The Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center is creating a new space designed for emergency mental and behavioral health needs — expanding the Emergency Department’s behavioral health treatment area from six to 24 beds. The Johns Hopkins Medicine partner hospital in Columbia, Maryland, is the only emergency department in Howard County and, on average, sees 11 behavioral health patients a day. The renovation addresses the issue of overcrowding.
“The expansion will free up space in the emergency room,” says Andrew Angelino, MD, director of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center and clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences. “We want to provide the best, safest, and most comfortable care we can to our patients, and we also want to make sure there’s plenty of access for non-behavioral health patients to receive emergency care. This is an opportunity for us to benefit not only our behavioral health patients, but all patients.”
The project is currently in construction and is expected to be completed in early 2025. The behavioral health unit will increase from 1,500 to 7,000 square feet and include nine bedrooms, a private interview room, a quiet space, windows to allow more natural light and a view of the outdoors, additional showers, and a more efficient storage space for patients’ personal belongings.
The expansion is possible due to corporate and individual philanthropy. M&T Bank, a longtime Howard County Medical Center supporter, is pledging its commitment through a multi-year contribution. Brian Walter, regional president at M&T Bank, says the gift underscores the importance of investing in community initiatives while raising awareness about behavioral and mental health resources.
“It’s a part of M&T’s innate responsibility to do our share, to help our neighbors, and to be there for one another,” he says. “The behavioral health team is doing phenomenal work. They are managing a desperate need in the community. We want to make sure we are continuing to find ways to support the vital work the hospital is doing.”
Walter also serves as secretary on the Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center Board of Trustees. “I wanted to volunteer with a community organization with broad and deep impact, and that’s the hospital,” he says.
The severity of cases varies in the behavioral health treatment area, and due to a lack of inpatient psychiatry beds in Maryland, patients who require admission for their safety may need to wait in the emergency department for a couple of days before being admitted into a room.
“The expansion will provide access to services for more people who need them in an environment that is much more conducive to healing and progress in their struggles,” says Walter.
Additional funding for behavioral health at Howard County Medical Center would enhance psychiatry services, including more patient evaluations, new clinical positions, and education and training programs for residents. Angelino shares how Hopkins teaches the “bottom-up” approach to establish a diagnosis — it’s understanding the patient’s symptoms in the context of knowing them as a person, asking patients questions to understand who they are, their background, and experiences. In other words, psychiatry is a practice that takes time to be done correctly.
“The funding we receive from donors goes to support the kind of work that takes a long time to perform well. Patients need to feel safe and secure,” he says. “Hope is a hard thing to have when patients are dealing with long problems, but it’s essential. We’ve got to be able to instill hope. Funding gives us the ability to help our people develop that hope over time.”
With construction underway, Angelino emphasizes the significance the new emergency behavioral health treatment area will have on the community. He notes the inpatient psychiatric capacity will remain at 20.
“By having more capacity in our emergency treatment area, we can have patients in the appropriate safe space, where they will feel more comfortable. It’s going to allow for better management,” he says. “The more we advocate to raise awareness on behavioral and mental health, the more we advocate for people to speak up when they’re not feeling well, the more services we have to have ready for them if they do need assistance.”
The partnership with local organizations such as M&T Bank and community members is making all the difference. “I feel very blessed by Howard County,” Angelino says. “The response from the community has been wonderful. It’s an honor to do this work here in this community.”
Topics: Corporations, Faculty and Staff, Friends of Johns Hopkins Medicine, Howard County Medical Center, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Promote and Protect Health