FREDERICK, Md. (DC News Now) — If you go to an emergency room in Maryland, you can expect to wait more than three hours on average.

The state is at the bottom of the list again for the longest emergency room wait time in the country, according to government data. This has been the case since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Becker’s Hospital Review, Maryland’s average wait time has reached about 228 minutes.

While this time of the year is usually busy for Emergency Departments, Frederick Health, along with nearly every other hospital in the state, has been seeing higher than normal volumes and, as a result, longer wait times. Frederick Health continues to have one of the busiest Emergency Departments in the state and as our community grows, we continue to work to meet that demand.

Our goal is to provide excellent care, and our medical staff and care teams are working proactively to reduce wait times and move patients through the hospital as efficiently as possible. This is a priority for us.

Statement from Senior Vice President & Chief Operating Officer with Frederick Health Cheryl Cioffi

Lawmakers are doing something to find a solution.

“I knew we were low. I didn’t realize we were 50 out of 50th. A group of advocates brought the idea to me late last spring, early summer. They asked if I would do a bill that would not only study the root causes of why wait times are so long, but look at other states that are similar to us in size who were in the top 25 and see if we could learn something from them,” said Senator Karen-Lewis Young, who sponsored the bill.

Maryland Senate Bill 387 would create a task force to identify potential solutions. It goes into effect June 1st.