Cathy Weber, nurse manager, Emergency Department at University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Dorchester, recently retired from UM Shore Regional Health after 42 years of service.

Weber’s retirement party was held Friday, Jan. 17, at UM Shore Medical Center at Dorchester, where Weber spent her career helping to save lives. She was a staff nurse from 1978 to 1997, a nurse manager from 1997 to 2011,and in 2011 was named manager of the Emergency Department.

According to Penny Pink, executive director, UM Shore Medical Center at Dorchester, Weber very quickly moved up into leadership roles after starting as a nurse at the hospital.

“Cathy was always patient-focused, and was always a calming presence in an emergency,” Pink said. “She always knew ‘the answer.’ Her comfort zone was the Emergency Department, at the bedside, with her staff. She will be missed.”

Weber’s colleagues also shared fond memories of their time working together, as well as stories of Weber’s impact on the community and her mentorship of nurses.

“I think any member of Cathy’s team would share that a few of her best qualities are integrity, compassion, advocacy and ingenuity,” said AnnMarie Hernandez, a nurse manager at UM Shore Medical Center at Dorchester. “She maintained a professional demeanor at all times, and deeply cared about our patients, staff and our community. She has been a mentor for more people than I can count, and the gifts she bestowed on her mentees carry on into every aspect of their lives, including the way we care for our patients. She has taught us the art of compassion, patience, how to be an active listener and how to hear beyond the words that are said. I personally cannot thank her enough and know that there are many others that feel the same.”

All Weber’s colleagues maintain the same sentiment: she will be missed and they wish her the best in her retirement.

About UM 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 2,600 employees, medical staff, board members and volunteers work with various community partners to fulfill the organization’s mission of Creating Healthier Communities Together.

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Khalid Kurtom, MD, medical director, UM Shore Medical Group–Neurosurgery, has been selected by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) as the State of Maryland winner of the 2019 State Award for Nurse Practitioner Advocate Excellence. This award is presented annually to an individual who has made a significant contribution toward increasing awareness and recognition of nurse practitioners. Past recipients of the advocate award have included physicians, legislators, educators and nurse practitioners.

Nominated for the honor by Gail Shorter, DNP, chair of Shore Regional Health’s Advanced Practice Provider’s Council, Dr. Kurtom was selected from a pool of five nominees for the Maryland award. Recipients will be honored at an awards ceremony and reception held during the AANP 2020 National Conference, June 23-28, in New Orleans.

“We are thrilled to learn that Dr. Kurtom has been named this year’s recipient of the AANP award for Maryland,” said Ken Kozel, UM SRH president and CEO. “We know Dr. Kurtom for his tireless effort towards excellence and patient-centered care. With this quest comes his recognition of the importance of the entire care team and specifically, the significant contributions of our medical staff’s nurse practitioners. His advocacy for nurse practitioners having a seat at all tables of healthcare leadership and governance ensures their important voice is heard in everything we do at 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.

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Shore Radiology, PA and UM Shore Regional Health recently renewed their longstanding affiliation that has benefited thousands of patients every year for more than four decades, Ken Kozel, UM SRH president and CEO has announced.

Shore Radiology, PA provides services for all UM SRH locations, including UM Shore Medical Centers at Chestertown, Dorchester and Easton; the Diagnostic and Imaging Center and the Clark Comprehensive Breast Center in Easton; Shore Emergency Center and Shore Medical Pavilion at Queenstown; and Shore Medical Pavilion at Denton. They also will be providing services at the new Shore Medical Campus at Cambridge that is scheduled for completion in 2021.

The practice now includes nine physicians: Dale B. Johnson, MD, Radiology Department chair; Brian T. Callahan, MD; Christopher S. Levey, MD; Minh Lu, MD; Kimberly A. Oster, MD; Stephen T. Sauter, DO, president of the practice and medical director, Radiology; Mithilesh K. Singh, MD; Kathleen H. Straub, MD; and Matthew P. Wagner, MD. All have fellowship training in at least one of several subspecialties, including women’s imaging, nuclear medicine and PET, body and musculoskeletal MRI, body CT and ultrasound, and interventional and angiography.

“Shore Regional Health and the many patients we serve are very fortunate to have the services of a radiology practice whose providers have such a strong range of talent, experience and expertise,” commented Kozel. “We look forward to our continued partnership with Shore Radiology.”

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.

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Gary Jones, RCP, RRT, FACCA, director, Heart and Vascular Center at University of Maryland Shore Regional Health, recently received state and county proclamations honoring his 50 years with UM Shore Regional Health. Jones recently retired at the end of 2019, but has agreed to stay on in a contractual role until a new director is found.

Born and raised in Talbot County, Jones attended Talbot County Public Schools. He later attained his associate’s degree from Chesapeake College and his Bachelor of Arts in healthcare administration from Ottawa University. He was advanced to doctoral candidacy in human development and neurophysiology from University of Maryland College Park.

A Fellow of the American College of Cardiovascular Administrators (FACCA), Jones is a licensed, registered respiratory care practitioner and in the course of his career, has achieved multiple professional credentials, including: certified physician assistant, pulmonary technologist, paramedic instructor certified by the Maryland Institute of Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS), forensic investigator with the Office of Chief Medical Examiner-Maryland, neonatal resuscitation hospital-based instructor, basic life support instructor, and clinical instructor in Salisbury University’s Respiratory Care Practitioner Program and in Delaware Technical and Community College’s Respiratory Care Practitioner Program. He also has been certified in advanced cardiac life support.

Jones has been employed with UM Shore Regional Health since November 1969, rising from respiratory therapist to supervisor to director of Respiratory Care, and later director of Cardiopulmonary/Neurodiagnostic Services. Before being named director of the Heart and Vascular Center at UM Shore Regional Health, Jones was regional director of Cardio-Pulmonary/Neurodiagnostic Services, a position he held since 1983.

Jones has been instrumental in the development of Cardiovascular Services at UM SRH. He helped establish the Vascular Lab at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton, which has expanded to UM Shore Medical Centers at Chestertown and Dorchester and to UM Shore Medical Pavilion at Easton. He also helped to establish the Regional Sleep Disorders Center that now provides sleep testing in four locations.

Cardiovascular Services also have expanded to include pacemaker and defibrillator implantation, primary and elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and cardiac electrophysiology services.

Jones helped establish the first Cardiac Cath Lab at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton in 1991. It since has grown to include a second Cath Lab, which in 2018 was designated as a Cardiac Interventional Center by MIEMSS, and in 2019 was granted a four-year accreditation. The Cardiac Interventional Center consistently provides life-saving care procedures for patients experiencing a heart attack caused by arterial blockage in less than 60 minutes, 95 percent of the time. The national target time is an average of 90 minutes.Three teams are on-call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, in order to serve the community.

Also in 2019, after just one year of operation, the American Heart Association presented the Cardiac Interventional Center at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton with two separate Mission Lifeline awards for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Outside of UM Shore Regional Health, Jones consistently has advocated for pre-hospital advanced life support services in the region to better serve local communities. Beginning as a member of Easton Volunteer Fire Department, Jones later became a volunteer emergency medical technician (EMT) basic life support provider with the local ambulance service. He also served as a charter member of the Talbot County Advanced Life Support Services and was one of five paramedics who volunteered 24/7 in this role. Later, he transitioned to become a MIEMSS paramedic instructor, teaching paramedics working for emergency services in Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties.

About UM 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 2,600 employees, medical staff, board members and volunteers work with various community partners to fulfill the organization’s mission of Creating Healthier Communities Together.

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Pamela (Pam) Addy has joined UM SRH as vice president, Ambulatory and Clinical Services, effective Monday, January 13, 2020. Reporting to Ken Kozel, Addy provides leadership over the clinical operations of the Cancer Center, laboratory, diagnostic imaging, cardiovascular services, pulmonary and neuro-diagnostic services, and ambulatory services.

Addy joins Shore’s senior leadership team with more than 25 years of experience and achievements in diagnostic imaging, acute and ambulatory services, and medical group and practice management. Since 2005, she had served as regional director, Imaging Services for Sutter Health in Sacramento. In that capacity, she developed a network of 20 imaging centers with a radiology group of over 100 radiologists and 600 indirect reports. She also led strategic initiatives for excellence in patient care, employee engagement and financial improvement and received.

A member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and the American Healthcare Radiology Administrators, Addy holds an M.S. in Health Care Management and a B.S. in Health Sciences from Excelsior College, and Radiology Technologist (RT) from the School of Radiologic Technology in Baltimore.

“We are excited to have Pam join our team and welcome her back to the east coast,” said Ken Kozel, UM SRH CEO and president. “Her knowledge, expertise and patient-centered focus will complement our efforts to achieve our health care system’s mission and vision.”

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.

Don’t miss the latest! You can subscribe to The Chestertown Spy‘s free Daily Intelligence Report here

Incontinence affects almost 18 million women, yet fewer than half of all people suffering from incontinence consult a health care provider. In particular, women often consider the problem an untreatable consequence of having children or aging. In fact, there are many causes of incontinence and all are highly treatable. Female stress urinary incontinence (SUI), overactive bladder (OAB) and Pelvic Organ Prolapse are the most common.

SUI occurs when pressure is exerted on the bladder, causing leakage. This can occur when you laugh, sneeze, cough, lift something heavy or exercise. Many women experience this after pregnancy and childbirth.

OAB is characterized by a sudden and unstoppable need to urinate, a condition that results from sudden, involuntary contraction of the bladder wall muscles. If you are urinating more than eight times per day, you may be suffering from OAB.

Pain and urinary leakage could be a sign of POP, a herniation of the pelvic organs that causes them to drop through the vaginal opening. The bladder, uterus and rectum are supported by a web of muscles, ligaments and fibers. When these are weakened, the organs drop, causing the pain and leakage.

There are many treatments available for urinary incontinence, including medication, physical therapy, bladder retraining, injection therapy, use of medical devices and surgery. The first step is to consult your doctor for an evaluation. Your doctor will conduct a thorough history and physical exam, followed by a urinalysis. You may also be asked to keep a “bladder diary” to help diagnosis.

The bottom line is that incontinence is highly treatable. If you are suffering, don’t delay treatment any longer. You have many options!

Dr. Cespedes is a board certified urologist now accepting patients Cambridge, Chestertown, Denton, Easton and Queenstown. Call 410-820-0560 to schedule an appointment.

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.

Don’t miss the latest! You can subscribe to The Chestertown Spy‘s free Daily Intelligence Report here

Patricia Thompson, DNP, RN, has joined the UM Shore Regional Health administrative team as director, Behavioral Health. In this capacity, Thompson is responsible for overseeing the inpatient behavioral health unit, IOP program, bridge clinic, BHRT (behavioral health response team) and the substance abuse disorder program.

“We are thrilled to have Pat join our team here at Shore Regional Health. Her passion and experience in behavioral health will make a difference for our team, our patients, and our community,” says Jenny Bowie, chief nursing officer. “Pat has over 20 years of behavioral health experience, and brings a wealth of knowledge to the table in both nursing and behavioral health leadership. We are honored to have her join us.”

Thompson assumed her role this month after serving at University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health in multiple clinical, faculty and leadership roles over the past 35 years. Most recently, she served as Upper Chesapeake’s regional director for education and training for Behavioral Health and as director of nursing, Behavioral Health Services. She holds a Master of Science in Nursing and a Doctorate of Nursing Practice from Loyola University New Orleans.

“I am very excited to be joining University of Maryland Shore Regional Health and look forward to meeting and working with the Behavioral Health and leadership teams,” Thompson says. “I am committed to promoting mental health as a critical part of overall wellness in the Eastern Shore communities.”

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.

Don’t miss the latest! You can subscribe to The Chestertown Spy‘s free Daily Intelligence Report here