WASHINGTON COUNTY APPROVED BUDGET
FY 2026
hospital. Meritus Medical group is a network of 20 medical practices with more than 160 providers. Meritus Health will welcome the first class of medical students to a four-year osteopathic medical school in Hagerstown in July 2025. The school aims to meet the physician shortage that is currently being experienced nationally, in Maryland, and in Washington County. The new residential housing and associated school will be adjacent to Meritus Medical Center, providing a unique opportunity for students. The Washington County Health Department, which provides various health services to the citizens of Washington County, employs a total of 140 full-time and part-time personnel across seven divisions. Other medical care facilities include nine privately owned, licensed skilled nursing facilities, the George W. Comstock Center for Public Health Research and Prevention, and the Western Maryland Center, a State- owned chronic care facility.
Safety
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office, the Maryland State Police, and municipal police agencies provide police protection in Washington County. The Sheriff’s Office has 10 8 sworn personnel and 97 radio- dispatched vehicles. The Sheriff’s Office is responsible for the operation of the Detention Center, which has a capacity of 450 inmates. In October 2016, a Day Reporting Center opened that provides treatment services to non-violent offenders with drug and/or alcohol addictions, as well as providing services for the Circuit Court Adult Drug Court Program. The State Police has 35 troopers assigned to the local barrack, which is located just south of Hagerstown. The Hagerstown Police Department has a full-time force of 108 officers. The Hancock Police Department and the Smithsburg Police Department each employ four full- time officers while the Boonsboro Police Department employs five police officers. The Office of Emergency Management is responsible for emergency/911 communications in addition to mitigation, planning, response, and recovery from natural and technical disasters. Emergency Management activities are overseen by a director with support from a full-time emergency planner and an emergency management specialist and the Emergency Communications Center (“ECC”) has six full - time executive support staff. The ECC processes and coordinates all 911 calls for the County and its municipalities through one central dispatch location. Washington County has a Local Emergency Planning Committee, overseen by Emergency Management, that coordinates disaster planning, conducts drills to exercise the County Emergency Operations Plan, and oversees a community outreach program. The County’s Division of Emergency Services (“DES”) oversees Fire, Rescue, and the Emergency Medical Services Operations Program. DES is led by a full-time career director and two full-time department heads who oversee the daily operational components of Emergency Services in Washington County. DES has 92 full-time and 23 part-time personnel working directly within the division. The Public Safety Training Center (“PSTC”) became operational in 2022 with daily oversight being provided by DES, in collaboration with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. The PSTC is staffed by seven full- time employees who are split among fire, EMS, and law enforcement training initiatives. The PSTC serves as host to the Washington County Law Enforcement Academy and the Division of Emergency Services Paramedic Training Program, which both involve academic connections to DES’s Firefighter Recruit Academy at Hagerstown Community College. Various courses sponsored by the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute are also hosted at the PSTC.
The County’s Office of Emergency Medical Services (“EMS”) is overseen by a deputy director of operations and includes 25 full- time advanced life support (“ALS”) technicians , 13 basic life support technicians
2026 Budget Document
14
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs