MDH outlines bed‑shift plan as Clifton T. Perkins North Wing renovation is scheduled

Naomi Kimura, DLS budget analyst for the Maryland Department of Health, summarized the FY27 capital requests that include $12.4 million for renovating the North Wing at Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center and demolition planning for decommissioned buildings. The North Wing renovation will expand capacity for forensic patients and requires moving some patients to other facilities during construction.

Clint Hackett, deputy secretary for operations at MDH, said the department identified $1,000,000 in FY26 operating funds to renovate Unit C in the Hitchman Building at Springfield Hospital Center and $2,000,000 to renovate Springfield’s Muncie Building. Those operating renovations are intended to create space to accept up to 22 Perkins patients while the Perkins North Wing is renovated, and MDH aims for May 2027 completion to align with Perkins’ schedule. Hackett said the patients to be moved will not be maximum‑security patients and that MDH is analyzing staffing impacts to ensure safety and care continuity.

Will Andelora, director of MDH facilities, explained the demolition at RICA Baltimore that must precede the Facility for Children (FFC) construction at that campus. He said the demolition and FFC design will run in tandem and that construction funding pushes out toward 2030–2031 under current schedules.

Committee members pressed MDH on staff safety, the sequencing of renovations and the timetable for delivering new beds; MDH agreed to provide more detailed completion dates and staffing analyses.