Choptank Health hosts groundbreaking for new Federalsburg Health Center

Choptank Community Health System brought together elected officials, community leaders, staff, partners, and residents for a July 13 groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the start of construction of its new health center at 320 Hargraves Dr.

From left: Federalsburg Mayor Kimberly Abner, Federalsburg Council Member Debi Sewell, Federalsburg Council Member Ed Windsor, Choptank Health President, and CEO Sara Rich, Federalsburg Council Member Scott Phillip, Federalsburg Interim Town Manager Kristy Marshall, and Federalsburg Planning & Zoning Chairperson Mercedes Moyer.

The new Federalsburg Health Center will be replacing Choptank Health’s current location on Bloomingdale Ave.

Remarks were given by Choptank Health Board of Directors Chair Sara Visintainer and Member Wayne Cole, followed by Choptank Health President and CEO Sara Rich.

Rich thanked Visintainer and Cole for their remarks and welcomed local, county, state, and federal elected officials along with staff to the event.

“Choptank Health has been providing health care to the residents of Federalsburg since 1992,” said Rich. “Now, we annually see more than 5,000 medical, dental, and behavioral health patients in just 7,400 square feet of space.”

From left: Caroline County Commissioner Frank Bartz, Delegate Tom Hutchinson, District 37B, Caroline County Commission Vice President Larry Porter, Choptank Health Board of Directors Savannah Winston, Choptank Health Board of Directors Wayne Cole, Choptank Health President & CEO Sara Rich, Choptank Health Board of Directors Chair Sara Visintainer, Choptank Health Board of Directors Austin Webster, Caroline County Commission President J. Travis Breeding, and Caroline County Economic Development Director Debbie Bowden.

Anticipated to open in the summer of 2024, the new Federalsburg Health Center includes more than 21,000 square feet of space. The new center will include five dedicated wings to deliver medical, dental, and behavioral health services, giving Choptank Health the space needed to meet the healthcare needs of more patients.

*Choptank Community Health System President and CEO Sara Rich speaks to guests at the July 13 groundbreaking ceremony for Choptank Health’s new Federalsburg Health Center.*

The new site will also house Choptank Health’s Physician Rural Residency Program—presented in partnership with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland Shore Regional Health, along with a dental residency program and the development of Choptank Health’s pediatric dental residency program with longstanding partner NYU Langone.

“Our residency program draws medical and dental students from throughout the Mid-Atlantic and is a vital resource for connecting residents with our providers and patients,” says Rich. “We’re very much looking forward to having dedicated space in Federalsburg to help grow our residency program while providing more accessibility to healthcare for all.”

Rich also gave a special thanks to the Town of Federalsburg, Caroline County, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration, and the Maryland Governor’s capital budget for funding to help make this new facility possible.

“Community is our middle name for a reason—because it takes the strong support of our community, our partners, and our funders to help make this state-of-art new health center possible,” Rich says. “When construction is complete, the people of Federalsburg and the surrounding areas will have one of the most modern healthcare facilities in the region.”

Members of Choptank Community Health System’s Federalsburg Health Center team gathered to help break ground for the new Center being built at 320 Hargraves Dr. The new Federalsburg Health Center will be replacing Choptank Health’s current location on Bloomingdale Ave. The new center is anticipated to open in the summer of 2024.

Choptank Community Health System announced plans for the new Federalsburg Health Center in 2021, after purchasing land for the new facility at 320 Hargraves Dr. with Caroline County Economic Development instrumental in helping to identify the land for the new Federalsburg Health Center. Harper & Sons, Inc. of Easton is the general contractor, with architectural and engineering firm George, Miles & Buhr, LLC of Salisbury charged with the new facility’s design.

The event wrapped up with the official groundbreaking, with shovels placed in the ground by Choptank Health team members, elected officials, and representatives from Harper & Sons, Inc., and George, Miles & Buhr.

Choptank Community Health System provides medical, dental, and School-Based health services to more than 30,000 adults and children in Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Talbot counties, with a mission to provide access to exceptional, comprehensive, and integrated healthcare for all. Medical services include primary healthcare, 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.