Bon Secours Hospital (Baltimore)

Bon Secours Hospital is a hospital in Baltimore. The hospital has the largest renal dialysis center in the city of Baltimore. The name Bon Secours is French for "good help."^[1] The hospital is part of the Marriottsville, Maryland-based Bon Secours Health System, a $3.8 billion not-for-profit Catholic health system that owns, manages, or joint ventures 19 acute-care hospitals, one psychiatric hospital, five nursing care facilities, four assisted living facilities and 14 home care and hospice programs in seven states.

History

The Sisters of Bon Secours came to Baltimore from Paris; in the 1870s they bought the former Maryland Square (built 1795) and its grounds for use as a convent. They provided health care to the Roman Catholic community.

In 1919, George Jenkins, a philanthropist, provided funds to open a Roman Catholic hospital,^[2] which was built on the grounds of Maryland Square. The original mansion was demolished. The hospital was known as Bon Secours. In 1996, the hospital merged with Liberty Medical Center, which closed at the time.

It is part of the Bon Secours Health System providing services in seven states. In 2009, the 125-bed hospital considered closing its inpatient services to cut costs. It faced a number of challenges: 17 percent of its patients are uninsured, twice the average in the city. 90 percent of patient visits were made via the emergency room. Its catchment in West Baltimore has high poverty and unemployment rates, meaning that many people cannot pay for care. As the state has participated in supporting the hospital, it was consulting on future direction. The hospital was considering emphasizing preventive and maintenance care through outpatient clinics, to reduce long-term disease.^[1]

See also

• Jarvis Hospital

References

External links

• Bon Secours Hospital (Baltimore) on Google Street View