Rain and mud didn’t dampen the excitement of the people who turned out for the Topping Out ceremony at the Queen Anne’s Emergency Center construction site on Tuesday, November 24. The gathering marked a milestone in the project by giving Shore Health System staff, building contractors and members of the community the opportunity to watch as the last steel beam was placed on the facility being built on Nesbitt Road and US Rt. 50 in Grasonville.

In the tradition of the construction industry, placement of the last steel beam during a building project is referred to as “topping out.” Before the beam was raised and set in place on the building, the last steel beam of the Queen Anne’s Emergency Center was signed by Shore Health System employees, physicians, volunteers, state and county elected officials, and community supporters. The beam was decorated with an American flag as an expression of patriotism. A small evergreen tree, a symbol that has its roots in ancient timber construction, was attached to the beam. The ancient topping out celebration honored the trees used to construct the building and was believed to bring good luck to the new structure.

Shore Health System, the University of Maryland Medical System and Queen Anne’s County have partnered to build and operate a freestanding emergency center to serve the residents of Queen Anne’s County and the neighboring region. When it opens in late 2010, the Queen Anne’s Emergency Center will operate 24 hours a day, every day of the year, treating patients with acute illnesses, injuries and trauma as well as minor injuries. The center is a full service emergency department, just like one at a hospital. It will be staffed by board certified emergency medicine physicians, experienced ER nurses and hospital-experienced radiology and laboratory technologists.

For more information about the Queen Anne’s Emergency Center, visit ERforQA.org.