Holy Cross Develops Proposal To Build Hospital in Germantown

There are still some hurdles to clear before Holy Cross's plan can move forward. By Oct. 3, hospital officials must submit a formal proposal -- a Certificate of Need -- to the health-care commission.

"The commission will be looking at the need for the number of beds, the financial feasibility of the project and the impact on the health-care system," said Pam Barclay, director of the commission's Center for Hospital Services. If the proposal is accepted by the commission, officials will conduct further review and seek public comment. Barclay said it can take 90 to 120 days for the commission to decide.

Sexton said that having the hospital close to the college will allow for closer collaboration on training and education programs for students, as well as continuing-education opportunities for mid-career professionals.

Along with its new hospital, Holy Cross plans to open primary-care clinics in Wheaton and Gaithersburg to serve the uninsured.

County officials set an ambitious goal to cover 40,000 uninsured residents by 2010, but acknowledged this year that they will not meet that number because they do not have enough clinics.

Sexton said that the new clinics also may ease the burden on the hospital's emergency room, where the patient load increased by 13 percent last year. The Gaithersburg clinic might open by the end of the year; the clinic in Wheaton in 2009, he said. There will also be changes to the Silver Spring facility, which underwent a $90 million expansion in 2005.