New primary care facility open in Somerset County

CRISFIELD, Md. – A new primary care facility, Somerset Primary Care, has opened in the town of Crisfield and officials are looking to serve Somerset County.

“We’re glad to have them here and we’re very appreciative of the fact that they chose Crisfield because there is a great need,” said Crisfield Councilwoman Laverne Johnson.

Johnson calls the addition of Somerset Primary Care a much needed addition to the community.

“Because they’re offering family care, I think it’s a great asset to the community because the community is growing,” she said. “A lot of people for pediatricians, etc. so forth have to travel outside of the community and because we have an aging population, a growing aging population, I think this will be great for the community.”

The welcoming of the new primary care facility comes as Somerset County faces a shortage of health care facilities in the region.

“I believe there is one in this area, one primary care office that has I think one-and-a-half primary care providers for an area that’s tens of thousands of people,” said Dr. Howard Haft with Somerset Primary Care. “That’s just insufficient numbers.”

Dr. Howard Haft says chronic illness is at a high level in Somerset County.

Looking ahead, primary care specialists are here to assist with that.

“Primary care is important because it’s really the foundation of all healthcare,” said Haft. “If you don’t have primary care, if you rely on waiting until you get very sick or develop a chronic disease, it’s going to be much worse for the individuals, much more costly for the system and the individuals.”

Somerset Primary Care is located at a temporary location on West Main Street in Crisfield.

Later this year, they plan to move into a permanent location on Crisfield Highway.