The Anne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC) is a regional health system headquartered in
Annapolis,
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
. In addition to the main campus in Annapolis, the group has outpatient pavilions in
Bowie,
Kent Island
Kent Island is the largest island in the Chesapeake Bay and a historic place in Maryland. To the east, a narrow channel known as the Kent Narrows barely separates the island from the Delmarva Peninsula, and on the other side, the island is sep ...
,
Odenton, Easton and Waugh Chapel.
History
At the turn of the 20th century, the growth of Annapolis as an educational and government center spurred the need for better health care. On February 17, 1902, papers were filed with the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court by the Annapolis Emergency Hospital Association to establish a local hospital. Land was purchased on March 31 of that year at the corner of Franklin and Cathedral Streets in downtown Annapolis, Maryland. On July 18, 1902, the Annapolis Emergency Hospital opened.
In 1959, the hospital, now known as Anne Arundel General Hospital, achieved full accreditation from
The Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Hospitals in July 1958, an honor that only around half of the hospitals in the country enjoyed at that time.
Over the years, the hospital outgrew the original building and plans were developed to start building the hospitals current Medical Park location. In 1984, 104 acres of land were purchased and in 1987 ground broke on the building of an MRI center, an oncology center and an outpatient surgery center. Construction on the Rebecca M. Clatanoff Pavilion, the hospital's women's services and birth center, began in 1993.
The hospital officially changed its name to Anne Arundel Medical Center and housed all buildings and campuses under the name Anne Arundel Health System.
Plans moved forward in 1998 to consolidate all services at Medical Park with the commencement of construction of the Acute Care Pavilion. After it opened on December 2, 2001, patients were moved from the downtown Annapolis campus to the new location on Jennifer Road.
In 2007, expansion began at the Medical Park campus with the building of several new garages and the Health Sciences Pavilion. In 2009 the pavilion opened, offering an expanded Breast Center, outpatient rehab programs and doctor's offices.
In 2008, construction began on an expanded acute care tower and emergency department. The newest tower opened in April 2011. Due to its concentration on green construction, at the time the tower was the only
LEED Certified Gold patient care tower in Maryland.
Additionally, during 2014, the hospital announced it would no longer hire people that used nicotine.
Services
Women’s and Children’s Services
Services offered include all-inclusive maternity, newborn and pediatric care; advanced treatments for health challenges women and their families may encounter; and extensive screening, prevention and wellness programs.
The Breast Center
The Breast Center is an affiliate of Anne Arundel Medical Center.
The Geaton and JoAnn DeCesaris Cancer Institute
The Geaton and JoAnn DeCesaris Cancer Institute encompasses a large array of services ranging from prevention, screening, diagnosis and treatment through survivorship. Many different types of professionals contribute to the care of patients. The center offers support services for patients and families, including nurse navigation, education,
genetic counseling, support groups, social work and psychology services.
AAMC was the first hospital in Maryland to offer minimally invasive robotic surgery using the
da Vinci robotic surgery system. This machine enables physicians to perform the most complex procedures using very small incisions. The robotic arm optimizes hand movements, providing exceptional dexterity and control. In addition, the surgical team is able to view 3D images magnified 10 times, which allows them to manipulate tiny instruments in spaces that are otherwise beyond their reach.
Cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...
s are effectively treated by utilizing technologies such as
Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), high dose radiation (HDR) and
Novalis stereotactic radiosurgery and radiotherapy. Noninvasive Novalis is especially useful for treating tumors in places too difficult to reach using conventional surgical methods.
Using
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) combined with
Computed Tomography (CT) physicians can search for the distinct metabolic signature of cancer cells, plot the exact location, shape and size of a
tumor
A neoplasm () is a type of abnormal and excessive growth of tissue. The process that occurs to form or produce a neoplasm is called neoplasia. The growth of a neoplasm is uncoordinated with that of the normal surrounding tissue, and persists ...
, and recommend the best treatment.
The Patient and Family Services program streamlines patient access to information and people who can help with psychosocial, emotional and spiritual issues.
Heart and Vascular Institute
In 1966, the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) opened.
Over the last decade, the heart and vascular program has grown dramatically. The Heart & Vascular Institute features a dedicated Heart and Vascular Unit, vascular screening programs, vascular surgery and treatment, cardiac-catheterization, interventional medicine, emergency and elective
angioplasty
Angioplasty, is also known as balloon angioplasty and percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA), is a minimally invasive endovascular procedure used to widen narrowed or obstructed arteries or veins, typically to treat arterial atheroscle ...
, cardiopulmonary rehabilitation and interventional radiology. AAMC is also a designated cardiac intervention center (CIC), and participates in the C-PORT E program, offering elective angioplasty services to the community.
The Joint Center
The AAMC Joint Center is a unit solely focused on joint replacement surgery.
The Spine Center
The multidisciplinary team includes physicians, and clinical and support staff who specialize in
neurosurgery
Neurosurgery or neurological surgery, known in common parlance as brain surgery, is the medical specialty concerned with the surgical treatment of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spinal cord and pe ...
,
orthopedic surgery
Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics ( alternatively spelt orthopaedics), is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal ...
,
physiatry
Physical medicine and rehabilitation, also known as physiatry, is a branch of medicine that aims to enhance and restore functional ability and quality of life to people with physical impairments or disabilities. This can include conditions su ...
(physical medicine and rehabilitation), and
interventional radiology.
Conditions Treated (cervical and lumbar):
Degenerative Disorders
*Disc disease
*
Sciatica
Sciatica is pain going down the leg from the lower back. This pain may go down the back, outside, or front of the leg. Onset is often sudden following activities like heavy lifting, though gradual onset may also occur. The pain is often described ...
*
Radiculopathy
Radiculopathy, also commonly referred to as pinched nerve, refers to a set of conditions in which one or more nerves are affected and do not work properly (a neuropathy). Radiculopathy can result in pain (radicular pain), weakness, altered sens ...
*
Disc herniation
Spinal disc herniation is an injury to the cushioning and connective tissue between vertebrae, usually caused by excessive strain or trauma to the spine. It may result in back pain, pain or sensation in different parts of the body, and physical ...
*
Spinal stenosis
Spinal stenosis is an abnormal narrowing of the spinal canal or neural foramen that results in pressure on the spinal cord or nerve roots. Symptoms may include pain, numbness, or weakness in the arms or legs. Symptoms are typically gradual i ...
*
Spondylolisthesis
Spondylolisthesis is the displacement of one spinal vertebra compared to another. While some medical dictionaries define spondylolisthesis specifically as the forward or anterior displacement of a vertebra over the vertebra inferior to it (or t ...
*
Myelopathies
*
Kyphosis
Kyphosis is an abnormally excessive convex curvature of the spine as it occurs in the thoracic and sacral regions. Abnormal inward concave ''lordotic'' curving of the cervical and lumbar regions of the spine is called lordosis. It can result ...
*Tumors, & fractures
Spinal Deformities
*
Kyphosis
Kyphosis is an abnormally excessive convex curvature of the spine as it occurs in the thoracic and sacral regions. Abnormal inward concave ''lordotic'' curving of the cervical and lumbar regions of the spine is called lordosis. It can result ...
*
Spondylolisthesis
Spondylolisthesis is the displacement of one spinal vertebra compared to another. While some medical dictionaries define spondylolisthesis specifically as the forward or anterior displacement of a vertebra over the vertebra inferior to it (or t ...
*Spinal Tumors
*Spinal Fractures
*Failed fusions / revisions
Surgical Services
AAMC offers sub-specialty care in every area of surgery, from Breast and Vascular to Urogynecologic incontinence surgery to the busiest joint replacement program in Maryland and the
District of Columbia
)
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. Minimally invasive techniques are in use throughout the full range of surgical care, from spinal surgery to laparoscopic abdominal techniques to DaVinci robotic surgery for prostate and gynecological surgery.
The surgical staff features a group of full-time in-house abdominal surgeons.
References
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Hospital buildings completed in 1902
Hospital buildings completed in 2001
Hospitals in Maryland
1902 establishments in Maryland
Annapolis, Maryland