Even as construction begins on the largest expansion in Howard County General Hospital?s history, hospital directors recognize more growth is not far away.
“We will be building another pavilion in less than 10 years after this is open,” hospital President Victor Broccolino said.
The $105 million, 233,656-square-foot expansion and renovation includes:
» New five-level pavilion for new inpatient rooms;
» Ground-level outpatient rehabilitation center;
» Surgery area;
» Larger lab space;
» Room for technology systems;
» Parking garage for 550 cars.
Hospital officials are holding a ground-breaking ceremony Monday.
The expansion will add 40 to 45 patient beds, all in private rooms.
But Howard County General Hospital has been operating at capacity, and Howard continues to grow.
“We are reasonably confident we have enough capacity for the foreseeable future,” said Jay Blackman, the hospital?s executive vice president, adding that within a “reasonable amount of time,” the hospital will have to grow again.
This development will ease the needs for now, particularly in the emergency department, Broccolino said.
Having private rooms also will make it easier to accommodate some patients. For example, if three men are in the emergency room and need to be admitted, finding room for them can be difficult if the only open beds are in semi-private rooms with women.
“We can?t mix and match. This does give us additional flexibility,” Broccolino said.
Having private rooms is a trend among hospitals, said Nancy Fiedler, spokeswoman for the Maryland Hospital Association. But to meet the growing needs, hospitals need more space.
“The plant has to be larger because of the fact that you have private rooms,” she said.
The demand for hospital beds will continue to increase as the baby boomer generation continues to age, Fiedler said, and many hospitals are expanding now to anticipate that need.
