Originally conceived as an orphanage, the HOA building was repurposed into a hospital in 1923. It served as the primary healthcare asset in West Baltimore until it closed its doors in 1989. Since then, the HOA has sat vacant and no healthcare facility has opened in its place, leaving West Baltimore severely under-served. The redevelopment of the HOA represents a meaningful first step in rebuilding the healthcare infrastructure in West Baltimore and to spur additional complimentary development.
The Project’s anchor sub-tenant is Behavioral Health System Baltimore (BHSB). BHSB will use a portion of the building for a state-of-the-art Stabilization Center. The Stabilization Center will provide a centralized location for first responders to connect people with substance use disorders (specifically alcohol and opiate dependency) to compassionate and timely care through organized diversion methods. Importantly, it will help keep intoxicated individuals (without acute medical issues) out of emergency rooms. The Center will provide medical and social services such as: medical screening and examination upon arrival, basic first aid, and 30-day case management. Facilitating connections to ongoing substance use disorder treatment and related services will be an essential element of the Stabilization Center, thus broadening the mission of the Center from solely sobering to longer-term stabilization and recovery.