University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Chestertown has been awarded designation as a Level 2 Age-Friendly Health System (AFHS) by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI).
AFHS is a national movement of hundreds of health care organizations committed to ensuring that older adults receive evidence-based care. UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown achieved Level 1 designation in March 2022. Being awarded Level 2 AFHS designation signifies that UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown is recognized by IHI as a leader in the movement to advance the care of adults over age 65.
Level 2 designation shows that the hospital:
- Is guided by an essential set of age-friendly, evidence-based practices across the “4Ms” (What Matters, Medication, Mentation, and Mobility);
- Causes no harms; and
- Provides care that is consistent with What Matters to older adults and their families.
Celebrating AFHS Designation: Dennis Welsh, Vice President Rural Healthcare Transformation and Executive Director, UM SMC at Chestertown (far left) and Lara Wilson, Director, Rural Health Care Transformation (far right) are shown with SMC at Chestertown clinical team members (l. to r.) Jillian Lovett, Donna Hickerson, Gabrielle Matthews, Sandy Prochaska, Cassandra Bilbrough and Lauren Pierce.
“Achieving Level 2 AFHS designation demonstrates the commitment of our Chestertown team members to addressing the health care needs of our entire community,” said Lara Wilson, Director of Rural Health Care Transformation for UM Shore Regional Health. “The key component of asking all patients ‘what matters most to them’ highlights the importance of connecting quality health care with each patient on an individual level. This is rural health care at its core, personal and compassionate.”
Working toward AFHS designation has involved a large interdisciplinary committee led by the hospital’s Rural Health Care Transformation Team. Participants included providers, clinical staff and other representatives from Nursing and Patient Care Services, Population Health, Pharmacy, Palliative Care, Comprehensive Rehabilitation Services, Patient Experience, and Marketing and Communications.
About University of Maryland Shore Regional Health
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 2,200 employees, medical staff, board members and volunteers works with various community partners to fulfill the organization’s mission of Creating Healthier Communities Together.
About the University of Maryland Medical System
The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) is a university-based regional health care system focused on serving the health care needs of Maryland, bringing innovation, discovery and research to the care we provide and educating the state’s future physician and health care professionals through our partnership with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland, Baltimore professional schools (Nursing, Pharmacy, Social Work and Dentistry) in Baltimore. As one of the largest private employers in the State, the health system’s more than 29,500 employees and 4,000 affiliated physicians provide primary and specialty care in more than 150 locations, including 12 hospitals and 10 University of Maryland Urgent Care centers. The UMMS flagship academic campus, the University of Maryland Medical Center in downtown Baltimore, is recognized regionally and nationally for excellence and innovation in specialized care. Our acute care and specialty rehabilitation hospitals serve urban, suburban and rural communities and are located in 13 counties across the State. For more information, visit www.umms.org.
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