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.
In response to some concerns over the possible closure of the emergency department at the TidalHealth McCready Pavilion, TidalHealth offered the following clarification:
“While some existing services on Hall Highway will remain in place during the transition, the current physician-staffed emergency room is not expected to remain in its current form," a TidalHealth spokesperson said of the current emergency room. "Under TidalHealth’s plan, emergency department services at that site will transition, and urgent care needs will be treated at the new TidalHealth McCready Pavilion, which will offer urgent care, primary care, behavioral health, physical therapy, imaging, lab services and more. The new facility is also being designed so it can be upgraded to an emergency department in the future should the needs of the community evolve.”
Vice President and Chief Business Officer of Strategy & Business Development for TidalHealth, Christopher Hall, told WBOC on Wednesday that TidalHealth hopes to have the urgent care facility open in late 2027 or early 2028.
This article has been updated to reflect TidalHealth's planned transition for the emergency room at the TidalHealth McCready Pavilion.
