As is the case with all small communities, words (fact or fiction) travel fast when it comes to a potential threat to nearby hospitals and medical centers. A perception of not having ready access to primary health services is troubling and stressful for many, and particularly those of retirement age. So, it wasn’t surprising to witness rumors fly from Dorchester County to Kent County on the future of the University of Maryland’s Regional Shore Health as the institution enters the final planning stage of its long-term strategic reorganization.
The issues related to the allocation of health services in rural regions is not a new one, but that doesn’t mitigate the fact that these kinds of debates strike at the very core of one’s sense of quality of life and security. As older people face the balance of their lives intertwined with ongoing medical needs, service locations and who their providers are, are not of secondary importance. Indeed, it is this kind of critical information people weigh when deciding where to retire.
With that in mind, it is understandable that even the mention of losing health services activates an instinctive response on the part of many to resist that perceived change. In a community like Chestertown, which had already lost a maternity ward to downsizing three years ago, there also had been a collective perception that what remained of services at the Chester River Health Center would be preserved. The news that this may not be the case has predictably set into motion a climate of anxiety and apprehension.
The good news is that the Regional Shore Health’s CEO Ken Kozel quickly responded to these heightened concerns and made clear this week that no final decisions had been made on how the health care organization would be reallocating services throughout its five-county market. By all accounts, including our own conversations with board trustees and staff, that statement rings true as the organization’s leaders wait for the final report from consultants and their own internal committee tasked in making recommendations to the Regional Shore Health’s governing board.
The bad news is that the hard work has just begun for Regional Shore Health’s leadership. Over the next several months, those leaders will not only determine plans based on the committee’s findings but also evaluate the tangible and intangible community health, social and economic impacts of those plans. It is hard to imagine a more challenging place for nonprofit leaders to find themselves in than at the center of what will be a very complex and difficult decision process.
In the midst of these kinds of circumstances the only adequate response for the Spy* is to provide the same kind of in-depth coverage we have applied to other regional concerns of this magnitude, including our recent work on the Conowingo Dam. Over the next few months, we plan to share with our readers a full portfolio of material and stakeholder interviews to provide the kind of information needed for any individual to make an intelligent assessment on Regional Shore Health’s options and final decisions.
The Spy believes that real public education is best served when everyone has access to the best information. That will be our job over the next few months.
* Full disclosure: The UM Regional Shore Health Foundation sponsors, in part, the Spy’s ongoing news coverage of health and addiction recovery issues on the Mid-Shore.
David Foster says
Thanks to the Spy for advocating transparency and to Hospital CEO Kozel for cooperating in this instance. As I am sure the administrators of UM Regional Shore Health are aware, transparency is often the best disinfectant. I just hope that these health officials will remember this lesson when it comes to providing transparency with regard to the clean up of the Hospital’s major Oil Spill just up hill from Chestertown’s only supply of drinking water.
Unfortunately, the chronic lack of transparency and the long series of private meetings and misleading statements regarding that oil spill have had just the opposite effect and many citizens are now seriously wondering whether they can trust their Hospital or their government officials on this important health issue.
David Foster
James Urda says
Your placing the subject of UMMC Upper Shore on the table with a sincere commitment to serve the public’s legitimate information need in the . “next few months” is commendable and constructive. Thank you. For one (and I am not alone) I look to read and understand the best factual information you can provide. This is information that our fellow community members and local government officials need to know.
Also, thank you also for advancing your honest “full disclosure” statement.
Jim Urda
Patricia Deitz says
I am very grateful for the SPY’s commitment to keep the community informed about the plans being made by UMMS for our local health services. The equivocation in Mr. Kozel’s statement is quite unsettling. Reading between the lines ( and I certainly hope I am wrong…) this is my expectation: With its recently renovated Emergency Department, our shrinking hospital in Chestertown will be further pared down to an “urgent care center” with transport elsewhere for needed treatment. This would be devastating to our quality of life, the local economy, and Chestertown’s identity as a retirement destination. I hope our elected officials and grassroots voices will be given the opportunity to participate in this strategic plan in a meaningful way. It will be most unfortunate if our association with a world class medical system leads to a further reduction in the care our children, families, workers and elders need right here every day of the year.
Garret Falcone says
I appreciate the Spy’s efforts on keeping these serious issues transparent and at the forefront of the news to the fine citizens of Kent and Queen Anne’s Counties!
As Executive Director of Heron Point I’m concerned about the future of Chestertown …and then logically Heron Point.
Heron Point is Home to over 300 residents … Seniors…who vote …shop …have visitors …and are a fine citizens of Chestertown and Kent County.
Heron Point also has over 200 employees with a payroll of 5.1 million dollars per year on a total budget of 13 Million. 80% of these employees live in Kent of Queen Anne counties. Many economic multipliers would project that that size payroll could relate to over 7 million dollars in dollars flowing back into the area.
As a retirement community located on a river in a fabulous town on the Eastern Shore we are a prime location for retirees to move to. We are located here for those reasons but also a key factor is that a hospital 5 minutes away …the hospital is used continuously by our residents and staff!
There are 35 Retirement communities in Maryland and the furthest one is away from a hospital is 15 minutes…that is not a coincidence..its a necessity!!Even with some emergency and some medical facilities the Hospital says are being planned to be here …having an inpatient stay 45 minutes or more away, (depending on weather) is unacceptable…even dangerous!!
Should the Board decide to eliminate the inpatient beds at the hospital, it could have serious detrimental effects on Heron Point … It could affect our admissions and occupancy here ….and thus have a spiraling effect on Heron Point and the town in general!
I moved to Maryland form Catskill NY 25 years ago. Catskill was a town of 4-5000 located on a river, in a lovely historic town that had one hospital where I worked for 10 years. Pretty similar to Chestertown!
The hospital closed in 1992 after being taken over by a larger hospital 5 years prior . They left an Emergency room…but closed that several years later. The town has not been the same …the population is now down to 3900… well over a 15% decrease since the hospital closed.
I’m a concerned citizen and I represent 500 plus concerned citizens that live and work at Heron Point.
This is serious!!
Thank you!
Garret Falcone