Health Village to Bring Primary Care to West Baltimore

University of Maryland Faculty Physicians unveiled plans December 3 to establish a 17,000 square feet Health Village inside the reimagined Mondawmin Mall space, a move aimed at expanding health care access in West Baltimore. The project is a partnership with the University of Maryland Medical Center and the School of Medicine, and it is designed to offer primary and specialty medical care, dental services, a pharmacy, imaging and other wellness services under one roof. The clinic will link patients to the medical center two miles away for higher acuity care and is scheduled to open in winter 2025 to 2026.

The Health Village is intended to address persistent barriers that residents of West Baltimore encounter when seeking routine and specialty care. Locally based primary care and on site diagnostic services can shorten the time to treatment for chronic conditions that disproportionately affect city neighborhoods, including diabetes, hypertension and oral health disease. A nearby pharmacy and imaging services also reduce logistical hurdles that often delay follow up care.

Positioning the clinic inside the reimagined Mondawmin Mall space reflects an approach that treats health care as part of community infrastructure. Shorter travel distances to care, integrated services and explicit connections to a major academic medical center create an opportunity to redirect low acuity health needs away from hospital emergency departments, and to strengthen continuity for patients who need specialty or hospital based services. For residents who face transportation, work schedule or caregiving constraints, having multiple services available in a single neighborhood location can be a tangible improvement in access.

The announcement also fits into broader efforts to expand access to care across Baltimore neighborhoods. For policy makers and health system leaders the project raises questions about how to ensure equitable access, including hours of operation, insurance acceptance, language services and outreach to historically underserved populations. Community partnership was emphasized in planning the center, and meaningful local engagement will be necessary to translate the site into sustained improvements in health outcomes.

As the project moves toward its winter opening, local officials, community groups and health advocates will be watching how the Health Village integrates with existing neighborhood resources and how it measures impact on access, preventive care and health equity across West Baltimore.