Groundbreaking Celebration for University of Maryland Shore Regional Medical Center Marks Major Milestone in Evolution of Health Care on Maryland’s Eastern Shore

EASTON, MD

In a celebratory milestone that has been decades in the making, elected officials, medical, civic and business leaders and community stakeholders gathered today in Easton to break ground for the construction of the University of Maryland Shore Regional Medical Center. The new, state-of-the-art medical complex, part of University of Maryland Shore Regional Health (UM SRH), is anticipated to open in 2028. UM SRH is a member organization of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS).

Held at the Talbot County Community Center adjacent to the construction site, the groundbreaking event was hosted by Mohan Suntha, MD, MBA, UMMS President and CEO, and Ken Kozel, MBA, FACHE, President and CEO of UM SRH. In addition to Dr. Suntha and Ken Kozel, speakers included:

• Maryland Governor Wes Moore
• S. Senator Andy Harris
• Maryland State Senator Johnny Mautz
• Maryland State Senator Steve Hershey

“We are all here because we each share a simple but powerful belief: Everyone deserves access to health care. This isn’t about politics – this isn’t about ideology – this is about basic, foundational principles of a functioning society,” said Gov. Moore. “We will not stop until that future is a reality for the 456,000 Marylanders who call the Shore home – and the millions more who live all across our state. Not just because we ‘say so,’ but because we are proving what it means to make it so. Together, we will leave no one behind.”

Kozel spoke to the expansion of health care access across the five counties served by UM Shore Regional Health over the past decade-plus, which have included the creation of medical office buildings providing outpatient care services in all five counties, freestanding emergency care facilities in Queenstown and Cambridge as well as an expanded and renovated emergency department in Chestertown, which complements the State’s designation of UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown as Maryland’s first Rural Hospital. With the establishment of UM Shore Medical Group, which now employs more than 130 physician and advanced practice providers in 22 primary and specialty care offices in locations throughout the region, improved access for all remains a core part of Shore’s vision.

“Expanding access to healthcare across our 2,000 square mile region – with the goal of providing the ‘right care at the right place at right time’ — has required us to think of innovative ways for transforming rural health care,” Kozel said. “Our medical pavilions, freestanding emergency care centers, and programs designed to achieve equity in health care access for our diverse communities have enabled us to dramatically expand access to preventive care and chronic disease management outside the walls of the hospital. Now, with the support of University of Maryland Medical System and so many members of the Shore health care team, the state of Maryland, our town and county governments, civic groups and private citizens, we look forward to realizing our vision of our new, state-of-the-art Shore Regional Medical Center.”

Dr. Suntha’s remarks described his vision of UMMS to be the premier provider of health care for the state of Maryland and the advantages the system’s affiliations with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and other health sciences programs offered by the University of Maryland at Baltimore bring to the quality of health care provided throughout the system’s hospitals and outpatient programs.

“Today has been a long time coming and is truly a historic day for the future of health care on the Eastern Shore,” Dr. Suntha said. “Our System and UM Shore Regional Health together have pioneered innovative solutions for the challenges of rural health care and we look forward to the new Regional Medical Center opening to continue meeting the needs of residents across the region. Health care has come a long way since Emergency Hospital opened its doors in 1907 in Easton, and 117 years later we are committed to giving residents of the region served by Shore Regional Health the state-of-the-art hospital that they deserve. We are incredibly grateful for each and every donor who has contributed to this project and for those who will contribute in the future — without their philanthropic support we could not have made today happen. We are also grateful to Governor Moore for joining us today, and to the state of Maryland for their financial commitment to making sure this new hospital will finally be built.”

UM SRH includes UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown, UM Shore Medical Center at Easton. UM Shore Emergency Center at Cambridge, UM Shore Emergency Center at Queenstown, and outpatient care facilities and services located throughout Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties. The new UM Shore Regional Medical Center will replace the current hospital in Easton.