Resident knows first-hand the importance of Bowie Health Center

City officials: Work yet to be done for long-term hospital stability

‘‘When I got to the health center, they immediately stabilized me, and they had the doctor there and people working on me,” Devaney said.

A nurse from the health center went in the ambulance with Devaney and stayed with him until he was admitted to Anne Arundel Medical Center.

Devaney credited the health center’s staff with the fact that after a few months of rehabilitation, he has now completely recovered.

‘‘It’s nice that [the health center was] there, and the fact that I could get there in 10 minutes, the fact they were able to recognize that I was having a stroke, they did a great job,” Devaney said.

Devaney said he would like to see the Bowie Health Center expanded to a full-service hospital.

The center currently is open from 8 a.m. until midnight daily.

‘‘A full-fledged hospital would be great,” Devaney said. ‘‘You’re serving just in Bowie about 60,000 people, and on the periphery of Bowie, there’s plenty more people that need the kind of service [provided].”

City officials have long said the health center’s presence is crucial to public health in the city, and the latest plan to save the Prince George’s Hospital System is important in maintaining the Bowie Health Center in the short-term.

The plan, announced March 6, has the county and state each committing $12 million for the next two years to keep the hospital operating until an independent board can find a private owner to purchase the hospital system. The bill passed the House of Delegates on Monday.

The agreement comes nearly one year after the Bowie Health Center nearly closed because of the financial difficulties of its operator, the nonprofit Dimensions Healthcare System.

In addition to the Bowie Health Center, the system also includes Prince George’s Hospital Center in Cheverly and Laurel Regional Hospital.

Mayor G. Frederick Robinson said the deal was ‘‘a very good step forward.”

Robinson praised county and state officials for reaching the deal, but said there is more work to be done to ensure the long-term success of the system.

‘‘It’s not the end of the game, but it gives me a little bit more confidence that we’re moving in the right direction,” Robinson said.

Robinson said the eventual owner and operator of the health system will have to have not only the technical expertise to operate the system, but also the necessary skills to manage the system’s finances.

He said the city will continue to monitor the process, including actions of the appointed board which will choose the new owner.

Councilwoman Geraldine Valentino-Smith (At-large) said Monday she was cautiously optimistic that when the deal is finalized, it will ‘‘ensure the future viability” of the Bowie Health Center and other hospitals in the system.

Yet Valentino-Smith, who has worked as a nurse and health care advocate, said the long-term issues of the hospital system must be addressed, including the issues surrounding uncompensated health care.

‘‘That’s a complex problem that’s going to require a long-term solution beyond just adding money from the state and county,” she said.

Councilman Dennis Brady (At-large) said it was a positive step forward that both the county and state worked together on the plan.

‘‘I think it’s a step in the right direction, but it’s an interim step. I think everyone has to keep that in mind that there’s still work ahead of us, and there will still be challenges ahead of us,” Brady said.

Staff Writer Daniel Valentine contributed to this report.

E-mail Megan King at mking@gazette.net.