The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) is building a $110 million Outpatient Care Center in Towson.
Dignitaries broke ground last week for the University of Maryland Center for Outpatient Care, the latest addition to the University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center (UM SJMC) campus at 7601 Osler Drive.
The four-story, 112,000-square-foot building has been designed to bring multiple surgical, specialty, rehabilitation and primary care services together in one location, expanding community access and continuing the shift of medical care beyond the hospital setting.
The location is a former parking lot on the campus of UM SJMC, which is a member organization hospital of UMMS. Partners in the project include University of Maryland School of Medicine and its Faculty Physicians Inc.; Ruxton Surgical Center; Towson Orthopaedic Associates; Towson Sports Medicine; Towson Surgical Center and the UM St. Joseph Medical Group practices.
The design team includes Wilmot Sanz and Powers Brown Architecture. Clark Construction is the general contractor. The building is scheduled to open in the spring of 2028. It will have 340 parking spaces and will be able to accommodate approximately 250,000 visits a year.
‘Strategic investment’
“This project is a strategic investment in ambulatory care, highlighting our commitment to innovation, health impact and serving our communities with academic medicine, connecting today’s research to tomorrow’s bedside care,” said Mohan Suntha, the system’s President and Chief Executive Officer, in a statement. “The Center for Outpatient Care is much more than just a new building; it is an investment that reflects where healthcare is headed and how we intend to meet the changing needs of Marylanders.”
The medical system wants Marylanders “to have access to more of the care they need, closer to home, with the expertise of an entire academic health system behind them,” Suntha added. “This project is an important step toward that goal; it builds on the longstanding strength of the University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center while expanding access to specialty and outpatient surgical care. And it reflects our commitment to making thoughtful, long-term investments in the communities that depend on us.”
Officials say the Center for Outpatient Care will both consolidate and expand a mix of existing outpatient services across UMMS. Features include: expanded ambulatory surgery through the relocation of two ambulatory surgery centers focused on orthopaedic and pain procedures and a multi-specialty surgery center into modernized, larger facilities; musculoskeletal care, sports medicine rehabilitation, primary care, the Diabetes and Endocrine Center, pulmonary care and general/specialty surgery practices; infusion services and pediatric specialty care with specialists from the School of Medicine.
It’s also the first time UM SJMC has used the “tilt-up” construction method, where large concrete wall panels are poured horizontally on-site and then lifted into place by crane, for a medical office building. Besides accelerating the construction timeline and reducing costs, the approach provides greater flexibility in interior space planning, which is an important consideration for healthcare facilities as clinical needs evolve. The building will also feature an advanced acoustic design and an all-electric infrastructure, resulting in zero carbon emissions.
Suntha noted that three principal philanthropic partners helped make the outpatient center a reality: The Edward St. John Foundation; The Slitzer LaPausky Foundation and The Herman and Walter Samuelson Foundation.
‘Community-based care’
“This center will connect trusted community-based care with the specialized expertise of our faculty physicians and School of Medicine providers, giving families across the region access to subspecialty care without having to travel far from home,” said William Regine, President of Faculty Physicians Inc., in a statement. “This is academic medicine at its best: Extraordinary physicians working across an integrated system so that more patients can benefit from specialized knowledge in the communities where they live.”
“The Center for Outpatient Care will give our team, and the many practices joining us, a modern environment designed for coordinated, patient-focused care,” Leen Wehbeh, Medical Director of the UM SJMC Diabetes and Endocrinology Center, said at the groundbreaking event.
“For patients with complex or chronic conditions, this care coordination is not an abstract benefit. It can make each visit easier to navigate and help the people caring for them work more closely together. This will strengthen the connections between UM SJMC, the University of Maryland School of Medicine and our clinical partners, creating opportunities to advance specialized care and better serve our patients.”
“Think about the grandfather who used to take a walk every morning, but now struggles to get around because of chronic knee pain,” said UM SJMC President Robin Luxon. “Or the parents who have just learned their child needs a pediatric specialist. Or someone facing surgery who wants to get through the procedure safely, recover comfortably at home, and get back to their life as quickly as possible. These are the people we’re thinking about when we talk about improving access to care. It’s not just about making appointments more convenient. It’s about making a real difference in people’s lives.”
