Grace Medical Center in West Baltimore has wrapped up a five-year, $61.6 million transformation, giving the neighborhood a modernized emergency department, new specialty clinics and expanded outpatient services inside a hospital some residents still remember as Bon Secours. The project touched nearly every corner of the campus, from a rebuilt dialysis unit to new behavioral health clinics, and much of the construction happened while the facility stayed open and operating through the COVID-19 pandemic.
LifeBridge Health, which owns the hospital, says it completed the $61.6 million transformation of Grace Medical Center after acquiring the hospital on November 1, 2019, when it took over what was then Bon Secours Hospital and gave it the new name. Renovation work began in early 2020, according to LifeBridge, meaning most of the construction unfolded during the same stretch the region was managing the pandemic.
A Rebuilt Emergency Department at the Center of the Project
The centerpiece of the overhaul is a relocated, modernized emergency department that opened in January 2021. It covers 17,000 square feet with 29 treatment rooms, according to LifeBridge Health, which also reported in its announcement of the new emergency department and specialty clinics that the ER sees an average of 20,000 patients a year. As WMAR 2 News reported, the broader transformation also added a new entrance and additional green space to the campus.
The hospital's transition plan laid out what regulatory standards the facility would need to meet as a freestanding medical operation, stating that it must comply with the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act and the Medicare Conditions of Participation. That plan describes LifeBridge's own compliance framework rather than an outside review of how the hospital has performed against it.
New Specialists and Expanded Outpatient Care
LifeBridge says it used feedback from residents and community leaders to decide which services to add, and the list now includes pediatrics, OB/GYN, orthopedics and ophthalmology alongside existing primary and emergency care. The station's report also noted that women's health services were part of the expansion driven by that community input.
Outpatient clinics at Grace now offer cardiology, pulmonology, gastroenterology, vascular services and kidney care, with more than 8,500 outpatient visits logged each year, per the same account from LifeBridge Health. The facility's renovated dialysis unit has 41 treatment chairs, and the dialysis team reported providing more than 12,000 treatments in the prior year. The campus also includes 3D mammography for breast imaging, laboratory testing and outpatient physical therapy.
Mental Health Clinics and a Preserved Chapel Window
The transformation added new behavioral health clinics serving both adults and children, with individual counseling and group therapy available at each. The adult program also includes a partial hospitalization option for patients who need more intensive mental health treatment, and Grace reported more than 8,000 behavioral health visits across its programs in its most recent fiscal year, the hospital says.
Amid all the new construction, Grace preserved a piece of the building's past: stained glass from the former Bon Secours Hospital chapel was kept and installed in a serenity space for hospital staff, according to WMAR 2 News. The gesture nods to the building's history even as its clinical footprint has been almost entirely rebuilt.
Community Outreach Beyond the Hospital Walls
Grace's community health and wellness team partners with the Baltimore City Health Department and says it connects thousands of West Baltimore residents with healthcare, support services and educational resources each year, per WMAR's reporting. The team visits senior living communities and attends neighborhood events and health fairs throughout the area.
The hospital also hosts an annual fall Community Day with local churches and community organizations, an event LifeBridge Health says draws hundreds of West Baltimore residents for family activities and health screenings, along with food, music and giveaways. A mobile unit called Care Happens Here visits health fairs and some local schools to provide pediatric vaccinations, sports physicals and well-child visits, according to LifeBridge.
