Maryland Republican Gov. Larry Hogan announced Friday morning that he would be putting $15 million in a supplemental budget for the Prince George’s Regional Medical Center, easing what has been a point of contention between his administration and General Assembly Democrats.
In the proposed supplemental, the Prince George’s hospital will receive $15 million in the upcoming budget, and the $55 million over five years. The hospital has been a top priority for the county, which is the second-largest jurisdiction in the state, and advocates said the money is critical to keeping the hospital afloat while a new, state-of-the-art hospital is built in Largo.
“It’s been a long, sad story about the Prince George’s hospital system and this, we believe, is a tremendous solution to decades of problems there,” Mr. Hogan said, speaking to reporters Friday.
The deal was struck with representatives from the University of Maryland Medical System, the entity overseeing the transition. The money would go to Dimensions Healthcare, which runs the current hospital.
The announcement comes two days after Senate President Thomas V. “Mike” Miller, Prince George’s and Calvert Counties Democrat, gave Mr. Hogan an ultimatum: release the $15 million that he has been withholding from the hospital, or he would move forward on legislation to mandate the funds.
Mr. Hogan’s proposed budget was released last month and did not contain the money for the hospital.
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Anjali Shastry over at the Washington Times
