Hundreds Celebrate Groundbreaking of UM Capital Region Medical Center in Largo

In a celebratory milestone decades in the making, elected officials, medical, civic and business leaders and community stakeholders gathered today in Largo to break ground on the new University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center. The state-of-the-art medical complex, part of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), is anticipated to open in 2021.   

Special guests at the groundbreaking included:

• Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan, Jr.
• Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker III
• U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin
• U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen
• U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer
• U.S. Rep. Anthony G. Brown
• Prince George’s County Council Chair Derrick L. Davis
• Maryland House Speaker Michael E. Busch
• Maryland Senate President Thomas V. “Mike” Miller, Jr.
• Charlene Dukes, Ed.D., President of Prince George’s Community College, served as emcee. 

In September, UMMS formally affiliated with the former Dimensions Healthcare System (DHS), creating University of Maryland Capital Region Health.  The new UM Capital Region Medical Center will replace the existing University of Maryland Prince George’s Hospital Center (UM PGHC) in Cheverly. 

“Today marks an important step in the journey to better serve the health care needs of Prince George’s County,” said Robert A. Chrencik, MBA, CPA, President and Chief Executive Officer, University of Maryland Medical System. “In partnership with the University of Maryland School of Medicine, we are making great strides in improving health care delivery, and we are energized and inspired to build a premier health care facility about which all Marylanders can be proud.  We are also witnessing an exemplary public-private partnership as UMMS invests significant resources into this project alongside our partners from the State and Prince George’s County. UMMS is proud to help fuel the economic engine of this region and become increasingly integrated into the fabric of this vibrant community as an employer, care provider and civic partner.”  

The new medical center, surrounding medical campus, and adjacent development projects serve as a catalyst to further stimulate economic growth in Prince George’s County, while promoting wider access to primary and preventive care services aimed at improving the health status of Prince George’s County and Southern Maryland residents.

UM Capital Region Medical Center will be located on a 26-acre site adjacent to the Arena Drive exit off Interstate 495.  The $543 million, 600,000 square-foot facility will include:

• An 11-level main patient care tower
• Two roof-top helipads
• 205 private inpatient rooms
• 20-bed Adult Observation / Short Stay treatment area
• 45-bay Emergency Department
• Eight operating rooms
• 15-bed specialty pediatric hospital operated by Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital (co-owned by the University of Maryland Medical System and Johns Hopkins Medicine)

The project is also slated to include an ambulatory care center and medical office space. 

Core clinical programs and specialty centers include, among others, the second busiest trauma center in the State and the only neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Prince George’s County and Southern Maryland:

• Level II Trauma Center
• Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
• Cardiac STEMI / Cardiac Surgery Center
• Designated Stroke Center
• Cancer Program
• Critical Care Medicine
• Emergency Services
• Neurosciences
• Orthopaedics
• Women’s Services

“Today’s groundbreaking marks a tremendous moment in our vision to bring world-class discovery-based medicine to Prince George’s County and the surrounding region,” said UM School of Medicine (UMSOM) Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, who is also Vice President for Medical Affairs, University of Maryland, and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor. “We look forward to training physicians and other clinicians at the Largo site, where the Power of Partnership between the School of Medicine and UMMS will undoubtedly improve the health of the region’s population.”

“Today we see the future within reach, and express our deep gratitude to the many individuals and entities who have played a role in bringing us this far on our mission.” said Bradford Seamon, Chairman of the Board of Directors of University of Maryland Capital Region Health. “The thousands of employees of UM Capital Region Health stand willing, ready and able to help drive the transformation of health care delivery across our current facilities as we envision our new regional hub in Largo rising on the horizon.”

The newly formed UM Capital Region Health is focused on several strategic priorities, including:

Expanding access for primary/community care, specialty care, and other health care services to the region to reduce health care disparities and improve health status

Facilitating investment in outpatient practices and health education programs to manage chronic diseases

Broadening access to discovery-based medicine

Attracting residents of Prince George’s County and Southern Maryland region who now receive care from hospitals outside the County

“The new Medical Center will be the centerpiece of the new regional health care system to serve residents of Prince George’s County and Southern Maryland who have been medically underserved for decades,” said Neil J. Moore,

President and CEO of UM Capital Region Health.  “The time is here to bring back patients to our County who have for too long felt the need to seek their health care elsewhere.” 

In 2010, partners including Prince George's County, the state of Maryland, the University System of Maryland, the University of Maryland Medical System and Dimensions Healthcare System formally initiated discussions about the future of health care, leading to a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2011 to develop a comprehensive plan for strengthening health care in the county.  The University of Maryland School of Public Health conducted a public health impact study in 2011, Transforming Health in Prince George's County, Maryland: A Public Health Impact Study, with findings including:

Prince George’s residents suffered from higher rates of chronic diseases including diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, asthma and cancer than residents residing in neighboring counties;

The County had significantly fewer health care providers for its population than neighboring counties and the state and capacity of its community-based care was severely limited; and

Many residents sought health care outside of Prince George’s, a phenomenon known as “outmigration.“

For more information about the new University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center, visit https://umcapitalregion.org/our-new-hospital.  For information on how to support UM Capital Region Health with philanthropic support, visit http://umcapitalregionfoundation.org/.

About the University of Maryland Medical System

The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) is a university-based regional health care system focused on serving the health care needs of Maryland, bringing innovation, discovery and research to the care we provide and educating the state’s future physician and health care professionals through our partnership with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the UM Schools of Nursing, Pharmacy, Social Work and Dentistry in Baltimore.  As one of the largest private employers in the State, the health system’s 25,000 employees and 4,000 affiliated physicians provide primary and specialty care in more than 150 locations and at 14 hospitals.  UMMS’ flagship academic campus, the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, is recognized regionally and nationally for excellence and innovation in specialized care.  Our acute care and specialty rehabilitation hospitals serve urban, suburban and rural communities and are located in 13 counties across the State. In addition, UMMS operates health insurance plans serving Medicare and Medicaid members. For more information, visit www.umms.org.

About University of Maryland Capital Region Health

Providing primary and specialty health care services to Prince George’s County and the neighboring area, University of Maryland Capital Region Health was established in September 2017 upon the formal affiliation of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) and the former Dimensions Healthcare System.  University of Maryland Capital Region Health operates the University of Maryland Prince George’s Hospital Center in Cheverly, University of Maryland Laurel Regional Hospital, University of Maryland Bowie Health Campus, and the University of Maryland Family Health & Wellness Center in Suitland. University of Maryland School of Medicine (SOM) faculty direct several University of Maryland Capital Region Health clinical programs, including anesthesiology, critical care, emergency medicine, neonatology, orthopaedics and vascular surgery, and the State’s second-busiest Trauma Center.  University of Maryland School of Medicine faculty also lead the highly-regarded cardiac surgery program at UM Prince George’s Hospital Center.

A new state-of-the-art regional medical center is expected to open in Largo in 2021.   For more information, visit www.umcapitalregion.org