University of Maryland Shore Regional Health’s first baby of 2021 couldn’t wait to step into a new year and made her entrance into the world a few weeks earlier than expected.

Au’Bree Aretter Dior Butler was born at 4:27 p.m. Saturday, January 2, at UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown. Both mom and baby were later transported to the Birthing Center at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton for the rest of their stay.

“Our skilled team members at UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown, as well as our Kent County EMS providers, are trained for these unique scenarios,” said Sandy Prochaska, nurse manager, UM SMC at Chestertown Emergency Department. “Everything worked just as it should have with mom and baby being transported to Easton in a timely manner.”

Au’Bree was 18.5 inches long and weighed 5 pounds, 5 ounces at birth. Her parents are Brianna Wilmer and Tre’von Butler, both of Chestertown. This is the couple’s first child.

Au’Bree and her family received a basket of gifts from UM Shore Regional Health, including diapers, clothes, blankets, baby bath supplies and toiletries, bibs, pacifiers, books, stuffed animals and a baby thermometer. Au’Bree also received a $100 savings certificate from Shore United Bank.

Welcome to the world, Au’Bree! Kudos to the Chestertown ED Staff!

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.

The UM Chester River Health Foundation recently sponsored its tenth annual Angel Tree on which “holiday wishes” were hung for special populations in need, including children in the Kent and Queen Anne’s counties’ foster care programs and adults with developmental disabilities who have no living family members and are served by Kent Center.

Some of the wishes were surprising again this year and included basic needs, such as clothes, winter coats and shoes; of course, toys, arts and craft supplies and gift cards were requested as well. More than 60 brightly packaged holiday gifts were donated by the members of the staff of UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown and the UM Chester River Health Foundation.

Because of COVID-19, the 2020 Angel Tree gift pick up worked a little differently this year. Recipient entities arrived by appointment and gifts were brought outside to awaiting cars.

“The extraordinary participation by staff and their incredible generosity in some ways shows our appreciation to the community for its incredible support of UM Shore Regional Medical Center at Chestertown throughout the pandemic,” said Maryann Ruehrmund, executive director, UM Chester River Health Foundation.

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.

2020 UM Shore Medical GroupPractices December Holiday Hours

Thursday, December 24^th

Location	Closing at:
Breast Center	Noon
Bridge Clinic	Noon
Cardiology	Noon
COVID Testing	Closed (Normal)
All ENT Locations	Noon
Diabetes and Endocrinology	Noon
Gastroenterology	Noon
Medical Oncology	Noon
Medical Specialty/Transplant Clinic	Noon
Neurosurgery	Noon
Neurology and Sleep Medicine	Noon
Palliative Care Outpatient Program	Noon
All Pediatric Locations	Noon
All Primary Care Locations	Noon
All Pulmonary Care Locations	Noon
All Urology Locations	Noon
All Surgery and Wound Locations	Noon
All Women’s Health Locations	Noon

Friday, December 25^th and Saturday, December 26^th – All locations closed

Thursday, December 31^st

Location	Closing at:
Breast Center Bridge Clinic	Noon Noon
Cardiology	Noon
COVID Testing	Closed (Normal)
All ENT Locations	Noon
Diabetes and Endocrinology	Noon
Gastroenterology	Noon
Medical Oncology	Noon
Medical Specialty/Transplant Clinic Neurosurgery Neurology and Sleep Medicine Palliative Care Outpatient Program	Noon Noon Noon Noon
All Pediatric Locations All Primary Care Locations All Pulmonary Care Locations All Urology Locations All Surgery and Wound Locations All Women’s Health Locations	Noon Noon Noon Noon Noon Noon

Friday, January 1^st and Saturday, January 2^nd -All locations closed

Happy Holidays from the staff at UM Shore Medical Group!

 

2020 UM SRH Outpatient Diagnostics December Holiday Hours

Thursday, December 24^th

Location	Closing at:
Breast Center	Noon
Centreville Lab Walk-in	Noon (Normal Hours)
Cancer Center	Closed
Diagnostic Center Denton	Noon
Diagnostic Center Easton	Noon
Diagnostic Center Queenstown	Noon
Sunburst Lab Walk-In	Noon
Teal Lab Walk-In	Noon
Roundtop Lab Walk-In	Noon
All Shore Rehabilitation Centers	Normal Hours

Friday, December 25^th and Saturday, December 26^th – All locations closed

Thursday, December 31^st

Location	Closing at:
Breast Center Centreville Lab Walk-in	Noon Noon(Normal Hours)
Cancer Center	Normal Hours
Diagnostic Center Denton	Noon
Diagnostic Center Easton	Normal Hours
Diagnostic Center Queenstown	Noon
Sunburst Lab Walk-In	Noon
Teal Lab Walk-In	Noon
Roundtop Lab Walk-In All Shore Rehabilitation Centers	Noon Normal Hours

Friday, January 1^st – All locations closed

Saturday, January 2^nd

Location	Hours:
Diagnostic Center Easton	8am – Noon

 

Happy Holidays from the staff at UM Shore Regional Health!

November was National Home Care Month and for the staff of University of Maryland Shore Regional Health’s two home care entities, UM Shore Home Care and UM Chester River Home Care, there has been much to celebrate. This year more than ever, the 50 staff members went out of their way to make a difference in the health and well-being of their patients, providing a full range of services in homes, group homes and residential care facilities.

The team served more than 1,111 number of patients and made more than 16,200individual home visits in and around our five-county region—all during the COVID-19 pandemic that has tested the strength and flexibility of our region’s health care workers.

“Our teams continue to rise to the challenges created by Covid-19,” said Rita Holley, director of Home Care Services for UM SRH.

At the start of the pandemic, a Covid-19 team of volunteers was formed to help care for those battling the virus at home, said Holley. This skilled team has cared for more than 60 Covid-19 patients during their in-home recoveries.

“An important new service that the home care team began offering during the pandemic was assisting patients with physician appointments via telemedicine,” said Kathryn Davis, clinical manager of UM Chester River Home Care.“Our nurses helped facilitate the telemedicine visits and spoke directly with physicians to report important medical data such as blood pressure and heart rate.”

“This has been of tremendous value to both the patient and the physician – home care team members help ensure providers have the information they needed to treat patients, all while keeping them safer at home,” said Davis.

Shore Home Care and Chester River Home Care have served patients in Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties for more than 20 years. The two agencies provide a full range of services, including skilled nursing; physical and occupational therapy; medical social work; and home health aide assistance. Their shared goal is to help each patient maintain optimal health and independence in his or her home setting.

“The nurses and therapists are the most marvelous group of people you can imagine,” said Michael Ambrose, a Chester River Home Care patient. “They are extremely capable—true heroines and heroes—and they genuinely care about helping me recover.” The home care team has been monitoring and evaluating Ambrose’s recovery from multiple surgeries and hospitalizations that began in September 2019.

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.

Alexa Burley, MSN, PMHNP-BC, was recently welcomed by UM Shore Medical Group – Behavioral Health. Burley’s prior health care experience includes working as a staff nurse in emergency care at Anne Arundel Medical Center, as a nurse in inpatient clinic and outpatient care services for Anne Arundel Mental Health Group in Annapolis and as a psychotherapy provider with Family Intervention Partners in Baltimore.

Burley completed her MSN and post-master’s nurse practitioner certificate in psychiatric mental health from Maryville University in St. Louis, Mo. She also holds an undergraduate degree in legal studies from University of Maryland – University College.

Information about programs and services provided by Shore Behavioral Health may be obtained by calling 410-822-1000, ext. 8122.

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.

A new survey commissioned by the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) found that more than 4 in 10 Marylanders are unwilling to change their in-person Thanksgiving or other holiday plans. On a positive note, the survey also found that the nearly two thirds of Marylanders plan to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, when available.

The online survey – conducted November 16-23 which polled 525 Marylanders throughout Central Maryland, Southern Maryland and the Eastern Shore, where UMMS operates a network of 13 hospitals, ambulatory centers and urgent care facilities – found that 44% will not change their in-person Thanksgiving or other holiday plans due to COVID-19. The survey found that 65% of Marylanders are very or somewhat likely to get a COVID-19 vaccination when the vaccine is available.

“No question about it, these survey results are concerning, as our statewide mission to slow the spread of COVID-19 and stop the current surge relies on people heeding the advice of the CDC and Governor Hogan to not travel and refrain from holding large family events during Thanksgiving,” said David Marcozzi, MD, UMMS COVID-19 Incident Commander. “This could be setting up a perfect storm, with COVID cases on the rise throughout the state and multiple super-spreader events, it could cause a significant strain on the state’s healthcare system.”

The survey found respondents in Southern Maryland and Eastern Shore regions are less likely to say they have canceled in-person holiday plans than those in other regions of the state. Women, older adults and those with higher education levels are more likely to have changed holiday plans.

The 65% of Marylanders saying they would take a COVID-19 vaccine, once available, is a positive finding, but is still below what state and federal health officials advise for the elimination of the pandemic in the United States.

“While we’re encouraged that nearly two thirds of Marylanders would take a COVID vaccine, this survey points out that we have more work to do to educate the public about the necessity to vaccinate and alleviate fears and concerns about the vaccines that will become available,” said Mohan Suntha, MD, MBA, President and Chief Executive Officer of UMMS. “UMMS will be working tirelessly to make the vaccine available to as many Marylanders as possible, at the appropriate time, and ease concerns by communicating the facts.”

Those saying they are likely to take the vaccine include white men (76%), men age 45+ (78%) and people over age 65 (76%), the survey found. Those groups with higher levels saying they are not likely to take the vaccine include Black women (49%), women in general (43%), those with a high school education or less (49%), and people age 18-34 (42%). Regionally, people in the Baltimore metro area were more likely to say they would take the vaccine (70%), while those in Southern Maryland and the Eastern Shore (55%) and Prince George’s County (62%) report lower levels of likelihood.

About the Survey

The survey, conducted by Public Opinion Strategies and commissioned by the University of Maryland Medical System, was conducted from November 16-23, 2020, among 525 adults 18+ living in the UMMS’ expanded service area, which includes all counties statewide except Allegany, Garrett, Montgomery, and Washington. The survey has a credibility interval of ±4.88%.

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 the UM Schools of Nursing, Pharmacy, Social Work and Dentistry in Baltimore. As one of the largest private employers in the State, the health system’s 28,000 employees and 4,000 affiliated physicians provide primary and specialty care in more than 150 locations and at 13 hospitals. UMMS’ flagship academic campus, the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore is partnered with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and 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.

Ear, Nose and Throat/Sinus and Hearing has welcomed Tasos Aslanidis, DO, FAOCO to the practice based in UM Shore Medical Pavilion at Easton.

Dr. Aslanidis brings more than two decades as a provider with practices in Cherry Hill, N.J., and Philadelphia, Pa., and has served as member of the medical staffs of multiple health care organizations, including Kennedy Health System and Kennedy Surgical Associates, Thomas Jefferson Hospital, Virtua West Jersey Hospitals and Summit Surgical Associates. He also served as medical director, the Kennedy Balance Center, Stratford Division.

A Fellow of the American Osteopathic College of Ophthalmology and a Diplomate of the American Osteopathic Board of Medical Examiners, Dr. Aslanidis has served as a clinical instructor for residency programs at University of Medicine and Dentistry, School of Osteopathic Medicine, the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Department of Otolaryngology and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. His academic credentials include undergraduate degrees in biology and pharmacy, and his medical degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

To make an appointment with Dr. Aslanidis, patients may call 410-820-9119.

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.