AAMC to Double its Campus by 2010
Babies and Boomers Prompt Expansion

Annapolis, Md.  (May 30, 2008) – To meet the growing healthcare needs of baby boomers and young families, Anne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC) in Annapolis, Md., has embarked on expansion projects totaling $424 million that will nearly double the size of the AAMC medical campus by 2010.  This expansion includes a new, eight-story patient tower, 50 new private patient rooms, eight additional operating rooms and an expanded emergency department with a dedicated pediatric unit, and a new seven-story building for physician offices and outpatient services. 

When completed, the expansion, part of the AAMC Vision 2010 Strategic Plan, will make AAMC a destination health system for patients in the region.  In addition to new facilities, AAMC is adding clinical services and additional medical specialists who are trained in the latest and most advanced treatment options.

 “The AAMC Vision 2010 Strategic Plan is our way of looking into the health care environment of tomorrow,” said Martin L. Doordan, president and chief executive officer of Anne Arundel Health System.  “Six and a half years ago, AAMC moved from downtown Annapolis and it was apparent from the beginning that we would need to expand again.  These latest expansion projects demonstrate AAMC’s commitment to remaining a progressive, full-service health care destination that continually meets the needs of the region we serve.”

A second acute-care patient tower, adjacent to the existing Acute Care Pavilion (ACP), will include eight new operating rooms and 50 additional private inpatient rooms, enabling AAMC to care for more than 6,000 additional inpatients annually.  Increased operating room and inpatient admission capacity also will allow AAMC to continue to attract top medical staff to meet the needs of regional growth, including the influx of new households as a result of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) changes to Maryland, as well as the demands of an aging patient population.

AAMC is expanding its current emergency department to bring additional capacity to an emergency room that cared for more than 72,000 regional patients in the 12-month period ending June 30, 2007.  A new pediatric emergency department and inpatient suite will be part of the expanded emergency room. 

“The number of patients cared for at the emergency room at AAMC has grown to 72,000 since our move in 2001, when we treated 55,000,” said Mr. Doordan.  “With an increase in emergency patients comes the need for additional inpatient space for patients who need admission to AAMC.” 

The seven-story AAMC Ambulatory Services Pavilion (ASP) is being built next to the AAMC Sajak Pavilion on the west campus.  It will house physician offices, outpatient services, and a Health Sciences Institute with a 400-seat auditorium, lecture rooms and classrooms for AAMC community education and professional educational seminars.  The institute will allow AAMC to host continuing medical education (CME) events and telemedicine conferences with physicians from around the country.

A significant asset in AAMC’s expansion plans is convenient parking.  Three new garages and an expansion of the Sajak Pavilion parking garage means more than 4,000 free, covered garage spaces on campus.  The new Wayson Pavilion parking garage opened in March with 400+ spaces.  Under construction are the Ambulatory Services Pavilion garage with 900+ spaces and the new Acute Care Pavilion parking garage with 1,200 spaces.

Finally, two new pedestrian sky bridges will connect the Sajak Pavilion to the Ambulatory Services Pavilion on the west campus and the east and west campuses, allowing access across Medical Parkway.

“For AAMC, expansion must not only be about adding services, but also enhancing access for our patients and families,” said Mr. Doordan.  “We’ve become a regional destination health center, attracting medical specialists from across the nation.  But our patients will leave feeling like they’ve been treated at AAMC with the same compassionate, personal care they’ve been receiving for years.”