Three remarkable things have happened in the struggle to make our hospital well again. The prospects for a brighter healthcare and economic future for our entire community are far better than they were in November, though we still have much to do.
Remarkable thing No. 1:
Shore Regional Health System in Easton has promised in writing, and UMMS officials have confirmed to the legislature in Annapolis, that the hospital in Chestertown will remain open and whole—that is, it will have inpatient services—for at least six years.
Why six years? That’s the amount of time UMMS thinks it will take Shore Health to build a new medical center to replace Memorial Hospital in Easton. After that, Shore will likely want to turn our hospital into an emergency center like the one on Route 50 in Queenstown, but happily, two actions in Annapolis are designed to neutralize that plan.
Remarkable thing No.2:
Maryland Secretary of Health & Mental Hygiene Van Mitchell, Senate Finance Committee Chair Thomas Mac Middleton and House Health and Government Operations Chair Peter Hammen (all extremely powerful people) have promised, in a letter to our Annapolis delegation, that “No hospitals on the Eastern Shore will close” while state officials spend a year or two identifying our healthcare needs and designing a rural plan that will work long into the future.
The complications they promise to deal with include low population density, our aging population, limited transportation options, and the short supply of healthcare providers. This will be a plan, they say, that will be financially supported by the state to meet our rural community’s healthcare needs. It will not, they assure us, be a plan made to meet corporate revenue goals.
Remarkable thing No. 3:
The same letter promises that “the Eastern Shore will specifically be excluded from legislation that provides hospitals with an avenue to convert to freestanding medical facilities.” That means Shore Health won’t be allowed to use a proposed fast-track route to turn our hospital into an outpatient emergency center like the one in Queenstown. But this chicken hasn’t yet been hatched. We are waiting for publication of that legislative exclusion, and then we’ll hold our breath until it becomes law.
Who should we thank for these welcome promises? The 31 doctors who told us what was going on deserve most of the credit. And our Annapolis delegation deserves loud applause, too. Steve Hershey, Jay Jacobs, Steve Arentz and Jeff Ghrist worked as a team from the opening of the General Assembly, insisting that key state officials should respond to our protests. And against all odds, they’ve won remarkable commitments, and they’re still at it, working to turn the promises into law.
While the six-year reprieve for inpatient services from Shore Health and UMMS seems believable, the state’s promise of a rural healthcare plan is just a letter. If the right bills pass and the plan becomes a reality, it’s conceivable that we may have inpatient beds in Chestertown forever. After all, Easton won’t get any closer in 2022, just because they have a new hospital.
So we must be vigilant in Annapolis, where the legislators’ promises need to be turned into law.
And there are other things to do in order to restore our hospital to good health. Shore Regional Health CEO and President Ken Kozel and Board Chair John Dillon wrote a letter to the editor recently, supporting a “freeze” on service reductions in Chestertown, but they both know that some reductions need to be reversed if patients are going to be well-served.
First and foremost, our hospital needs a full-time professional hospital administrator; there hasn’t been an administrator with real authority in our hospital’s executive offices since July of 2013, when the three-hospital Shore system was created. And there are medical services that need to be returned.
The hospital needs full-time inpatient dialysis, a urologist who can do surgery, and a surgical ENT (Ear, Nose & Throat) doctor. If you want other services restored, now is the time to write a letter-to-the-editor to let Shore Health know how you feel.
We’re in a “trust but verify” mode, but I think we can we all agree that the outpouring of support this community has shown has turned the tide. If you haven’t been in the hospital lately, stop by and ask for a tour and tell the staff how much you appreciate their work. The new Emergency Room is great, the second floor ICU is—right now—getting a state-of-the-art overhaul, and nearly all of the upgrades are being paid for with local donations.
Spring is on the way in more ways than one along the Chester River. Internet access for every home and business—no matter how remote—will soon be a reality; public school rankings are on the rise; the Chestertown marina project has shifted into gear; Washington College has a great new president and will soon have a stunning waterfront campus; shops and restaurants are busy; the National Music Festival’s season begins in June and Chestertown’s Arts and Entertainment District is bringing visitors to town.
Hang on tight. It feels like we’re in for a healthy new era.
Margie Elsberg is the volunteer communications coordinator for the hospital project and immediate Past President of the Chester River Health Foundation
Patsy Hornaday says
Just to say a heartfelt thank you to Margie Elsberg and the Chestertown Spy for staying on the
question of what is to become of our hospital. The staff there are such wonderful people
and feel more like friends made while retired here for the last twenty-five years. At least
for now our minds are relieved along with the medical people who have served us so very well.
Caroline Gabel says
Congratulations and grateful thanks too to Margie Ellsberg for her leadership in one of the most important issues our area will face in the near future.
Stephan Sonn says
Margie
I particularly like your comment about Easton not getting any closer for travel.
Also the UMMS 6 year deadline on our hospital in patient services is very pithy.
John East says
Mac Middleton is a class act.