The Queen Anne’s County Commissioners were given an update on the progress of the Emergency Medical Facility project at today’s meeting. The facility will be located on 14.7 acres on the south side of U.S. Route 50 in Grasonville.
 
County Commission President Gene Ransom said he is optimistic about the positive economic impact of the project.

“This Emergency Room and the medical campus associated with it will bring about 500 new jobs to Queen Anne’s County,” said Ransom.

Officially called the Queen Anne’s County Medical Park, the project received concept plan approval and a favorable recommendation for water and sewer allocation at the January meeting of the county Planning Commission.

Queen Anne’s County’s Chief Operating Officer Gregg Todd discussed the county’s progress on the project, including the recommendations from the Planning Commission and road and infrastructure improvements. Representatives from University of Maryland Medical Systems and Shore Health were on hand to discuss both the economic impact of the project and patient services at the facility once it opens. Kathy Deoudes, legislative aide to Senator E.J. Pipkin, gave the County Commissioners a brief overview of a current private fund-raising effort for equipment for the facility.

The county signed the contract to acquire the land for the facility in January 2008. In May 2008 the County Commissioners voted unanimously to adopt a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Maryland Medical System Corporation outlining operational requirements and land uses.

The 15,700 square foot facility will have 11 treatment rooms, two triage rooms and onsite imaging services. The Emergency Medical Facility is designed to handle 7,000 patients in its first year. Ground breaking for the facility is set for July 2009 with a projected opening of fall 2010.