Shady Grove Caregivers Break Ground on Hospital’s New Patient Care Tower

Building is Among First U.S. Care Spaces Designed and Built Since COVID; Tower Will Bring Upgrades to Busy Emergency Department, Critical Care Units

ROCKVILLE, Maryland - Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center broke ground on its new, six-story patient care tower during a May 10 ceremony. The tower, adjacent to the existing hospital, will bring residents of middle and upper Montgomery County upgraded and modernized Emergency Department; a larger state-of-the art intensive care unit; new medical-surgical patient rooms; and several other features.

The groundbreaking coincided with both National Nurses Week and National Hospital Week. Accordingly, the hospital selected 10 caregivers to join Shady Grove’s president, Dan Cochran, and Adventist HealthCare President and CEO Terry Forde for the dirt turning ceremony. The group used shovels with blades decorated by caregivers, representing units connected to services in the new tower.

The ceremony also included remarks from state Sen. Nancy King, Maryland District 39, who was instrumental in helping secure funding for the project; Dr. Neil Roy, Chief Medical Officer for Shady Grove Medical Center; and Todd Cohen, Associate Vice President for Facilities and Real Estate, for Adventist HealthCare. The tower was designed during COVID-19, making it one of the first U.S. hospital buildings to incorporate lessons from the pandemic. The building also includes eco-friendly features; lush, green outdoor patios where families and caregivers can take breaks; and evidence-based design elements to improve healing.

Shady Grove’s Emergency Department sees more than 80,000 cases a year. The hospital’s emergency services include nationally recognized heart attack and stroke care; Montgomery County’s only Forensic Medical Unit, providing care for victims of abuse neglect and human trafficking; and mental health care for all ages.