The new lab expansion project at the University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Chestertown will benefit patients, staffand even instruments, according to the Center’s Executive Director Scott D. Burleson.
Anderson Griffith, laboratory chemistry lead, with one of many high tech pieces of equipment housed in the lab.
“The new lab configuration will allow patients to access the phlebotomy draw station by walking about 30 feet from the registration desk instead of the current 150 yards,” Burleson explained recently. “Moving services that are regularly used closer to the main entrance makes accessibility more convenient for our patients.”
Now in the third of five projected phases, the project got underway in February 2016 and is projected to be complete by the end of the year. Technological advancement has been one of the driving forces behind the need for expansion: when the lab was built three decades ago the equipment was not as dependent on computers as it is today. This computer dependency imposes a great heat load on virtually every piece of equipment and instrumentation in the lab, which has required the use of ad hoc heat exchangers and fans that takeup significant space in all parts of the lab causing crowding for the staff.
“Our lab staff deserves a lot of credit for performing their duties so well despite the many changes in their space over the years,” says Site Coordinator Margaret Pulleyn – a 35-year veteran of the Hospital. “They do a great job providing high quality lab services to the hospital and people of Chestertown. We are happy to be able to provide the space they so richly deserve.”
The $50,000 project is being funded by the Chester River Health Foundation. The Foundation, an affiliate of Shore Regional Health, raises funds for the UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown and the UM Shore Nursing and Rehabilitation Center at Chestertown.
As part of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), University of Maryland Shore Regional Health is the principal provider of comprehensive health care services for more than 170,000 residents of Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Talbot counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. UM Shore Regional Health’s team of more than 2,500 employees, medical staff, board members, and volunteers works with various community partners to fulfill the organization’s mission of Creating Healthier Communities Together.
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