As residents of Harford County, we do not understand why the new medical campus in Aberdeen is taking so long to get approved by the Maryland Health Care Commission (MHCC). UM UCH has been offering great quality health care to our community for over a century. Those of us who use the services at the University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Medical Center (UM UCMC) in Bel Air and University of Maryland Harford Memorial (UM HMH) in Havre de Grace have welcomed all of the growth in health care services over the years.

UM HMH is a beloved hospital with a long history in Havre de Grace, but it is an old building and needs to be replaced. We, as consumers of UM UCH health care services, expect modern facilities to receive our health care. The Aberdeen property is not far away and seems perfect based on the campus expansions and plans shared with us.

Harford County has lost hundreds of its citizens to overdoses. Our county’s suicide rate is 27% higher than the state average. The opening of the Klein Family Harford Crisis Center is an incredibly valuable behavioral health service for our community. The proposed behavioral health services at the Aberdeen property offers the space needed to replace and expand the mental health program in the northeastern part of our county started by UM HMH over 25 years ago. These services need to stay in this area of the county where there are significant incidence of mental health and substance use challenges.

The UM UCMC campus has grown dramatically over the last 20 years since it opened. This campus is extremely busy, all the time. The amount of parking needed for patients, families and visitors prompted significant expansions over the last year. The emergency room is consistently crowded as are the nursing units. This campus needs more room for inpatients and expanding outpatient services.

We have been hearing about UM UCH’s planning for its campuses for several years now. We ask the MHCC to approve the plans for UM UCH today. Health care is extremely important to those of us who live in this growing community.

Thank you.