What's Happening in Catonsville, MD…

A former shopping center is slated to become a new medical center in Catonsville.

Saint Agnes Hospital is planning to renovate 40 West Plaza, a 40,000 square foot project, to provide medical services for the community. These include primary care, resources for preventive screenings, and access to specialists. The purpose of the new facility is to give patients easier access to specialists and generalists outside the hospital setting.

The project involves completely gutting and renovating the space once used by the Room Store. It is anticipated that the makeover will cost between $6m and $6.5m, and should be ready to open in March 2015.

Saint Agnes's VP of operations, William Greskovich, said the remodel was an attempt to position St. Agnes to meet the changing way healthcare will be delivered in Catonsville, emphasizing a team concept. A team of sixteen primary care physicians who already have patients in the Catonsville area will be brought together, and will work in rotation in what is known as a ‘patient-centered medical home’.

In this approach, doctors work in teams to develop a plan to care for each patient separately. The plan focuses on avoiding hospitalization and reducing unnecessary procedures and tests. Greskovich says Saint Agnes is shifting its priorities to keeping people well and out of the hospital, and preventing illness, rather than waiting for people to get sick and then helping them.

Saint Agnes officials could work with brochure printers to create a mailer for residents explaining the new services.