About Us

Welcome to Howard County General Hospital: A Member of Johns Hopkins Medicine. Howard County General Hospital has been serving our community since July 1973. Our mission, "Provide the highest quality care to improve the health of our entire community through innovation, collaboration, service excellence, diversity and a commitment to patient safety" is carried through in all that we do.

When the Columbia Hospital and Clinics Foundation was founded in 1973, it was conceived as simply a 59-bed, short-stay facility for members of the Columbia Medical Plan. However, in response to the immediate demand for services and rapid rate of growth in the County, the hospital was incorporated the following year as Howard County General Hospital, an independent not-for-profit hospital with a mission to provide high-quality, comprehensive care and, in the process, improve the health of its community. In 1998, the hospital entered into a strategic partnership with Johns Hopkins Medicine, thereby augmenting the strong, community-focused, integrated delivery system already in place with the benefits of a formal connection with a world-renowned academic medical center. The alliance with Hopkins has positioned HCGH to pursue new initiatives that will provide improved services, facilities, and medical technology to the residents of Howard County.

Today, Howard County General Hospital: A Member of Johns Hopkins Medicine is a comprehensive, acute-care medical center with 245 licensed beds specializing in women`s and children`s services, surgery, cardiology, oncology, orthopedics, gerontology, psychiatry, emergency services, and community health education.

Facts:

• HCGH staff includes more than 1,900 full- and part-time employees. It is the third largest private employer in Howard County and employs more than 1,100 Howard County residents. A diverse workforce, 51 percent of hospital staff are minorities.
• The hospital’s professional staff is comprised of more than 1,000 physicians and allied health professionals, representing nearly 100 specialties and subspecialties. Eighty-nine percent of the physicians are board-certified in their specialty.
• Hospital expenditures total approximately $242 million per year, much of which is spent locally for supplies and services. This figure includes salaries and benefits of approximately $127 million. More than 300 volunteers contributed over 23,000 hours of service in FY 2017, working in all areas of the hospital and the community to support the hospital and its services. 

Fiscal Year 2017 Utilization Statistics:

• HCGH provided services to approximately 202,000 people
• Evaluated and treated 77,636 patients in the Emergency Rooms
• Admitted to or observed in the hospital 24,496 patients
• Performed 12,164 surgeries; of these, 3,210 were performed in the hospital and 8,954 were performed as outpatient procedures.
• Delivered 3,537 babies
• Provided outpatient services to 66,826 patients (including laboratory / excluding outpatient surgery)
• Provided outreach and wellness programs to more than 35,000 people