Frederick Health will take new patients to its North Frederick campus this month after expanding outpatient facilities to genetics-specific care and a medical weight loss program.
The new program offers specific treatment to both patients. The Precision Medicine and Genetics Program matches care based on a patient’s genetics, and the Medical Weight Loss Program offers support to patients through nutrition and lifestyle changes without surgery, according to a press release.
The Frederick Health Village 90-acre campus off Monocacy Boulevard was acquired by the health care system in 2019, which includes Frederick Health Hospital.
The site was once a center for Covid-19 testing and the manufacturing center for personal protective equipment such as masks and gowns at the start of the pandemic, Frederick Health President and CEO Tom Kleinhangel said at an open house for the facility Tuesday.
Although the campus still offers COVID-19 testing elsewhere within its 400,000 square feet of offices, renovating the building allows Frederick Health to see more patients for specialty care, Kleinhangel said.
In partnership with Frederick Magazine, the Frederick County Office of Economic Development named Frederick Health’s precision medicine program to its “Top 50 Innovative Businesses in Frederick” list.
Frederick Health is also offering services to include a patient’s genetic profile in their electronic health record, Kleinhängel said, allowing doctors to determine which drugs they might respond best to based on their genetics.
“It arms providers and patients with better information about personalized care,” Kleinhängel said.
At the open house, Dr. Heather Chalfin, a urologic oncology surgeon at Frederick Health, said the goal of the genetics program is to provide preventive screening and early intervention methods for patients whose genetics indicate a high risk of cancer.
The program will also help treat cardiovascular, neurological and rare diseases, Chalfin said.
A full-service laboratory adjacent to the Precision Medicine and Genetics office will expand Frederick Health’s testing capacity, the ninth laboratory collection center in the system’s network.
Kleinhanzl said the addition will relieve busy nearby labs and help Frederick Health keep pace with the city’s fast-growing north end.
At the open house, Frederick Mayor Michael O’Connor welcomed the expansion of the Frederick Health Village and said it will help match care to a growing population.
As for future plans for the remaining village space, which includes 30 acres available for development, Kleinhangel said Frederick Health hopes to add more space for clinical services and is considering adding offices for physicians and providers.
