From left are Margaret Pulleyn, Manager, Laboratory Services, UM SRH, and Kelly Salins, Laboratory Supervisor.

UM Shore Regional Health’s Laboratory Services Department recently sent a “We Care” package to the lab team at Uvalde Memorial Hospital in Uvalde, Texas, following the tragic Robb Elementary School shooting that left 19 children and two teachers dead.

“So often support goes to front-line members of health care teams,” said Juliana Hospodor, Director, Laboratory Services, UM SRH. “The lab staff is very much behind the scenes, but they are facing the same stress from this devastating tragedy. We wanted the lab team at Uvalde to know that we care about them and are praying for them. The box is an opportunity to provide a little pick-me-up.”

The box contained contributions from the Laboratory Services team in Easton and the UM SRH Marketing and Communications team. It included stuffed animals, candy, peanuts, hand lotion, tea, notebooks and Chap Stick. For local flavor, the UM SRH Lab team included Old Bay seasoning, Rise Up Coffee and nuts from the Chesapeake Culinary Center in Denton. The Lab team also included two cards with personal messages to the Uvalde team.

The UM SRH Laboratory Services team has mailed a “We Care” package once before to a hospital laboratory services department in Tennessee after devastating fires in that area.

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.

Michelle Matthews

University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Chestertown has welcomed Michelle Matthews, MSW, LSCW-C, to the Mobile Wellness Team.

Matthews, who resides in Centreville, is well known to the UM Shore Regional Health community, having served as a medical social worker in case management since March 2021, and as a pharmacy tech at UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown (2000-02), a discharge planner for UM Shore Medical Center at Easton (2003-08) and rapid response clinician for Shore Behavioral Health (2008-10). Her experience also includes serving as a medical social worker for Compass Regional Hospice and Anne Arundel Medical Center. She holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work from Salisbury University.

“We are excited to have Michelle as a member of the Mobile Wellness Team,” said Nancy Bedell, Director of Population Health at UM Shore Regional Health. “Her experience and enthusiasm make her a great asset to the team’s many services and initiatives for residents of Kent and northern Queen Anne’s 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 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.

University of Maryland Shore Regional Health (UM SRH) and Talbot County Department of Emergency Services (DES) honored the late Gary Jones, former Director for the Heart and Vascular Center at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton, for his more than 50 years of service and advancements to advanced life support and cardiovascular services with a small event with family, colleagues and community members earlier this month.

A member of the UM SRH staff for more than 50 years, Jones passed away unexpectedly in June 2021. To honor his many accomplishments for the Mid- and Upper Shore communities, the event included the presentation of two official citations, one that will be installed at the Talbot County DES Operations Center in Easton, and one that will be installed at the Cardiac Intervention Center and Cath Lab at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton.

Ken Kozel, UM SRH President and CEO, spoke during the ceremony, noting that Jones was not only a member of the UM SRH staff, but he was the heart of his team.

“Gary was a mentor to many, including his peers, team members and those in our community,” Kozel said. “He was also relentless in his fight for the people of the Eastern Shore to have the best, highest quality care, close to home.”

Maryland State Senator Addie Eckhardt is shown speaking at the event honoring Gary Jones. To her right are Ken Kozel, President and CEO, UM Shore Regional Health; Brian LeCates, Director, Talbot County Department of Emergency Services; Steve Eisemann, Director, Respiratory Services, UM SRH; and Dr. Benjamin Remo, Medical Director, Electrophysiology, UM SRH.

Brian LeCates, Director of the Talbot DES, echoed Kozel’s statement, saying that the advancements Jones made included hospital-based cardiovascular and respiratory care, outpatient preventive cardiovascular care, and advanced life support pre-hospital care. These new care protocols were expanded beyond Talbot County to advance life-saving cardiac care throughout five-county region served by UM Shore Regional Health.

“We wouldn’t be where we are today without the tireless efforts of Gary and the Talbot Paramedic Foundation,” LeCates said.

Maryland State Senator Addie Eckhardt, R-37, also delivered several proclamations during the event. SRH speakers included Benjamin Remo, MD, Medical Director of Electrophysiology; Jeffrey Etherton, MD, Medical Director of Interventional Cardiology; Steve Eisemann, Director of Respiratory Services and Melissa Svehla, Manager of Cardiovascular Services.

Dr. Remo acknowledged Jones’ wife, Ruth Ann Jones, retired Chief Nursing Officer for UM SRH, and the couples’ son, Brian, and daughter, Erin, who were in attendance.

“I wish to thank Ruth Ann, Gary’s family and friends for providing the tremendous support that he must have needed to succeed at all the Herculean tasks that he undertook throughout his life,” Dr. Remo said. “As we remember Gary’s life work, I encourage all of us to keep three ideas in mind: Taking care of patients takes precedence over everything, there is no greater honor or privilege than taking care of the neighbors in your community, and there is no more powerful tool in health care than team work — every member deserves respect and to be shown value and appreciation.”

Dr. Etherton said that Jones’ hobby of playing drums in his free time as the drummer and leader of a local band when they first met was when he first realized that Jones “would ‘keep the beat’ and ‘maintain the rhythm of the band, for all to enjoy.”

“It was a skill he maintained his whole life,” Dr. Etherton said, noting Gary’s unwavering persistence in building and establishing the first Cardiac Intervention Center on the Mid-Shore.

“Gary’s call to me in April 2016 completed a cycle that he had started over 50 years ago,” Dr. Etherton said. “He asked me to come home and unlock the door, and help him maintain the beat and restore the rhythm of people now victims of serious cardiac disease, by restoring precious blood flow to their hearts – his purpose in life and goal all along. We’ve now done more than 1,000 of these procedures here at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton, largely because of his vision and hard work.”

Eisemann and Svehla remarked on Jones’ ability to truly care about his team, and instill in them several principles by which they still live and work by today; patience, integrity, leadership, leaving no stone unturned, dedication, mentorship, family and caring.

“Leaving a legacy is something we all strive for,” Eisemann said. “Putting a stamp on the future, and making a contribution to future generations that will withstand the test of time is something Gary accomplished unselfishly during his outstanding career.”

The official citation, which will now live at both Talbot DES and UM SRH says, “During his career, Gary worked tirelessly to establish and grow pre-hospital cardiac care in the County and across the Eastern Shore while also establishing numerous cardiovascular specialty programs at University of Maryland Shore Regional Health. Gary’s unwavering commitment to the community’s comprehensive cardiovascular care began as a volunteer Advance Life Support Provider, an instructor and mentor, and was capped by his leadership of Shore Medical Center at Easton’s designation by the State of Maryland as a Cardiac Intervention Center in 2018 and the establishment of the Heart and Vascular Center in 2019. Thank you for your meritorious service to our community.”

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.

(l-r) Annie Graham, Lorraine Kelly, Mary Smith, and Connie Wallace represented the Auxiliary of Memorial Hospital at Easton in 2021.

University of Maryland Memorial Hospital Foundation has scheduled its annual Golf Tournament fundraiser for Monday, August 22, 2022 at Talbot Country Club in Easton.

The UM Shore Regional Health Golf Tournament is one of the premier golfing events in the area, with lunch on the course followed by an awards reception. Organizers plan to host 30 teams, with the goal of raising $80,000 for equipment needs.

“Tournament sponsors are very important to the success of the event because the support of local organizations helps ensure we maintain excellence in community health care,” said William Brown, Vice President, Philanthropy for UM SRH. “For those who can’t participate in the tournament, sponsorships at the $500, $1,000, $2,500 or $5,000 levels provide an opportunity to invest in the health of our community.”

To date, sponsor organizations for this year’s tournament include Preston Ford, Inc., Bluepoint Hospitality, Tri Gas & Oil, Tidewater Anesthesia Associates, Bullock Construction, Queenstown Bank, Reliable Pest Control, HKS Inc., and the Auxiliary of Memorial Hospital at Easton.

The UM Shore Regional Health Golf Tournament will begin at 11:30 a.m. with a single tee start. Lunch, snacks and beverages will be served on the course. Following the tournament, there will be a reception and awards ceremony along with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Team registration is $1,500 and limited to 30 teams.

For more information or to register, contact William Brown at UM Memorial Hospital Foundation, 410-822-1000, ext. 5509, or email William.Brown@umm.edu. Please RSVP by Monday, August 1, 2022.

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.

From left are Angie Wicks, Nurse Manager, Birthing Center at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton, and Ahmed Gawad, MD, Regional Department Chair, Pediatrics, UM Shore Regional Health. Wicks is holding a custom-designed HALO SleepSack, which is gifted to new families at time of discharge.

As part of an ongoing commitment to promote infant safe sleep practices, the Birthing Center at University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Easton has adopted the HALO SleepSack in-hospital safe sleep modeling program.

“Each year in the United States, approximately 3,500 infants die from sleep-related deaths, many of which are preventable,” said Angie Wicks, Nurse Manager of the Birthing Center at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton.

The use of HALO’s in-hospital safe sleep modeling program allows the Birthing Center to replace loose hospital blankets with a free, wearable blanket called a SleepSack. Recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the SleepSack is a swaddling blanket that helps babies sleep better because they stay warm as they cannot kick the blanket off. More importantly, the SleepSack wearable blanket eliminates the need for loose blankets that can cover a baby’s face and interfere with breathing, and also helps reduce the risk of overheating during nap time and bedtime.

HALO supports UM SRH’s in-hospital safe sleep modeling program by providing free SleepSack wearable blankets that are given to new families at time of discharge from the hospital. “Our goal is to increase the number of infants placed to sleep in a safe sleep environment by gifting our families with a SleepSack at discharge,” Wicks said.

As parents navigate their first few days as new parents in the hospital, Birthing Center team members model safe sleep practices by showing parents how to use the SleepSack and create a safe environment for their new baby once they go home.

According to Wicks, other infant safe sleep practices include lying baby down on his or her back to sleep, and never using soft bedding, such as loose blankets, bumpers, pillows, stuffed animals and positioners in baby’s sleep area. Babies could accidentally roll into these items, which could block their airflow. Bed-sharing with baby is also discouraged, including letting baby fall asleep on a couch, pillow or your chest or abdomen. Following these infant safe sleep practices can reduce the chance that baby could die of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Babies who sleep on their backs, on a firm sleep surface, are less likely to die from SIDS. Keeping your baby’s crib in your room to make night-time feedings easier is OK.

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 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 12 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.