March 12, 1996|By Edward Gunts | Edward Gunts,SUN STAFF
The medical system is a private, nonprofit corporation established by statute in 1984. It formerly functioned as part of the University of Maryland System and remains closely linked to the University of Maryland at Baltimore School of Medicine.
The downtown medical center is licensed for 747 beds and currently has 640 staffed and operating. Administrators say the project will not result in an increase in the number of beds the medical center operates but will help make the ones it has more flexible.
"The market is changing at a faster and faster pace, so our real estate response has to be very flexible," said Dennis Schrader, vice president for facilities development.
The medical system has traditionally served three constituencies. It provides primary care for about 260,000 West Baltimore residents, who comprise 40 percent of its patients. Another 40 percent to 45 percent come from Central Maryland for more specialized treatment. About 15 percent come from outside Central Maryland, including the Eastern Shore, Western Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Virginia.
Because it is the state's academic medical center, its primary mission is to treat patients from Maryland, Mr. Ashworth said. Its growth strategy is to establish a complete health care network throughout Central Maryland and to make the downtown complex a center for more specialized health services, such as pediatric intensive care, he said.
Pub Date: 3/12/96
