The University of Maryland Capital Region Health announced the opening of the temporary expansion of UM Laurel Medical Center and provided additional details on how the facility will be utilized in response to COVID-19. At the direction of Governor Larry Hogan and in close partnership with the Maryland Department of Health (MDH), the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) and UM Capital Region Health have completed the process of temporarily expanding UM Laurel Medical Center in order to meet patient demand. The COVID-19 related expansion of UM Laurel Medical Center is open and caring for patients.
Under the leadership of CEO Mohan Suntha, the University of Maryland Medical System has been engaged in exhaustive preparation to increase bed, staff, and equipment capacity to adapt to the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic. This project has expanded capacity by adding 135 additional beds at UM Laurel Medical Center in preparation for the high probability of volume surge due to COVID-19.
“The recommissioning of UM Laurel Medical Center as an acute care hospital for COVID-19 patients, in partnership with the Maryland Department of Health (MDH), meets an important need for the Prince George’s County community,” says Mohan Suntha, MD, MBA, President & Chief Executive Officer, University of Maryland Medical System.
“Prince George’s County is currently bearing a disproportionate amount of COVID-19 cases and these additional beds will help ease the strain on Prince George’s Medical Center and ensure community members have access to high quality care at their greatest time of need. We are grateful to Governor Hogan, MDH and all of our partners who worked tirelessly over the last few weeks to bring Laurel Medical Center back to functionality during this unprecedented public health challenge.”
This temporarily expanded UM Laurel Medical Center will treat patients suspected of being infected with COVID-19 and those who have already tested positive.
- The expanded UM Laurel Medical Center is not a community testing clinic and cannot be accessed by general referrals from Primary Care Physicians.
- Patients will be transported to UM Laurel Medical Center through either emergency department or hospital inter-facility referrals.
“We are in the midst of unprecedented times and I applaud the unprecedented measures taken by Governor Hogan and University of Maryland Capital Region Health to reopen UM Laurel Medical Center,” said County Executive Angela Alsobrooks. “As we enter what we know will be a critical time in this pandemic, it is so important that we have the capacity to treat our residents, and this expansion will help us do that.”
UM Laurel Medical Center will be staffed by nearly 400 highly vetted contractual medical professionals / health care workers and will not reduce staff at UM Capital Region Health or other local UMMS facilities. The center and the all staff will be managed and overseen by UMMS and UM Capital Region Health leadership. The updated visitor policy for all UMMS health care facilities will be in effect.
On March 16, 2020, Governor Larry Hogan issued an Executive Order directing the Maryland Department of Health to work with health care facilities and providers to temporarily reopen closed facilities across the state and to take other measures necessary to immediately increase statewide hospital capacity. UMMS officially requested an Emergency Certificate of Need to establish a temporary remote location of UM Capital Region Health with 135 beds, which was quickly approved by the state.
“I am proud of the work we have done to activate opening acute care services at UM LMC to expand COVID-19 care in Prince George’s County,” says Joseph L. Wright, MD, MPH, FAAP, President & CEO (interim), University of Maryland Capital Region Health. “I am thankful to our staff who have been working diligently to quickly operationalize opening these units to meet a critical need in our community.”
Within UMMS, there has been an increase in patients with COVID-19 symptoms and the system has been actively planning for this increase and is refining detailed surge plans for each facility – including staff planning and implementing innovative models of care such as telehealth capabilities.
COVID-19 presents immediate hazards to the health of patients statewide, particularly in Prince George’s County which currently has the highest number of confirmed cases in the state. Ensuring the safety of patients, frontline medical staff, and team members remains and will remain a top priority of the University of Maryland Medical System and all its leadership.
UMMS will continue to plan for an increase in volumes while working as a system to ensure all patients receive the care and attention needed.
