Westminster leaders oppose proposed Sinai-funded respite beds at Access Carroll site, citing public-safety and jurisdiction concerns

Mayor Becker and the full City Council pressed concerns on Monday about a proposed Sinai Hospital-funded medical respite pilot that would locate beds at Access Carroll’s existing facility at 10 Distillery Drive in downtown Westminster.

In a prepared statement Councilmember Preston (speaker identified on the record) described Access Carroll as “an important part of the landscape of Westminster and Carroll County” but said city officials were not notified until late in the planning process and that the pilot’s primary population would be non‑Carroll County patients brought from Sinai Hospital in Baltimore. "The proposal has a pilot project of 3 years during which time the residents of the program would be relocated from Sinai to Westminster," Preston said, noting the project would house up to 10 beds at the Access Carroll site.

Council members raised multiple concerns: the proposed clients would be non‑residents of Carroll County; the program could bring roughly "on the order of about 100 per year" into the city under the pilot as described to the…