Harford Memorial Hospital is projected to close in late winter 2023 or early spring 2024, according to a representative from University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health.
The hospital’s closing is dependent mainly on the opening of the new bed tower at the hospital system’s Bel Air campus, according to Mark Shaver, senior vice president of strategy, physician services and business development.
Shaver said once the bed tower opens, Harford Memorial Hospital will begin to be decommissioned, a process that will take around three to four months. Several of the hospital’s outpatient services already have been transferred to the Aberdeen Health and Wellness Center, which opened in November 2021.
“The decision to transition services is a fluid process and one that we continue to evaluate based on the needs of the community and the safety of our patient,” said University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health’s marketing and communications manager Christina Cottrell.
Contractors are continuing to work on the bed tower’s infrastructure, including installing its HVAC system, roof and preliminary interior framing.
University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health is not only working on the bed tower, but also a new medical center in Aberdeen and an ambulatory surgery center in Bel Air.
Cottrell said the Aberdeen Medical Center is “substantially complete” and contractors are finishing up “punch list items.” The center will open in the winter 2023-24 along with the Bel Air Bed Tower.
The ambulatory surgery center construction is underway. Cottrell said “much of the foundation and infrastructure [are] in process.”
University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health President Elizabeth Wise said updates on the ongoing projects will continue to be provided throughout the year.
“We remain energized by the opportunity to bring these new sites of care, expanded programs and increased access to our community,” Wise said.
