CRISFIELD, MD - Demolition is underway along W. Main Street in Crisfield as TidalHealth moves forward with plans to build a new urgent care facility.
The work began last week, with crews tearing down long-vacant storefronts in a central part of the city.
TidalHealth President and CEO Steven Leonard told attendees at a town hall in December that the urgent care project has been in the works since 2019 but was delayed by the 2020 global pandemic.
The new facility is expected to provide services including lab testing, telehealth, rehabilitation and more.
“This is really about urgent care and a medical facility where we can look at all the issues we have in our community,” Mayor Darlene Taylor said. “We can get some of those things under control … we will have less of a demand for the ER."
Concerns during the community meeting last year centered around the future of the existing emergency department at McCready Pavilion.
Dr. Howard Haft of Somerset Primary Care said he welcomes more medical resources in Crisfield, but emphasized the importance of emergency services in rural communities.
“It may not be something that's needed on an everyday basis for everyone, but it's one of those things when you need it, you absolutely need it,” Dr. Haft said.
First responders with Lower Somerset EMS told WBOC they are not yet sure how this new facility will impact them or Station 8 call volume.
“I think it’s a big win for the community,” Station 8 President George Nelson said. “Not so sure about us and not so sure about the taxpayers because of what I’m going to call the trickle-down effect if we’re not able to transport to that new facility.”
In a social media post from the city of Crisifled, the 27,000 square foot, $25 million facility was called an investment in the community and its future.
Despite ongoing community concerns about the status of emergency services in Crisfield, Vice President and Chief Business Officer of Strategy & Business Development for TidalHealth, Christopher Hall, said the McCready ER will not be closed.
"The emergency room will remain where it is, as well as the assisted living and the rehabilitation center that's on the site,” Hall said.
Hall told WBOC on Wednesday that TidalHealth hopes to have the urgent care facility open in late 2027 or early 2028.