Memorial Hospital (Cumberland)

Memorial Hospital is a defunct hospital that once served the Greater Cumberland, Maryland region in the USA. It was formerly operated by the Western Maryland Health System. The building is currently owned by the City of Cumberland, Maryland.

Memorial Hospital
Western Maryland Health System
Memorial Hospital
Geography
Location600 Memorial Ave., Cumberland, Maryland, United States
Coordinates39°38′34″N 78°45′6″W
Organization
TypeGeneral
History
Former name(s)Western Maryland Hospital
Opened1888 (original location)
1929 (relocated)
ClosedNovember 21, 2009
Links
ListsHospitals in Maryland

Established as the Western Maryland Hospital in 1888, Memorial Hospital moved to its location on Memorial Avenue in Cumberland in 1929 and was renamed in honor of those who gave their life in World War I. Memorial Hospital was once operated by the City of Cumberland and became a private non-profit organization in the early 1980s. It was then operated by the Cumberland Memorial Hospital Corporation.[1]

In an effort to effectively manage local healthcare resources, Memorial and Sacred Heart Hospital joined together in April 1996 to form the Western Maryland Health System (WMHS). Working together, the two hospitals were able to expand the range of healthcare services available to local residents and successfully meet the challenges associated with an ever-changing healthcare industry. One way this was accomplished was by assigning specialty centers to each hospital. The Memorial Campus had specialty centers for Children's and Adolescents' Health, Orthopedic and Joint Reconstruction, Trauma Services, and Women's Health, while the Sacred Heart Campus specialized in Behavioral Health, Cardiac Services, Oncology Services, and Outpatient Services.[2] In 2006 work began on a new facility on Willowbrook Road in Cumberland to consolidate the Western Maryland Health System within the city into one centralized facility.[2]

On November 21, 2009, the Western Maryland Regional Medical Center opened. As of 3:30 PM that same day, all patients from both Memorial Hospital and Sacred Heart Hospital (WMHS Braddock Campus) had been moved to the new hospital and the two facilities were closed.

The campus, which is still owned by the City of Cumberland, was under lease to development company Ridgecrest Investments Inc,[3] who in turn leased out space to a number of private tenants for the three years following the hospitals closing. The agreement between the city and Ridgecrest Investments was terminated in early 2012 due to the low percentage of the site being leased to tenants. A few months after, all tenants were told to vacate the site by the end of the year as the city works to divest itself of the property.[4] The agreement between the city and WMHS upon the closure of the hospital does not allow the site to be use as a hospital, or any other type of facility that would compete with the services of Western Maryland Regional Medical Center.

References
  1. "Western Maryland Health System". www.wmhs.com. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  2. "Cumberland facility". www.uoworks.com. Archived from the original on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  3. "City secures lease for Memorial campus - Cumberland Times News". Retrieved February 24, 2011.
  4. "City to tenants at Memorial: Time to leave - Cumberland Times News". Retrieved June 18, 2012.
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