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.

Howard County General Hospital is a private, not-for-profit, community health care provider, governed by a community-based board of trustees. Opened in 1973, the original 59-bed, short-stay hospital has grown into 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. In June 1998, Howard County General Hospital joined Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Facts

• HCGH staff includes more than 1,800 full- and part-time employees. It is the third largest private employer in Howard County and employs more than 1,000 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. Ninety-five percent of the physicians are board-certified in their specialty.
• Hospital expenditures total approximately $265 million per year, much of which is spent locally for supplies and services. This figure includes salaries and benefits of approximately $130 million. More than 330 volunteers contributed over 24,000 hours of service in FY 2018, working in all areas of the hospital and the community to support the hospital and its services. 

Fiscal Year 2018 Utilization Statistics

• HCGH provided services to approximately 200,000 people
• Evaluated and treated 78,049 patients in the Emergency Rooms
• Admitted to or observed in the hospital 21,417 patients
• Performed 10,693 surgeries; of these, 2,851 were performed in the hospital and 7,842 were performed as outpatient procedures.
• Delivered 3,369 babies
• Provided outpatient services to 52,063 patients (including laboratory / excluding outpatient surgery)
• Provided outreach, health promotions and wellness programs to over 30,000 people

History

In 1968, The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Connecticut General Life Insurance Company teamed up to create one of the first health maintenance organizations. The Columbia Hospital and Clinics Foundation was founded in 1973, and it was conceived as 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 Johns Hopkins has provided improved services, facilities and medical technology to the residents of Howard County.