“Shore to Shore,” an afternoon featuring free health care screenings for marine industry workers, is planned for Thursday, March 16, 12 noon to 4 p.m. in Rock Hall.

Provided by UM Shore Medical Center’s Rural Health Care Transformation Team and the Shore Community Outreach Team (formerly known as the Mobile Wellness Team) in partnership with Choptank Community Health Services, the “Shore to Shore” event will take place at the American Legion Post 228, 21423 East Sharp Street in Rock Hall. Screenings offered include blood pressure checks, hearing tests, skin checks for signs of melanoma and A1C measurement for diabetes.

As an incentive to participate in the event, the first 40 participants to undergo all four screenings will receive a $100 gas card. No appointment is needed; screenings will be conducted on a first-come, first-served basis.

“We know that watermen, boat builders, marina workers and others in the marine industry work long hours that can make it hard to get to their primary care providers and various medical specialists for evaluation of possible health issues,” said Lara Wilson, Director, Rural Health Care Transformation, UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown. “We are excited to offer a convenient, one-stop opportunity to get key screenings done all at once, including free refreshments and the gas card opportunity as a bonus.”

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 an academic private health system, focused on delivering compassionate, high quality care and putting discovery and innovation into practice at the bedside. Partnering with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland, Baltimore who educate the state’s future health care professionals, UMMS is an integrated network of care, delivering 25 percent of all hospital care in urban, suburban and rural communities across the state of Maryland. UMMS puts academic medicine within reach through primary and specialty care delivered at 11 hospitals, including the flagship University of Maryland Medical Center, the System’s anchor institution in downtown Baltimore, as well as through a network of University of Maryland Urgent Care centers and more than 150 other locations in 13 counties. For more information, visit www.umms.org.

When Chestertown native Rick Miller began exhibiting puzzling and severe symptoms — fainting spells, changes in his speech and behavior, trouble walking, migraines and periods of confusion — he and his wife, Diana Miller, knew that he would likely require highly specialized care. The 61-year-old was ultimately diagnosed with aggressive brain cancer and received a combination of surgery and cancer treatments, thanks to the coordinated efforts of physicians within the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS).

Miller’s journey began in 2019 in the Emergency Department of University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Chestertown, where his wife had formerly worked as a critical care nurse. After undergoing emergency brain surgery at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton, Miller was treated in an innovative clinical trial at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, led by Graeme Woodworth, MD, FACS. Nearly four years later, Miller remains cancer-free.

Through its affiliation as a member organization hospital of UMMS, UM Shore Regional Health physicians benefit from the academic health System’s focus and pursuit of innovation and discovery-based medicine.

On that night in March 2019, during the initial trip to the hospital in Chestertown, Miller couldn’t have known where his journey back to health would take him. After quickly ruling out a cardiac issue, the emergency care team rushed him in for a cranial CT scan, where they discovered a 5-centimeter lesion on the right side of his brain.

Emergency Department physician Steven Lucas, MD, sent Miller’s CT slides to UM SRH neurosurgeon Khalid Kurtom, MD, FAANS, FACS, for review. Dr. Kurtom is on-call 24/7/365 for neurological and spinal consultations requested by UM SRH emergency departments in Cambridge, Chestertown, Easton and Queenstown. He quickly recognized the source of Miller’s symptoms: a glioblastoma, which is a malignant or cancerous tumor affecting the brain or spine, and directed Miller to be transferred to UM Shore Medical Center at Easton for emergency surgery.

“You could see the tumor pushing and crowding Rick’s brain,” Diana Miller said.

Once Miller arrived, Dr. Kurtom needed to make sure some of the swelling in Miller’s brain was reduced before he could safely perform the surgery. Three days later, Dr. Kurtom performed a craniotomy mass resection, a surgical procedure in which part of the skull is removed in order to view the brain, and also a gross total resection to remove the tumor.

“The main goals of this type of surgery are to obtain tissue for diagnosis, remove pressure from the brain and to improve the patient’s prognosis,” said Dr. Kurtom, who joined UM Shore Regional Health in 2010 and now serves as Medical Director, UM Shore Medical Group – Neurosurgery, Chair of the UM SRH Surgical Department, Adjunct Associate Professor with the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), and the Regional Chief of the University of Maryland Neuroscience Network.

The surgery was performed with minimal tissue disruption through a small opening in the brain. Miller was in the Intensive Care Unit at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton for only one day and was discharged within two days of his operation.

“An MRI scan after the surgery confirmed that the entirety of the tumor had been removed,” Dr. Kurtom said.

“To this day, when my doctors review my post-op scans, they remark on how clear the margins are from my surgery with Dr. Kurtom,” Miller said.

According to Dr. Kurtom, glioblastomas are typically recurring, very aggressive and generally fast-growing, so despite removal of the tumor, Miller still faced months of uncertain cancer treatment.

Because of this, following her husband’s surgery, Diana Miller wanted to pursue clinical study options in order to hopefully improve his chances for a positive outcome.

“A series of conversations led him to the right clinical trial,” Diana Miller said. “It was Dr. Haroon Ahmad, our medical oncologist at UMMC, who first presented the trial to us after we questioned what was available. That got the ball rolling. Dr. Ahmad contacted Dr. Mark Mishra, Rick’s radiation oncologist, and that’s how Dr. Woodworth, who at the time was looking for participants in a new clinical study, became aware of Rick. If not for the communication between these physicians, he would not have made it into the trial. This is all because of the great collaboration between Rick’s physicians and Dr. Kurtom.”

At a weekly conference called the Tumor Board that enables doctors across UMMS to discuss their patients’ tumors, Dr. Kurtom presented Miller’s case to a team of specialists involved in cancer care, including surgeons, radiologists, hematologists/oncologists and radiation oncologists.

“This is one of the tools we have because of our relationship with UMMS, and our unified cancer program. We discuss each case at length and review the options each patient has for treatment,” Dr. Kurtom said.

During this conference, Dr. Kurtom and Dr. Woodworth, Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery and Director of the Brain Tumor Program at University of Maryland School of Medicine, and Chief of Neurosurgery at University of Maryland Medical Center, discussed Miller’s case. The team offered him a new type of treatment in a clinical trial in which patients would receive targeted focused ultrasound to open the blood-brain barrier, the brain’s protective layer, to allow chemotherapy drugs to reach the affected area.

In patients with glioblastoma, even after maximal, safe surgical removal, there are invading tumor cells within the surrounding functional brain regions. These invading tumors cells are shielded from most treatments, like chemotherapies, by the blood-brain barrier. During the trial, patients received an infusion of bioinert microbubbles (also used as ultrasound contrast agents in radiology). The microbubbles become activated in the ultrasound field, producing temporary openings in the barrier, increasing the delivery and effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs to these regions.

Miller was one of 15 patients accepted into the worldwide study, which is now closed and not accepting new patients, and Dr. Woodworth and the multi-institutional team working on the trial will be publishing the results of the first safety and feasibility trial soon. With this study complete, they are working to begin the next phase of investigation into this promising new therapeutic strategy for glioblastoma and other brain diseases.

During the clinical trial, Miller also received seven weeks of radiation therapy five days a week, along with seven weeks of chemotherapy. This treatment was provided at University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMGCCC), located at UMMC in downtown Baltimore. His last day of radiation treatment was June 4, 2019, and his last day of chemotherapy also happened to take place during the last day of his participation in the clinical trial, November 21, 2019.

Almost four years later, Miller is cancer free, according to his radiation oncologist, Mark Mishra, MD, Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology at UM School of Medicine, Director of Clinical Research for the Department of Radiation Oncology and Associate Director of the University of Maryland Cancer Network. Dr. Mishra recently saw Miller for a follow-up MRI.

“His last scan showed no evidence of any cancer recurrence and he does not need to be seen again for another six months, at which time he will get another MRI at the Maryland Proton Treatment Center in Baltimore,” said Dr. Mishra. “We are all pleased and encouraged with Mr. Miller’s response to treatment. In addition to his good MRI scans, it is especially encouraging to see that he has been able to maintain a high quality of life for years after completing treatment. We hope to further study this novel treatment approach to see if this approach can be further explored to help other patients with a glioblastoma.”

Miller credits his endurance during the past three years to the strength, perseverance and guidance of his wife, who never left his side.

“He told me from the beginning that he didn’t want to die, so I set about making sure that didn’t happen,” Diana Miller said.

“What Mr. Miller went through — from being seen in the Chestertown emergency department, to my review of his scans and his transfer to Easton for emergency surgery, to his trips across the Bridge for advanced cancer treatment — this is a common path for our patients who need highly specialized care. The tools are in place, the relationship with UMMS is in place. We are well-equipped to deliver high-quality care to each and every patient that comes through our doors on the Eastern Shore,” Dr. Kurtom said.

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 an academic private health system, focused on delivering compassionate, high quality care and putting discovery and innovation into practice at the bedside. Partnering with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland, Baltimore who educate the state’s future health care professionals, UMMS is an integrated network of care, delivering 25 percent of all hospital care in urban, suburban and rural communities across the state of Maryland. UMMS puts academic medicine within reach through primary and specialty care delivered at 11 hospitals, including the flagship University of Maryland Medical Center, the System’s anchor institution in downtown Baltimore, as well as through a network of University of Maryland Urgent Care centers and more than 150 other locations in 13 counties. For more information, visit www.umms.org.

Thanks to the generosity of local residents, the courtyard at University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Chestertown has undergone a much-needed refresh. The courtyard is a secure outdoor space used by patient and team members for meals, relaxation and occasional meetings.

“The old pavilion has been removed and a new one installed,” said Maryann Ruehrmund, Executive Director, UM Chester River Health Foundation.  “We’ve also purchased new furniture, and fresh landscaping in the spring will complete the project.”

“We can’t wait to enjoy our lunch under the new pavilion,” said Sherrie Hill, Clinical Coordinator, Cardio pulmonary Rehabilitation. “We are grateful to have this beautiful space for team members and patients and family members to enjoy.”

The project was funded primarily by Chestertown residents Wendy Sand Eckel and her husband, Robert Roth, who is a member of the UM Shore Regional Health Board of Directors.

Construction and walkway repair was completed by KRM Construction Company LLC; tree removal was performed by Sharp Lawn and Tree; and Lywood Electric Company provided electrical services.

Additional funds are being raised through donations to the Foundation’s annual appeal. To make a donation, visit umcrhf.org/donate.

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 13 hospitals and 9 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.

Chester River Health Foundation (CRHF) recently elected Chestertown native Kristen Owen to its board of directors for a three-year term. Chester River Health Foundation raises funds to enhance excellence in health care at University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Chestertown.

Owen, a vice president at Chesapeake Bank and Trust, is deeply rooted in the community and has served on the boards and/or committees of multiple non-profit organizations including Downtown Chestertown Association, Main Street Chestertown, Inc., Garfield Center for the Arts, and Kent School, Inc.

“The Foundation consistently helps fund state-of-the-art medical equipment and services, allowing our small community to access high-quality healthcare close to home,” said Owen.“As a life-long resident, it is an honor for me to be a part of this important work.”

“Kristen has a strong record of advocating for causes that are important to her and is well-known in the community,” said Richard Barker, Chair, CRHF. “We are grateful that she is sharing her time and talents for the benefit of community health care.”

In addition to Barker, Owen joins other members of the CRHF Board: Sandra Bjork, Esquire, vice chair; Carol Hilty Droge; Jack Edson, secretary; Sue Edson, hospital auxiliary president; Michael Faust; JoAnne Hahey, CFO, UM Shore Regional Health and Foundation treasurer; Ken Kozel, President and CEO, UM Shore Regional Health and Foundation President; Libby Woolever, assistant secretary; and Sigrid Whaley.

For more information about the Foundation’s efforts, please contact Maryann Ruehrmund, executive director, 410-810-5660 or visit the Foundation’s web site at www.umcrhf.org.

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.

The Chester River Health Foundation sponsored its annual Angel Tree on which “holiday wishes” were hung for children in the foster care programs for Kent and Queen Anne’s counties and Kent Center, which provides services for adults who have developmental disabilities.

All gifts were donated by team members of UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown and the Chester River Health Foundation.Some of the wishes included basic needs such as clothes and winter coats – and of course, toys.

“This program provided meaningful gifts to Kent County’s neediest children during the holiday season,” said Mattie Meehan, Family Services Supervisor, Kent County Department of Social Services. “Each child in foster care had a memorable, happy Christmas thanks to the generosity and dedication of the foundation and UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown’s team members who made this program possible.”

“The enthusiasm for participating in the Angel Tree program was overwhelmingly evidenced by the nearly 80 presents that were donated this year,” said Dennis Welsh, Vice President, Rural Health Transformation and Executive Director, UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown. “The generosity of our team is heart-warming to all of us and truly touched the lives of those who might otherwise go without a specially-selected holiday gift. Our team members are part of this community and feel privileged to help out.”

Photo: Chestertown team members with over 75 gifts for local children and disabled adults. Pictured front row (l-r): Sherrie Hill, Clinical Nurse Coordinator for Cardio-Pulmonary Rehabilitation; Sandy Prochaska, ED/Inpatient Nurse Manager; Ronnie Turner, Environmental Services. Back row (left to right): Randy Bozarth, Facilities Management; Bobbie Jo Trossbach, ED Clinical Coordinator; Jeff Curl, Facilities Management; Donald Green, Radiology Administration/Senior Holiday Motivation Team Lead.

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 13 hospitals and 9 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.

Maryann Ruehrmund, Executive Director of the Chester River Health Foundation, was recently honored by the Mid-Shore Community Foundation (MSCF) as recipient of the organization’s Town Watch award at a luncheon at the Tidewater Inn in Easton. The Town Watch Award is named in honor of a militia of local citizens that protected the Town of Easton during the War of 1812 and is presented to individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership and service in the Mid-Shore region.

“Maryann’s outstanding leadership and commitment to community health care are very commendable,” said Buck Duncan, MSCF president. Ruehrmund was nominated for the award by Chester River Health Foundation Board Member Charles Lerner, who also serves on the MSCF Board.

“During her tenure, Maryann has developed a comprehensive development program and leads the Foundation Board in its efforts to support and enhance patient care, which has resulted in the community donating nearly $23.5 million for University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Chestertown,” said Lerner. “As the linchpin of the Foundation’s success and recognition within the hospital and the community, Maryann is widely respected and consulted throughout the local nonprofit community. She is the ultimate professional with an unparalleled commitment to the Foundation’s mission.”

Established in 1992, the Mid-Shore Community Foundation is a non-profit organization that connects private resources with public needs to enhance the quality of life throughout the Mid-Shore region, including Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties.

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 an academic private health system, focused on delivering compassionate, high quality care and putting discovery and innovation into practice at the bedside. Partnering with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland, Baltimore who educate the state’s future health care professionals, UMMS is an integrated network of care, delivering 25 percent of all hospital care in urban, suburban and rural communities across the state of Maryland. UMMS puts academic medicine within reach through primary and specialty care delivered at 11 hospitals, including the flagship University of Maryland Medical Center, the System’s anchor institution in downtown Baltimore, as well as through a network of University of Maryland Urgent Care centers and more than 150 other locations in 13 counties. For more information, visit www.umms.org.

Health care professionals at UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown recently hosted Kent County High School students participating in the Next Generations Scholars Program. Thirty-six 10th grade students learned about careers in radiology, laboratory services, emergency and acute care nursing and infection control.

Funded through a state grant, the Next Generation Scholars Program helps low-income students in high-poverty areas access postsecondary educational opportunities. The annual career presentations are designed to give students interested in health care careers a broad look at career options and answer questions about specific fields of interest.

“The Shore Regional Health team provided a wonderful overview of health care career opportunities,” said Aundra Anderson, Senior Coordinator, Next Generation Scholars, Maryland Business Roundtable for Education. “The students left feeling inspired and motivated to continue their studies. They appreciated the opportunity to engage with professionals in a variety of medical fields and for many, it will help guide their future education and career paths.”

Dennis Welsh, Vice President of Rural Health Care Transformation and Executive Director of UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown, introduced the program and welcomed the students.

His remarks were followed by presentations from Brady Shortall, Radiographer; Liz Principe, Site Supervisor for Laboratory Services; Sandy Prochaska, ED/Inpatient Nurse Manager; Bobbie Jo Trossbach, Clinical Nurse Coordinator and Mickey Roderick, Infection Control Nurse.

“We are pleased to offer local students the opportunity to learn more about health care careers,” said Prochaska. “Our hope is that many of these promising students will join our team in the near future.”

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 an academic private health system, focused on delivering compassionate, high quality care and putting discovery and innovation into practice at the bedside. Partnering with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland, Baltimore who educate the state’s future health care professionals, UMMS is an integrated network of care, delivering 25 percent of all hospital care in urban, suburban and rural communities across the state of Maryland. UMMS puts academic medicine within reach through primary and specialty care delivered at 11 hospitals, including the flagship University of Maryland Medical Center, the System’s anchor institution in downtown Baltimore, as well as through a network of University of Maryland Urgent Care centers and more than 150 other locations in 13 counties. For more information, visit www.umms.org.