CAMBRIDGE — On Dec. 16, University of Maryland Shore Regional Health (UM SRH) achieved another milestone toward enhancing health care services in Dorchester County with the purchase of 9.23 acres in Cambridge Marketplace at Ocean Gateway (U.S. Rt. 50) and Woods Road for construction of a new health care campus.

At the site, UM Shore Regional Health will build a new, state-of-the-art health care campus offering an array of services, including 24/7 emergency care, short-stay observation care, an outpatient surgery center, diagnostic imaging and laboratory services, outpatient specialty medical care, chronic disease management services, telemedicine and enhanced outpatient behavioral health programs.

“The Cambridge Marketplace site is perfect – it will improve access to public transportation, ambulances and has an adjacent helipad for air transports,” says Ken Kozel, president and CEO of UM Shore Regional Health. “We are delighted that all site and environmental reviews confirm our choice.”

“Shore Regional Health is finalizing architectural drawings and permit applications, and we are looking forward to an official groundbreaking this winter,” says Mr. Kozel. Construction is estimated to take 14 to 18 months, with a proposed timeline for opening of the new UM Shore Medical Campus at Cambridge in 2021.

According to Charles Fairchild, president, Fairchild Properties, LLC, Shore Regional Health’s relocation to Cambridge Marketplace is the product of a considerable amount of work, support and commitment from all those involved. “This project has been in the works since 2015, and is a great achievement that will forever change the City of Cambridge and Dorchester County. We look forward to the grand opening of Shore’s facilities and are excited to welcome Shore Regional Health to Cambridge Marketplace,” says Mr. Fairchild.

The completion of the new medical campus will make possible the sale and redevelopment of the existing hospital site on approximately 14 acres of Choptank River waterfront.

In May 2018, the City of Cambridge and Dorchester County established a Memorandum of Understanding to create an entity, Cambridge Waterfront Development, Inc. (CWDI), which will purchase the property, prepare it for development and negotiate its sale by 2021.

“This is a significant step in what has been an important partnership between the health system, Dorchester County and the City of Cambridge to bring a wider array of quality health care services to Dorchester County, revitalize the Ocean Gateway corridor and facilitate the ultimate redevelopment of the waterfront,” says Mr. Kozel.

University of Maryland Shore Medical Group is comprised of physicians and advanced practice providers who are affiliated with University of Maryland Shore Regional Health. For more information, visit www.umms.org.