Adventist to open bigger hospital in Silver Spring

Even though the purchase was envisioned long before the possibility that Prince George’s hospital network could shut down, the announcement takes on more importance given that network’s uncertain future and the fact that Adventist serves just as many Prince George’s patients as Montgomery County patients.

William Robertson, president and chief executive of Adventist HealthCare, told The Examiner on Wednesday that building a new site is “ultimately to make sure we can meet the needs of our community.”

And that community breaks down in such a way that 41 percent of the 100,000 patients served last year in Adventist’s Takoma Park hospital hail from Montgomery County, 41 percent are from Prince George’s. The rest from D.C. and more remote parts of Maryland.

“It’s split essentially down the middle between the two counties,” Robertson said, noting that he does not expect the proportions to change. “Even though we sit just inside the Montgomery County line, Prince George’s is our community to serve.”

The 48-acre tract of land Adventist purchased is in Silver Spring off Plum Orchard Drive and Cherry Hill Road, with convenient access from Route 29 and Interstate 95. It’s only six miles from the current Washington Adventist, but Robertson emphasized that the property leaves much more room for expansion than the 13-acre plot in use now.

“If you look at a map of where we draw patients, we now sit at the very bottom of that area,” he said. “This location is much more in the heart of that coverage area.”

The precise services that could be added in the future are not known.

Robertson said he has enlisted a team of hospital staff to gather community input about care that is lacking. Some ideas so far include increasing the size of the emergency department and number of physician office buildings.

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dlevitz@dcexaminer.com