A sign on Federalsburg’s Hayman Ave. marks the future site of a new health care facility for Choptank Community Health System, based in Denton, Md.
Funding for Choptank Community Health System’s new Federalsburg facility is included in the $9.5M direct federal funding for Eastern Shore projects recently secured in legislation by U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen (both D-Md.). The bill now goes to President Biden to be signed into law.
The $2.889M funding supports the construction of Choptank Health’s new Hayman Ave. Federalsburg Health Center. The new community health center is expected to be completed in 2024 and replaces Choptank Health’s current Bloomingdale Ave. medical and dental center, which has outgrown the space while annually seeing more than 5,100 medical and dental patients.
“We are extremely grateful for the Senators Cardin and Van Hollen’s support and investment in this new Federalsburg Health Center,” said Choptank Health CEO Sara Rich. “The new health center will better support the medically underserved residents of Caroline County, and we’ll be able to have space for Choptank Health’s medical rural residency program, expanded dental residency programs, and behavioral health services.
Choptank Community Health System announced its plans for the new 20,000-square-foot Federalsburg Health Center in Oct. 2021, after purchasing land for its new facility on Hayman Ave. The new center also received an $829K U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration one-time capital improvement grant and $750K in funding from Caroline County in support of Choptank Health’s expanded health care infrastructure.
“I was proud to help secure funding to construct Choptank Health’s new Federalsburg Health Center, which will help expand primary health, behavioral health, and oral health care, as well as other integrated services to our underserved communities in and around Caroline County,” said Senator Cardin. “All Marylanders should have access to high-quality, affordable health care in their community, and this project is a leap forward to that reality.”
“Access to health care should not depend on the zip code you live in, yet rural residents often have fewer options and have to travel further to get the care they need,” said Sen. Van Hollen, a member of the Appropriations Committee. “The new Choptank Community Health Center will provide vital care to Federalsburg and beyond. That’s why I fought to deliver these funds directly to our community. I will continue working to bring federal investments to our state to increase access and improve the quality of care for all Marylanders.”
“Our residents deserve the best access to quality care,” said Choptank Community Health CEO Sara Rich. “We have long outgrown our original facility in Federalsburg and are eager to see patients for medical and dental care in our new state-of-the-art health center.”
Architectural and engineering firm George, Miles & Buhr, LLC of Salisbury is charged with the new facilities’ design.
Choptank Community Health System provides medical and dental services in Caroline, Dorchester, and Talbot counties, with a mission to provide access to exceptional, comprehensive, and integrated health care for all. Choptank Community Health’s medical services include primary health care, women’s health, pediatrics, behavioral health, chronic health management, and care navigation, with new medical patients now being accepted. More information is at www.choptankhealth.org.
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