The origins of Anne Arundel Medical Center date back to the early 1900s in Downtown Annapolis. This farmhouse-turned-hospital on Franklin Street, pictured here circa 1910, served as its primary residence for decades before the entire hospital system relocated to its Jennifer Road campus in 2001.
While priorities in health care change with the times, the Board will be guided by AAMC’s strategic vision. For example, in the past few years the use of opioids and other drugs has caused serious problems for government leaders, citizens, and health care providers. Because of a smart decision decades earlier, AAMC is prepared to meet this challenge. In the early 1990s, the Board spearheaded a partnership with the State of Maryland and Anne Arundel County to build and operate a substance use treatment center just off Riva Road in the County. Today, Pathways—as it was named when it first opened its doors in 1992—serves adolescents and adults with alcohol and drug use issues on both an inpatient and outpatient basis, one of few nonprofit treatment centers in the state.
To address the needs of future patients, the Board has endorsed two new services that require AAMC to seek a Certificate of Need (CON) from the Maryland Health Care Commission. The first has been an open-heart surgery program. The second also represents a clear need: to expand mental health services.
My position as Chair of the Board affords me a unique role in witnessing firsthand both the work—and the wishes—of the AAMC staff. Recently, I spent a full day visiting many of the hospital’s departments with AAMC President and CEO, Tori Bayless. Overall, I witnessed close communication between the staff, patients, and their families.
During my day, which I called a “road trip,” I also was intrigued by how engaged the staff was in community outreach. The holidays were coming up, and there were hundreds of food baskets being prepared. The staff had just concluded a United Way campaign, something AAMC does every year.
Last year, in fact, AAMC provided more than $40 million to benefit our community. Half of this amount was in mission-driven health services, and the rest was used in a wide variety of activities and initiatives including: health professional education, community health services, community building activities, research, cash and in-kind donations, and charity care. Several of the community groups AAMC partners with include: Anne Arundel County Department of Health, The Coordinating Center, the Housing Authority of the City of Annapolis, The Anne Arundel County Department of Aging and Disabilities, Arundel Lodge, Hospice, area hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and physicians. As CEO Tori Bayless is fond of saying, “Through collaborative relationships, we work toward a mutual goal: helping families live healthier. We can go farther together than we can alone.”
Helping people manage their health issues clearly is a demanding and intimate business. How vividly I recall being told by my doctor in 2003 that I had been diagnosed with Lymphoma. As tears welled up, I responded to the news by asking, “Doc, I don’t know which is worse, me hearing this news, or you having to tell me?” I think he really appreciated my comment. That two-way conversation is always in the back of my mind when I think about the patients at AAMC and why good, two-way communication is so important.
Finally, no perspective on AAMC is complete without acknowledging the generations of supporters who have helped to build, sustain, and advance this hospital. Led by a generous AAMC Foundation Board of Directors, philanthropy plays a critical role in the hospital’s ability to serve many people with many services. Undoubtedly, it will continue to play a critical role for the future.
Admittedly, this is a confusing time in the health care industry. The Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) has enrolled more than 20 million new people in health care plans since 2014, which is good. But, many people are paying far higher premiums as a direct result. Everyone is concerned about their health insurance.
As of this writing, it is unclear what new laws may be passed in the near future, but there is something that will remain constant: the need for high quality, affordable health care in our area.