LifeBridge Health Opens Brand-New Emergency Department and Specialty Clinics at Grace Medical Center in West Baltimore

Baltimore – Fourteen months after acquiring the former Bon Secours Baltimore Hospital, LifeBridge Health this week debuts a brand-new emergency department (ED) as well as renovated primary care/specialty care clinics and surgery suite at Grace Medical Center in West Baltimore.

The new ED will open for its first full day on January 19, with the renovated primary and specialty clinics opening the week of January 25. Along with the renovations of the facility, LifeBridge Health has also expanded medical services at Grace Medical Center by adding several new medical specialists, such as a dedicated OB/GYN, pediatrician, ophthalmologist and orthopedic specialist. New services also include 3D mammography.

“The new emergency department, as well as the renovations to the primary and specialty clinics, are the most visible examples, to date, of LifeBridge Health’s commitment to a growing, thriving and healthy West Baltimore community,” says Rebecca Altman, vice president and chief integration officer at LifeBridge Health.

She adds, “Today we begin a new era of healthcare in West Baltimore, and we are so grateful for the many people, including our government champions, community partners and neighbors, who have supported us in our efforts.”

Community has always been at the center of LifeBridge Health’s plans at Grace Medical Center. With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the health system plans an online virtual community celebration on January 25 at 11 am. This celebration will include video tours of the ED and clinic spaces as well as remarks from special guests, including Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and Pastor Rodney Morton from Central Baptist Church, which sits across from Grace Medical Center at the corner of Baltimore and Pulaski Streets. Community members can see the virtual celebration at: lifebridgehealth.org/gracecelebration

“When LifeBridge Health brought Grace Medical Center into our family, we had a vision to ensure that the people of West Baltimore had the health services they need now and in the future.  We are so excited to debut the new emergency department and renovated clinic spaces and even more thrilled for what these renovations and additional medical services will mean for the people of West Baltimore,” says Daniel Blum, president of Grace Medical Center and senior vice president of LifeBridge Health.

NEW EMERGECNY DEPARTMENT

The new emergency department at Grace covers 17,000 square feet with 27 state-of-the art treatment rooms, along with a new lobby and ambulance entrance. The new ED also has negative pressure rooms, allowing for isolation for people with suspected infectious diseases such as COVID-19. There is a designated pod for patients with psychiatric or behavioral health concerns. A brand-new CT (computed tomography) scanner is located within the department to allow for rapid diagnosis of conditions such as heart attacks and strokes.

“We see the new ED as a gift for the community and our team.  We have an awesome responsibility to provide the best and most compassionate care inside our new facility,” says Reginald Brown., M.D., chief of emergency medicine at Grace Medical Center.

The Grace emergency department sees an average of 20,000 patients a year.

THIRD FLOOR RENOVATIONS/ ADDITIONAL MEDICAL SERVICES

The third floor at Grace Medical Center also received a complete renovation and will be home to the clinic spaces for primary and specialty care.

A variety of physicians will see patients here. These include specialists in orthopedics and ophthalmology, as well as cardiology and cardiac testing. Grace Medical Center will also offer outpatient clinics for endocrinology, vascular, urology, podiatry, gastro-intestinal (GI) and infectious diseases.

“In the time leading up to LifeBridge Health’s acquisition of Grace Medical Center, we talked to members of our community about what medical specialties they wanted us to bring in. Consistently, a pediatrician and an OB/GYN topped their requests, so those physicians are already seeing patients at Grace and will move into the renovated third-floor clinic space,” says Arsalan Sheikh, D.O., an endocrinologist and chief medical officer at Grace.

He adds, “We are so thrilled about the new clinic space and the expanded medical services we will be able to offer to the people of West Baltimore.”

There are other services on the third floor, such as 3D mammography, a lab and phlebotomy area. Health Care for the Homeless will have its West Baltimore clinic on the third floor.

In support of these medical services, Grace Medical Center will also offer a range of “wrap-around services,” such as a care manager and a nurse navigator who can answer patient questions and help them with any concerns around care coordination. A community outreach coordinator will work to provide information on community resources and disease management.

SURGERY SUITES/OPERATING ROOMS

LifeBridge Health also completely renovated the surgery suite on the third floor that includes two brand-new operating rooms and a four-bed pre-operative area and four-bed post anesthesia care unit.

Grace Medical Center will offer elective outpatient surgical procedures for orthopedics, general surgeries, dialysis access placements, urology, ophthalmology cases and more.

NEXT STEPS

The new ED and renovated clinic spaces and surgical suites represent completion of Phase One of LifeBridge Health’s plans for Grace Medical Center.

In Phase Two, LifeBridge Health will move forward with variety of infrastructure upgrades. The next major project will be construction of a 20,000 square foot outpatient behavioral health facility. That building is scheduled for completion in 2023.

WEST BALTIMORE RENAISSANCE FOUNDATION

The health system is also now launching the West Baltimore Renaissance Foundation, an organization that will invest in the wellbeing of the West Baltimore community in areas such as workforce development, mentoring, food access and population health.

The foundation’s board includes community and health professionals who will help to inform programming decisions, and the team has already started to review grant requests. A key component of the foundation’s mission is a community resource center, which will be located on North Calhoun Street, just a few blocks from Grace Medical Center.

Kurt Sommer, former director for community development for LifeBridge Health, has been named as executive director of the West Baltimore Renaissance Foundation. The foundation’s website will launch in a few weeks..

FINAL THOUGHTS

“With the completion of our Phase One of renovations and the launch of the West Baltimore Renaissance Foundation, we are excited about the future of Grace Medical Center and the positive impact we hope to bring to the health and wellbeing of the people of West Baltimore,” says Altman.

She concludes, “I would also like to recognize and offer my thanks to the entire staff at Grace Medical Center for their hard work and tireless dedication throughout the past 14 months. Along with joining a new organization, they have dealt with many changes, including constant renovations and construction while adapting to the changes of a global pandemic. They are a great team, and I am proud to work alongside them.”

About LifeBridge Health:

LifeBridge Health is one of the largest, most comprehensive providers of health services in Maryland. LifeBridge Health includes Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, Northwest Hospital, Carroll Hospital, Grace Medical Center, Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital, and related affiliates. For more information, visit www.lifebridgehealth.org