A mainstay in our community
After more than a century of healing, MedStar Harbor Hospital is a mainstay in the community, serving patients from Baltimore City and Anne Arundel, Baltimore, and Howard counties at our convenient waterside location. We provide the services of a large, regional medical center in a smaller, more personal environment.
We have been attending to the health needs of the community since 1903 and have proudly served our neighbors from our present home overlooking the Patapsco river for more than three decades.
Our long-ago move to this waterside location, with its close proximity to the Inner Harbor, inspired our name, MedStar Harbor Hospital. But while our location and name have changed over the years, our commitment to give you the finest care has never wavered.
Highlights and service features
Medical education in a community hospital setting
Our hospital offers one of the nation’s leading internal medicine residency programs. Our residents, who play a vital role in the care of our patients, are among the best in the country, as evidenced by their consistent 100% national board certification pass rate and standardized test scores in the top 7% nationwide.
Innovative partners
MedStar Harbor is also home to several innovative partners, including the Simulation Training and Education Lab (SiTEL), the education technology group of MedStar Health.
SiTEL transforms educational approaches in health care by developing the most advanced training technologies with innovative educational approaches that are user friendly and easily accessible.
On-site clinical research
The National Institute on Aging’s (NIA) clinical research branch also resides on our campus. NIA supports the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA), America’s longest-running scientific study of human aging, begun in 1958.
Additionally, we’re home to the PAREXEL Early Phase Clinical Unit. With 90 early-phase research beds, the unit specializes in First in Human and High Risk Early Phase protocols, with direct expertise in multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, mild cognitive impairment, infectious diseases, including HIV and HCV, dermatological diseases, obesity, diabetes, and other health conditions.
Professional recognition
Baltimore magazine consistently recognizes MedStar Harbor physicians as “the best of the best” in its annual “Top Doctors” issue. For their Excellence in Nursing, MedStar Harbor nurses are saluted by their peers and patients for their extraordinary contributions to health care.
Our mission, vision, and values
Mission
We are committed to always providing a quality, caring experience for our patients, our communities, and those who serve them.
Quality, caring, and service are the sentinel guideposts for forming the foundation for the hospital's journey from good to great.
Our patients and communities are our primary reason for existence. They are at the heart of our mission. Our communities are composed of our associates, our physicians, other caregivers, and the residents of the areas we serve.
Vision
We work hard to realize our vision, which is to be the trusted leader in caring for people and advancing health.
Values
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Service: We strive to anticipate and meet the needs of our patients, physicians, and co-workers.
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Patient First: We strive to deliver the best to every patient every day. The patient is the first priority in everything we do.
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Integrity: We communicate openly and honestly, build trust and conduct ourselves according to the highest ethical standards.
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Respect: We treat each individual, those we serve and those with whom we work, with the highest professionalism and dignity.
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Innovation: We embrace change and work to improve all we do in a fiscally responsible manner.
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Teamwork: System effectiveness is built on collective strength and cultural diversity of everyone, working with open communication and mutual respect.
Our history
Originally named the South Baltimore Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital, MedStar Harbor was established by Dr. Harry Peterman, the founding father of the first clinic in the city's industrial area. It was the clinic's busy "accident room" that brought South Baltimore from a small specialty hospital to a general hospital serving all the communities' needs.
When the hospital outgrew its original location on Light Street, it purchased 12 acres from Broening Park, formerly the site of the Maryland Yacht Club. Construction of the present facility began in 1967.
In 1988, the hospital paused to celebrate its 85th anniversary and at the same time embarked on a new era of revitalization, changing its name to South Baltimore General Hospital and began a hospital-wide modernization program.
In 1996, MedStar Harbor became part of the Helix Health hospital system. In 1998, Helix Health merged with Medlantic Healthcare Group and only 1 year later, in 1999, the hospital system was renamed MedStar Health.
After more than a century of healing, MedStar Harbor is a mainstay in the community. A full-service community hospital, offering comprehensive technology in a patient-centered environment, all of our patient care units have been modernized, with pleasant, home-like patient rooms and nearby nursing hubs that allow us to personalize patient care.
Facts and figures
From internal medicine and surgery, obstetrics, diabetes, behavioral health, orthopedics, and geriatrics to cardiology and urology, our team of caring physicians and associates serves the unique needs of every patient.
For fiscal year 2023
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142
Total licensed beds
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785
Total number of physicians
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622/163
Physicians (employed/affiliated)
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368
Nurses
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1,138
Total associates
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40,077
Annual emergency department (ED) visits
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7,310
Annual admissions
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3,837
Annual observations
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1,004
Annual births
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3,540
Annual surgeries
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1,004
Annual baby deliveries
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