outbreak-ready facility. “As a region we need to have the highest quality of health care available and emergency preparedness is critical. People need to know that if trouble happens, help is right around the corner.”
It’s also a matter of being close neighbors said Charles County based Maryland State Senator Arthur Ellis.
“Prince George’s and Charles Counties are joined at the hip,” Ellis says. ”We are neighbors, we share resources and I have personally used this hospital. It’s important that as our populations grow, it’s [critical] that we also grow our resources.”
Maryland Delegate Michael A. Jackson also reflected the personal and professional need for the expansion.
“[MedStar] Southern Maryland Hospital was vital for me and my family as I grew up in Southern Maryland. And today, my son and his family live right across the street from here,” said Jackson. “I'm happy to be a mutually beneficial partner in your progress.”
Other Benefits
In addition to the added treatment areas, there will be improved access for EMS personnel, a better waiting room experience for patients and their family members, and a newly created center for pathogen assessment in the event of a biohazard. In addition to the emergency department expansion, there will also be a larger front entrance with a pharmacy and a 24-hour café.
Southern Maryland Hospital Center was founded by Dr. Francis P. Chiaramonte, a urological surgeon and hospital developer in an effort to provide a needed hospital for residents of southern Maryland. Its doors opened in 1977 and became one of the region’s largest private medical facilities. MedStar purchased Southern Maryland Hospital Center in 2012.
