The Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center is set to receive $5 million in County Executive Calvin Ball’s proposed budget as it works to raise remaining funds for a new observation unit in the emergency department.

The investment is the second installment of $15 million Ball pledged in fiscal 2025 to be distributed over three years, according to a county news release. The funding will go toward turning the hospital’s first-floor pavilion into an observation unit with 29 beds. An observation unit provides a structured space within a hospital, often near the emergency department, where patients can undergo extended observation and care before being admitted as inpatients or discharged home.

The number of beds in the facility has remained at 230 since 2009, the release said.

“This investment is aimed at revolutionizing our hospital to meet the needs of our community. Funding will support the transformation of the pavilion building’s first floor into a 29-bed observation unit, a strategic enhancement that will substantially reduce wait times for patients, optimizing care and efficiency,” Ball said in the release.In fiscal 2025, $500,000 of the first $5 million installment went to planning for the new unit, while the remaining funding was designated for construction and information technology. The hospital is working to raise $13 million to complete the renovation, which has a total price tag of $28 million, according to the release. With design complete, construction on the observation unit renovation is expected to begin in May.

The Kahlert Foundation, an organization focused on Maryland and Utah that provides grants to nonprofits, announced in March that it would provide a $3 million grant to support the new observation unit, according to a Facebook post from the hospital. The foundation also launched a donation-matching initiative during which it will match donations dollar for dollar up to $600,000.

“I hope to inspire others to join me in support of the hospital because it ensures everyone in the community has access to essential, quality care close to home. It’s an investment in the health and future of our neighbors and families,” The Kahlert Foundation’s president, Greg Kahlert, said on the Johns Hopkins Medicine website.

Maryland has faced some of the longest emergency department wait times in the United States, according to federal data released in January 2024. Patients in Maryland spend 4 hours, 7 minutes, on average, from the time they arrive in emergency departments to the time they leave. That doesn’t include patients seeking help for psychiatric or mental health reasons — a population that waits, on average, for about 6 hours, 40 minutes in Maryland.

The Howard County medical center has implemented several initiatives to address capacity issues in the emergency department, including bringing the number of nursing staff back to pre-pandemic levels, instituting virtual nurses in one unit and establishing an area where patients with less severe conditions can be treated.

In December 2024, the medical center opened an expanded behavioral health unit, for which the county contributed $2 million. The expansion increased the capacity of the unit from five beds to 24, aiming to reduce the length of stay for patients.

“Our continuous investment in health services underscores our unwavering commitment to the well-being of all Howard County residents, ensuring everyone has access to exceptional and compassionate healthcare services,” Ball said in the release.

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