Greetings from “Save the Hospital.” We are pleased to bring you news about a government plan for the future of the Chestertown hospital.
A few weeks ago, completely unexpectedly, Ben Steffen, Executive Director of the Maryland Health Care Commission which regulates all hospitals in the state, brought officials from MHCC, the state Department of Health, the Health Services Cost Review Commission and The Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis to Chestertown to meet with doctors and community members from Save the Hospital.
Mr. Steffen’s experts reviewed the decline of our hospital—fewer patients, fewer procedures and a financial report awash in red ink. We girded for news of a closure in 2022.
But instead, the Walsh Center’s Alana Knudson astonished us by unveiling a proposal to reinvent our hospital and make it a place that will always provide high quality inpatient services—and much more. Save the Hospital jaws dropped, but it was obvious that Dr. Knudson’s proposal was supported by every regulatory body in the state.
Where did this bureaucratic change of heart come from? Likely, in part, from our community’s resolve to save our hospital, but also because the regulators have concluded that leaving rural communities without access to healthcare is bad policy.
While we’ve been pleading for help from state officials and lobbying for legislation that would require the hospital to maintain inpatient services, rural hospitals across the country have been failing. With few patients to care for and one-size-fits-all regulations, they can’t stay afloat, leaving communities without a hospital to provide healthcare, jobs and economic stability.
The pressure of those closures may be part of the reason that Mr. Steffen called Dr. Knudson. Here’s what The Walsh Center is proposing in a report MHCC just sent to the General Assembly:
- Transform our hospital from an “Acute General Hospital”—the kind that works on the densely populated Western Shore—to a new designation known as a “Maryland Rural Hospital.” Regulations will be flexible and there will be strong quality requirements.
- “Right-size” the hospital and offer services that match our demographics and patient needs, providing inpatient diagnostics, surgery and treatment.
- Retain our emergency department and outpatient services including same day surgery; increase telehealth and attract physician specialists.
- Establish an “Aging and Wellness Center of Excellence” within the hospital to provide outpatient services especially for older adults including primary care, care coordination, transportation coordination and social services. Specialties will include behavioral health, cardiology, pulmonology, nephrology, neurology, orthopedics and palliative care. Wellness may include massage therapy, skin care, acupuncture, herbal medicine, nutrition, preventive medicine and active lifestyle programs.
- The Center of Excellence will offer accreditation programs in geriatric care for advance practice nurses, pharmacists and social workers.
After watching our hospital struggle for so long, it’s hard to imagine that state officials are leading an effort to turn our hospital into a rural healthcare model, but that’s exactly what’s happening, and Shore Regional Health CEO and President Ken Kozel says he’s on board. He told Save the Hospital leaders that he likes what he’s seen of the proposal. Mr. Kozel and Board Chair Keith McMahan plan to study the proposal further and meet with UMMS and state officials, but they said they are excited about the prospect of transforming the Chestertown hospital.
This complex project will take years to enact and it will be costly, but it looks as if the state of Maryland and Shore Regional Health think the plan is worthy of serious investment.
We’ll do our best to keep you informed about our hospital’s future. For the full Walsh Center report, go here.
By Margie Elsberg
Save the Hospital Communications Coordinator
301-332-4071
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Carol Casey says
Thank you so much for your hard work, which I’m sure influenced this project.
Patricia Deitz says
Thank you Margie for this clear and exciting report on a brilliant answer to the health care needs of our community. And thank you also for mobilizing the resistance so that it was clear that Kent and Northern Queen Anne’s County citizens would not go away quietly! The Center of Wellness is exciting and a perfect fit for our population–although I hope that care for children, young adults and families is in the plan as well. This is an amazing and welcome result of the years of community organizing and advocacy for a basic human right. It is an encouraging event in a time when hope is definitely needed.
Mary Louise Troy says
This news was cheered when the Spy article was posted on Facebook. An immediate comment pointed out another need: Urgent Care. Right now parents are driving children with minor illnesses like earaches (not minor for the parent with the screaming toddler) to Urgent Care in Middletown and I have heard of people going to Easton and Kent Island. There are a lot of health issues that do better with urgent attention but don’t require an ER visit or its cost. I don’t think a standalone Urgent Care makes a whole lot of sense financially for a town the size of Chestertown but one that is part of the services of a rural hospital makes a great deat of sense.
Brandt Troup says
Mary – Indeed! I know I have an inbox of bills that relate to problems better solved by such a facility. Darned if we do go to CR (cost), darned if we don’t (“See, they’ll just go to Queenstown or Middletown!”)
Stephanie Brindley says
Forget massage therapy! How about beginning with having the infusion center open 7 days a week. My mother had to have infusions 10 days in a row every month. To go all the way to Baltimore for infusions is insane!! Especially with someone who has ALS. Until the higher ups have to be inconvenienced by their health care system nothing will ever change. They need to put themselves in the shoes of those who really need care close to home.
Sherrie Hill says
As an employee and community member , I applaud this information and only hope that those in charge take it and make it grow! There is definitely a need to find the niche for smaller health systems within the bigger system where quality care can be delivered! As we move forward I hope everyone will work together and more importantly- think together- to advance health care in our community. I can’t wait to hear more of the plan.
arlene lee says
Hallelujah! Congratulations to all who relentlessly advocated for our community. You showed us that advocacy works.
Arthur Gatzke says
Thank You Dr. O’Conner for spearheading the effort to save our hospital. Art Gatzke
Maria Wood says
This is great news for Chestertown and a huge success for the folks who have been working so hard for so long on this issue. Let’s please also remember the critical need for health care services for non-senior citizens in Kent County. Younger people and families cannot be expected to live here if health care is not available for them, and communities that don’t support the needs of all members cannot thrive.
There is a serious lack of accessible health care for children, teens, and young and middle-aged adults in Kent County, and I hope that with this wonderful commitment to preserving and growing our hospital in place, energies will begin to be directed to addressing this critical need.
Barbara in den Bosch says
Wow! Thanks Margie and all of you who have done so much to save our hospital!
Marty Stetson says
Great, I echo the belief that without the effort of “Save The Hospital” this would have never happened. We would have become just an emergency room and a transfer landing site for the helicopter.
Kevin Knussman says
The report spent a terribly inadequate amount of energy on EMS and emergency transport. And the punch line was the need to…assess the adequacy of volunteer Emergency Medical Services. Someone didn’t know much about he current inadequate state of volunteer staffing. This is an opportunity to speak the truth about how EMS in Kent is provided and what changes are needed to ensure an immediate and adequate response to every request for emergency medical services.
Caroline County obtained substantial funds towards the purchase of county-owned and operated ambulances from Shore Health. A grant like this would permit Kent to make the transition to a operational platform like Caroline, Queen Anne’s, Talbot, and Dorchester.
Michele Francis says
Ever since you closed the OB and Peds floor you forced people to travel a hr plus away. At one time the OB was wonderful. Heard and seen great care that was given on those floors. Three of my grandkids were born in that hospital qLove to see both of those return