Two UM Shore Regional Health team members were recognized recently as “Everyday Heroes” by a patient who benefited from their care.

Gloria McKnight, environmental services technician at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton, was recently recognized as an Everyday Hero by former patient Mary Kinney. Kinney made a gift to UM Memorial Hospital Foundation in recognition of McKnight’s professionalism and compassion while Kinney was recovering from surgery on 2-East at UM SMC at Easton.

Previously, Kinney made an Everyday Hero contribution recognizing Leigha Hamilton, an emergency department nurse in the Easton hospital. Referring to Hamilton as a “nurse extraordinaire,” Kinney extended her thanks and best wishes as Hamilton pursues advanced education.

The Everyday Hero program provides patient, visitors and staff members with the opportunity to recognize and thank any member or team at UM Shore Regional Health who made a positive difference in a visit or stay by making a financial contribution of any size to the Memorial Hospital Foundation or the UM Chester River Health Foundation. Funds received through the Everyday Hero program are used for equipment, capital improvements and staff education for the departments in which the team members work.

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.

University of Maryland Shore Regional Health’s Comprehensive Rehabilitation Services now offers a weekly Wheelchair and Seating Mobility Clinic, open by appointment from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. every Wednesday at UM Shore Rehabilitation Center at Easton, 10B Martin Court.

“Our goal is to increase our clients’ independence with mobility,” says Angela Jancosko, physical therapist and clinical coordinator. “Due to a variety of limitations—neurological, orthopedic, cardiovascular and those related to pain— people using wheelchairs are often unable to get around easily within their homes. In our outpatient clinic, we can evaluate and assess their status to determine what changes can be made to improve their ability to move within their homes.”

For each client, the Wheelchair and Seating Mobility Clinic first provides a personal physical therapy evaluation, conducted with an assistive technology professional to determine his or her best wheelchair and seating options. Based on the outcomes of that evaluation, a chair is created— either a manual wheelchair, scooter or power wheelchair. Jancosko works with the vendor to ensure the chair is created with the client’s individual needs in mind and when the chair is completed, helps arrange delivery by the vendor directly to the client’s home. Jancosko and the vendor are also available for follow-up questions.

The clinic is open to individuals of any age with wheelchair or seating needs. According to Jancosko, some of the more typical diagnoses of clients attending the clinic are congenital birth defects; extensive cardiopulmonary complications; and neurologically based diagnoses including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, muscular dystrophy, spinal muscle atrophy, spinal cord injury, cerebrovascular accident/stroke, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease, among others.

Client Mary Robinson of St. Michaels said the Wheelchair and Seating Mobility Clinic is an asset for the five-county region served by UM SRH.

“I got my first wheelchair in 2012 at the Kennedy Krieger Center for Spinal Cord Injury,” Robinson says. “Seven years later, when it was time to purchase a power wheelchair, I was pleased to learn that I could do that right here in Easton. The UM Shore Regional Health Rehabilitation Center at Easton is staffed by a team of professionals who are trained in all aspects of assessment to make sure the chair will be custom-fitted for each person.”

Robinson said seeking professional guidance when purchasing a new chair is imperative.

“Don’t buy a wheelchair from a commercial site. This is a tool that must meet your physical and medical condition, so that it can make life easier for you,” Robinson says.

In cases where travel to Easton is impossible, the clinic can accommodate requests for the appointment to take place at UM Shore Rehabilitation Centers at Denton, Dorchester or Queenstown. Additionally, based on client needs, clinic hours in Easton may be increased.

UM Shore Regional Health’s Comprehensive Rehabilitation Services is a proud member of the University of Maryland Rehabilitation Network.

For more information or to see whether you are eligible, please contact your primary care physician for a referral and call the Rehabilitation Patient Navigator at 410-822-1000, ext. 5857, or learn more about our inpatient and outpatient Rehabilitation Services by visiting www.umshoreregional.org/rehabilitation.

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.

UM Shore Medical Group-Women’s Health and UM Shore Regional Health celebrated National Midwifery Week, Sept. 29 to Oct. 5. Shown left to right are UM Shore Regional Health nurse-midwives Jessica Pate, Sunny Granger and Molly Bernish, who have delivered nearly 200 babies each during the course of their careers. Molly Bernish became interested in becoming a nurse-midwife after watching her first birth while she was a Peace Corps education volunteer in a small, rural South African village. As she recalls, “I was inspired by the strength in the community of women supporting the mother; not only during labor, but in the months that followed.” Formerly a labor and delivery nurse, Jessica Pate reflects, “I admired nurse-midwives, and following my experience with a nurse-midwife after the birth of my fourth child, I felt motivated to pursue the nurse-midwife profession.” Sunny Granger — whose first career was as an environmental geologist — was inspired to pursue her degree as a nurse-midwife after listening to a podcast about midwives caring for women in underserved communities. “I enjoy being part of such a unique and momentous experience in a family’s story,” says Granger. UM Shore Regional Health is thankful for these women and their contribution to our health care family.

University of Maryland Shore Medical Group (UM SMG) welcomed Javier Cajina, MD to UM SMG – Women’s Health practice last month. A graduate of the Medical School of Universidad Americana in Managua, Nicaragua, Dr. Cajina completed a four-year residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore. In 2017, he also was a resident physician at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, completing surgical and outpatient rotations in reproductive endocrinology and infertility.

Prior to coming to the U.S., Dr. Cajina was a general practitioner in both inpatient and outpatient settings in Nicaragua. He also was active in many leadership, volunteer and public health projects, including several health missions with the Nicaraguan health ministry providing primary care and preventive medicine in underserved areas.

Dr. Cajina is a member of the American College of Obstetrics and the Nicaraguan American Medical Association. He is certified in Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) and Cervical Length Education and Review (CLEAR).

To make an appointment with Dr. Cajina at UM SMG – Women’s Health at 522 Idlewild Avenue in Easton, patients may call 410-820-4888.

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.

Medha Satyarengga, MD has joined the University of Maryland Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology. Dr. Satyarengga completed his undergraduate and medical degrees at Universitas Indonesia in Jakarta, Indonesia, and spent three years as a primary care physician at Aditya Medical Center in Jakarta, Indonesia. Subsequently, he completed a residency in internal medicine at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s and Mount Sinai West in New York City, and a fellowship in diabetes, endocrinology and metabolism at University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore.

Board-certified in internal medicine, Dr. Satyarengga has published, lectured and presented on diabetes and endocrinology topics, and is a member of the Endocrine Society, the American Diabetes Association, American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, the American College of Physicians and the Indonesian Medical Association.

Dr. Satyarengga is seeing patients at UM Shore Medical Pavilions in Chestertown and Denton. Patients may make an appointment with him by calling UM Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology, 410-822-1000, ext. 5757.

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.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, population health “brings significant health concerns into focus and addresses ways that resources can be allocated to overcome the problems that drive poor health conditions in the population.” The growing focus on population health encourages health care systems, agencies and organizations to collaborate in projects to improve the health outcomes of the communities they serve.

Population Health is an increasingly important component of University of Maryland Shore Regional Health’s mission, Creating Healthier Communities Together. Led by Nancy Bedell, director, the UM SRH Population Health team recently added two new members, Shelley Stone MSN, RN, CCM, manager, and Jessica Denny PT, DPT, project manager, Population Health.

Shelley Stone has worked for UM SRH for 31 years in various nursing positions. While on a brief hiatus from SRH, she gained valuable knowledge and experience in case management and health coaching, and is now pursuing certification in health coaching through the Mayo Clinic. A Talbot County resident, Stone is excited to collaborate with populations and organizations to bridge the gap between acute and post-acute environments.

Jessica Denny has worked for SRH Comprehensive Rehabilitation Services for 11 years as a physical therapist, clinical specialist and inpatient manager. A native and current resident of Queen Anne’s County, Denny is excited to use her patient-centered skills and whole-person approach to help patients throughout the five county region.

“Our aim is to lead the creation of a stronger resource network to help improve the health of Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties,” says Bedell. “This will be accomplished by collaborating with University of Maryland Shore Medical Group providers and with community organizations such as county health and social services departments, departments of aging, nursing and rehab facilities, Mobile Integrated Community Health programs, churches, and others.”

For now, Shore’s Population Health team continues to focus on high-risk populations through the Transitional Nurse Navigator (TNN) program staffed by TNNs Lori Geisler, Angela Lunczynski and Alyssa Baker, who assist patients deemed high-risk for readmission for 30 days after discharge from UM Shore Medical Centers at Chestertown, Dorchester and Easton. Moving forward, the team will begin outreach to UM SRH community partners with a focus on developing education, prevention and wellness initiatives that will benefit both high-and low-risk populations.

More information about population health initiatives at UM SRH may be obtained by contacting Nancy Bedell, 410-822-1000, ext. 5359, nancy.bedell@umm.edu

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.

Throughout the month of October, UM Shore Regional Health will observe Breast Cancer Awareness month with various activities aimed at increasing awareness of breast cancer and how it can be best prevented, detected and treated.

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women. About one in eight U.S. women (about 12%) will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime. The nonprofit organization breastcancer.org estimates that in 2019, 268,600 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S., along with nearly 63,000 new cases of non-invasive breast cancer. In men, more than 2,600 new cases of invasive breast cancer are anticipated to be diagnosed in men.

Photo: Front row, l-r: nurse practitioner Brittany Krautheim; Latonya Ferguson, breast cancer survivor and volunteer; and Clark Comprehensive Breast Center Medical Director Roberta Lilly, MD. Back row, l-r: Joanie Peters, medical assistant; Robin Ford, nurse navigator; Lisa Foster and Shalonda Gibbs, front desk coordinators; Catalina Billings, outreach coordinator; and Connie Branham, lead mammographer at the Leh Women’s Center.

Planned activities at UM Shore Regional Health this month include the following:

Pink Ribbon Hanging and Tree Lighting Ceremony: Thursday, October 3, 4 p.m., UM Shore Medical Center at Easton, front circle. The public welcome to attend this occasion during which Cancer Center volunteers and staff as they hang pink ribbons on the evergreen tree in honor of the breast cancer patients treated this year by the Center. The tree will be lit with pink lights and serve as a month-long reminder of the friends, neighbors and loved ones whose lives have been touched by breast cancer.

Pink Hair Extensions: Thursday, October 3, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Cancer Center at UM Shore Regional Health, 509 Idlewild Avenue, Easton. Provided by local stylist Penny Metje of Headrush 180 Salon, the cost is $10 per extension.

Free Genetic Counseling: Wednesdays, October 9 and 23, Cancer Center. An appointment is required; please call 410-820-9400.

Genetics Lunch and Learn: 12 p.m., Wednesday, October 16 p.m., Cancer Center Conference Room. Katie Bisordi, certified genetics counselor for University of Maryland at Baltimore, will speak on genetics and breast cancer. For more information about this event, contact Jeanie Scott, 410-822-1000, ext. 5098.

Breast Cancer Outreach: To provide information about breast cancer prevention and resources for diagnosis, treatment and support, Outreach Coordinator Catalina Billings will visit primary care and women’s care medical practices as well as community health care settings throughout the five-county region, as follows: Talbot County on Mondays, October 7 and 14; Dorchester County on Thursday, October 10; Kent and Queen Anne’s counties on Tuesday, October 15; and Caroline County on Monday, October 21. To learn more about specific locations for these visits, contact Billings, 410-820-9400, ext. 7154.

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.

University of Maryland Shore Regional Health team members, systemwide, wore purple on Friday, September 6, in support of monthlong Go Purple campaigns in the health care system’s service area, which includes Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties.

Team members wore purple and posed for photos at the health care system’s three hospitals — UM Shore Medical Centers at Chestertown, Dorchester and Easton — and also at UM Shore Medical Pavilions at Denton and Easton, UM Shore Emergency Center at Queenstown and the Diagnostic and Imaging Center at Easton. Other practices and team members have organized their own Purple days throughout the month of September.

“Our health care system’s strong support in the efforts to reduce deaths and substance use disorders associated with opioid abuse is visible, daily, in the work our emergency departments and behavioral health specialists do,” said Ken Kozel, CEO and president of UM Shore Regional Health. “The Go Purple campaigns underway in our five-county region are shining a much-needed light on the opioid crisis. The recent reduction in overdose cases coming into our emergency departments and the statewide reduction in deaths from opioid overdoses show that awareness campaigns — and other community assistance programs that promote and facilitate recovery — are working. There’s still more to do, but we are proud of the progress made to date in our region and we remain committed to this important work going forward.”

Emergency Department visits related to adverse effects of opiates to all four Shore Regional Health EDs (Chestertown, Dorchester, Queenstown and Easton) increased from 280 visits in 2014 to 453 in 2015, then sharply increased to 1141 visits in 2016. Opiate- related visits decreased to 714 visits in 2018.

UM Shore Regional Health convened a regional opioid task force, which began meeting June 2017, to coordinate and standardize the medical community responses to the rising incidence of opioid and heroin overdose in throughout the five-county region. The force is led by Walter Atha, MD, regional director of emergency medicine for UM SRH, and Roger Harrell, Dorchester County health officer. Other representatives include health departments and emergency services, emergency and behavioral health care providers, and nurses and hospital officials.

Since its inception, the task force has addressed a number of issues, including improving opioid and heroin overdose response processes in emergency care settings; identifying and implementing strategies to improve the likelihood of patients’ successful referral to treatment; and sharing data needed to assess opioid and heroin overdose trends as well as outcomes of emergency medical services and hospital responses to overdose.

Additionally, Recovery for Shore (RFS), an ad-hoc network of individuals and organizations providing awareness of recovery from alcohol and drug abuse, as well as support and encouragement for those on the journey of recovery, has announced a community event in observation of September as National Recovery Awareness Month. Dovetailing with initiatives planned by Talbot Goes Purple (TGP), Recovery for Shore will sponsor a free ice cream social, weather permitting, from 6 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29. The ice cream social is a good opportunity for community members to celebrate recovery and share information and ideas with community members.

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.

UM Shore Regional Health’s three hospitals – Shore Medical Centers at Chestertown, Dorchester and Easton – were notified on Thursday, September 19, that they received Magnet® designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). The Dorchester and Easton hospitals first earned recognition as Magnet® hospitals in 2009 and were re-designated in 2014. Shore Medical Center at Chestertown was included in the Magnet® application process for the first time this year.

Magnet® recognition is an organizational credential granted to exceptional health care organizations that meet specific standards set forth by the ANCC. To achieve Magnet® recognition, an organization must meet standards in quality patient care, nursing excellence and innovations in professional nursing practice. Maintaining Magnet® status requires a rigorous re-application process every four years.

Achieved by only 8 percent of all registered hospitals in the United States, Magnet® recognition is the ultimate distinction for high quality nursing care. At present, UM Shore Medical Centers at Chestertown, Dorchester and Easton are three of only eight hospitals in Maryland, including University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, that are Magnet® designated.

UM Shore Regional Health’s Magnet® 2019 re-designation process included an extensive application and documentation process, followed by a three-day visit to all sites conducted by a team of appraisers from ANCC in mid-July.

“It is an honor to be the new CNO at Shore Regional Health, a Magnet® designated health care system,” said Jennifer L. Bowie, vice president, Nursing and Patient Care Services and chief nursing officer. “Prior to my arrival at Shore, I had joined the team for the Magnet® site visit and saw firsthand the passion our nurses have for our patients and how those patients and their families are at the center of everything our Shore nurses do. My heart was truly touched. I am proud of our nurses and their achievement, and I look forward to the journey ahead. We have much to celebrate.”

Former CNO and senior vice president Ruth Ann Jones was on-hand for the Magnet® announcement, which was made by Magnet® officials by phone call to the Easton hospital Board Room and shared via video conference with nursing staff in Cambridge, Chestertown and Queenstown locations. “This is an exciting day for SRH. The Magnet® process has been long and arduous but certainly worth the time and effort,” said Jones. “I could not be more proud of the nursing team and am so excited that Shore Medical Center at Chestertown is now part of Shore’s Magnet® recognition. We could not have achieved this honor without the teamwork of all the departments and services throughout our system, for which I am truly grateful. This has been a fabulous ending to my years at Shore Regional Health and a great way to begin retirement and hand over the reins to Jenny Bowie as vice president and chief nursing officer.”

“The nursing staffs of Shore Medical Centers at Chestertown, Dorchester and Easton have worked incredibly hard to advance professional nursing practice in our hospitals and patient care programs, while maintaining the highest standards of evidence-based, patient-centered care,” said  Ken Kozel, president and CEO, UM Shore Regional Health. “For our Dorchester and Easton  medical centers, achieving re-designation from the Magnet® Recognition Program is a great  achievement that exemplifies consistent nursing excellence. Today, we are especially excited and  proud that Shore Medical Center at Chestertown has earned the prestigious Magnet® distinction  as well, solidifying Shore Regional Health as a Magnet® health care system. On behalf of our  senior leadership team and the Board of UM Shore Regional Health, I extend utmost appreciation  and congratulations to everyone involved in our Magnet® journey.”

More information about the American Nurse Credentialing Center’s Magnet® Program may be found at https://www.nursingworld.org/organizational-programs/magnet/.

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.