Gaithersburg, Md.-based Adventist HealthCare has shared plans to close its Germantown (Md.) Emergency Center July 1, pending state approvals.
All affected employees have been offered to stay at Adventist HealthCare to serve patients in Rockville, Md., or at the health system’s other locations, according to a March 9 news release shared with Becker’s.
The freestanding ER has approximately 30 employees, according to its website.
The decision is based on a declining volume at the facility, which opened in 2006 and is one of Maryland’s seven freestanding emergency rooms. Germantown Emergency Center’s patient volume has decreased by one-third in recent years, with many cases of lower-acuity conditions that could be treated at a primary or urgent care facility.
“The health system has offices for primary care, cardiac specialty care and imaging in the community, as well as a partnership with a Patriot Urgent Care center in Germantown,” the release said. “Shady Grove Medical Center is 9 miles away and remains ready to care for patients who need its comprehensive acute-care services, including adult and specialized pediatric emergency care, heart and vascular care, surgery, obstetrics and pediatrics. In June, Shady Grove Medical Center will open a new building anchored by a state-of-the-art emergency room.”
Rockville-based Shady Grove Medical Center is a nonprofit, 443-bed hospital. It is Adventist HealthCare’s largest facility, the release said.
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