WASHINGTON — Local officials and healthcare members appeared at a groundbreaking for a new hospital in White Oak, in Montgomery County, on Monday.

The $331 million Adventist Health Care Washington Adventist Hospital is expected to open in 2019. The new 170-bed facility is part of a larger redevelopment in the White Oak area.

One analysis, by Stephen Fuller of George Mason University’s Center for Regional Analysis, projects that as many as 7,500 jobs could be generated.

That includes construction and hospital operations.

Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett says the hospital is a critical part of the development of the White Oak Science Gateway that could bring a projected $5 billion to the local economy.

He also pointed to the development of a bus-rapid transit in the county.

“So you have both, an expansion of jobs — new jobs, and really providing a quality of life for people in this area as well as a quality hospital that can provide excellent service for the east county,” Leggett said.

According to a release from Washington Adventist, acute-care operations will move to the new facility, while other health care services will still be provided at its Takoma Park location.