Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center today celebrates 50 years since the medical center was established in Columbia. It became fully operational July 17, 1973, as the Columbia Hospital and Clinics Foundation and has grown into Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center bringing Johns Hopkins Medicine health care and specialists to the region.
“As we celebrate our anniversary and reflect on our past, we are proud to have cared for our community members, during special moments and difficult times,” said Dr. Shafeeq Ahmed, president of Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center. “We thank the community for entrusting us with their health care and for their support as we move health care forward.”
Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center started in a 75,000-square-foot facility with emergency services, a three-bed coronary unit, a ten-bassinet nursery, operating rooms and delivery suites and 59 general patient beds. The next year, in 1974, the name changed to Howard County General Hospital.
Over the next 50 years, the hospital opened new wings and medical buildings, joined Johns Hopkins Medicine and added services to meet the growing needs of the community. Today, it has grown into a comprehensive acute care medical center with 226 licensed beds, specializing in women’s and children’s services, surgery, cardiology, oncology, orthopedics, gerontology, psychiatry, emergency services and community health education.
The medical center celebrated its 50th anniversary at Heroes in Health Care June 12, an evening at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia where the organization announced its name change to Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center. The change reflects its continuing integration and growth within Johns Hopkins Medicine.
To learn more about Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center’s history and stories, visit HopkinsHoward.org/50Forward. View the medical center’s fact sheet online.
Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center, formerly Howard County General Hospital, is a not-for-profit health care provider with 226 licensed beds located in Columbia, Maryland. A comprehensive, acute-care medical center, it offers a full range of services, from neonatal care and oncology to outpatient treatment and critical care.
The medical center has a professional staff of nearly 1,000 physicians and allied health professionals, representing 120 specialties and subspecialties, and a workforce of more than 1,800 employees.
