UM SMC at Chestertown nurses Sandy Prochaska, Rebecca Baxter and Cassandra Price.

In an effort to partner more with the community, Shore Medical Center at Chestertown nurses volunteered with First United Methodist Church, helping to serve at the church’s weekly Community Table on Monday evening, August 5, 2019. At this occasion, dinner is prepared and served for a wide range of local residents. Some depend on the meal financially, and for others, it is a way to not be alone and connect with the community.

“This was a great opportunity for us to serve in a different way,” says Sandy Prochaska, manager, Inpatient and Emergency Department at the hospital. “We really enjoyed the experience and we were touched by how welcoming and grateful the community members were to have us there. We are scheduled for another Monday evening in September and already looking forward to it.”

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 (UM SRH) has announced its Board of Directors and officers, effective July 1, 2019.

Keith McMahan

Leading the Board as chairman is Keith McMahan of Caroline County. McMahan is chairman and CEO of Tri-Gas & Oil Company, a 56-year old propane, petroleum and transportation company based in Federalsburg, Md. and serving the Mid-Atlantic region. McMahan served on the former Shore Health System Board 2008-2013 and has served on the UM SRH Board since 2013. He also is a member of the UM Memorial Hospital Foundation Board, which he joined in 1995 and has served as secretary since 2009. He also serves as a director for Provident State Bank and as a board member and past chairman of the National Propane Gas Association.

McMahan is actively involved in St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Denton, Maryland, and is a member of C12, a Christian CEO roundtable and advisory group.

Richard Loeffler

Richard Loeffler serves the Board as vice chairman and chairs the Strategic Planning Committee. A resident of Dorchester County, Loeffler is a business consultant for the Maryland Small Business Development Center and has served a variety of community and civic organizations, including as president of the Dorchester County Library, as a member of the Cambridge Economic Steering Committee and on the boards of Sailwinds Park, Inc. and the Cambridge Elks 1272.

JoAnne Hahey

Serving as treasurer is JoAnne Hahey, certified public accountant and chief financial officer, UM SRH. Hahey came to UM SRH in April, 2014 after 23 years at Jefferson Regional Medical Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, including seven years as senior vice president and chief financial officer.

Robert Frank

Robert A. Frank, senior vice president of operations for UM SRH, has joined the Board as secretary. Frank came to UM SRH in 2014 from Weirton Medical Center in Weirton, West Virginia, where he was vice president and chief financial officer. Previously, he served more than three decades with Jefferson Regional Medical Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where his last role was executive vice president and
chief operating officer.

“UM Shore Regional Health is fortunate to have the diverse talent, knowledge and experience of these leaders and Board members who are dedicated to the advancement of health care in the five county region we serve,” says Ken Kozel, president and CEO, UM Shore Regional Health. “I look forward to their leadership and contributions as we expand and enhance our patient care programs and services.”

In addition to these officers, UM SRH Board members include: John Ashworth, interim president and CEO, University of Maryland Medical System; Charles Capute; Art Cecil III; Kathleen Deoudes; Marlene Feldman; Wayne L. Gardner, Sr.; Wayne Howard; Ona Kareiva, MD; Ken Kozel; Charles B. MacLeod; David Milligan; Eugene Newmeier, DO; William B. Noll; Stephen Satchell; Samuel T. Shoge; Thomas Stauch, MD; and Glenn L. Wilson.

UM Shore Medical Center at Easton has passed another milestone in its transition to a Community Academic Medical Center, according to William Huffner, MD, senior vice president, Medical Affairs and chief medical officer, UM Shore Regional Health. In collaboration with the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine and funding from UM Memorial Hospital Foundation, Shore Regional Health has inaugurated a residency program in emergency care for medical residents in their second or third year of training who are interested in gaining experience in rural community emergency medicine.

The new program,through which medical residents (one or two at a time) work in the UM Shore Medical Center at Easton Emergency Department and Shore Emergency Center at Queenstown for four weeks, offers several benefits. “These residents will get a real taste of rural emergency medicine that offers a lot of direct experience with patients, and while they are here, they get a feel for our community and the quality of life in our five-county region has to offer,” said Dr. Huffner. “This will support our efforts in recruiting emergency care physicians to our hospitals in the same way that our Physician Assistant Rotation Program, offered in collaboration with Anne Arundel Community College and University of Maryland at Baltimore, helped us recruit several physician assistants after they completed their PA clinical studies at Shore Regional Health.”

L-R: Brennan Ellis, MD, residency program director for Eastern Shore Emergency Medicine Physicians, Gregory Dashani, MD, who completed his residency at UM SMC in Easton, and Walter Atha, MD, regional director, Emergency Medicine for UM SRH.

Brian Browne, MD, FACEP, chair, Emergency Medicine at UM School of Medicine and physician in chief, Statewide Emergency Medicine Services, was very involved in the establishment of the residency program at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton, working with Dr. Huffner, Walter Atha, MD, regional director, Emergency Medicine at UM SRH, and UM SRH emergency department directors Glenn Hebel, MD, Eric Maniago, MD, Jane Wang, MD and Steven White, MD.  “Offering this residency program expands the types of experiences as well as setting in which our residents can train,” said Dr. Brown. “It also further integrates Shore Regional Health with the University of Maryland Medical System, University of Maryland Medical Center and the UM School of Medicine.”

UM Memorial Hospital Foundation has played a key role in bring the residency program to life, according to Graham Lee, vice president, Philanthropy at UM SRH. “The Board recognized this as an important opportunity for our emergency care team to participate in the training of future emergency physicians,” said Lee. “As a result, the Foundation Board voted to fund the program for three years at an anticipated approximate cost of $175,000 per year. We are happy to provide the resources needed to expose physicians in training to the challenges and rewards of emergency care in a rural setting.”

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.

Cathy Willis, an RN Case Manager with Compass Regional Hospice, is the most recent recipient of the Fellows, Helfenbein and Newnam Hospice Caregivers Award.

Willis was nominated by a multiple patients’ family members to recognize her for going above and beyond in the care that she provides.

Each staff member of Compass Regional Hospice is committed to the mission, which is to provide “care on your terms” to individuals and their families through comprehensive, professional and compassionate end‐of‐life care and grief support.

Willis was singled out for the care she provided to the nominators’ loved ones. As a nurse, Willis has been caring for patients at Compass Regional Hospice since 2013.

Photo: From left are Kirk Helfenbein of Fellows, Helfenbein and Newnam Funeral Home; Heather Guerieri, Chief Executive Officer of Compass Regional Hospice; RN Cathy Willis of Compass Regional Hospice; and Chris Fontana of Fellows, Helfenbein and Newnam Funeral Home.

One Hospice Caregivers Award nominator wrote, “Nurse Cathy was very helpful and supportive during my mom’s hospice care.  I could tell that she genuinely cared about my mom and for the worked that she does.”

The quarterly Fellows, Helfenbein and Newnam Hospice Caregivers Award is open to physicians, nurses, social workers, bereavement counselors, hospice aides, chaplains, administrative staff and volunteers of Compass Regional Hospice who care for patients in Queen Anne’s, Kent and Caroline counties.

To learn more about Compass Regional Hospice and the various services available, please contact 443-262-4100 or info@compassregionalhospice.org.

Compass Regional Hospice

Since 1985, Compass Regional Hospice has been dedicated to supporting people of all ages living with a serious illness, and those learning to cope following the death of a loved one. Today, the organization is a regional provider of palliative care, hospice care, and grief support in Queen Anne’s, Kent, and Caroline counties. Whether serving their patients in private residences, skilled nursing facilities, or Compass’ residential centers in Centreville and Chestertown, staff and volunteers are guided by their mission to provide comprehensive and compassionate care. Grief support services are offered to families of all patients, as well as to children and adults in the community who are grieving the loss of a loved one. Compass Regional Hospice is a fully licensed, independent, community-based nonprofit organization certified by Medicare and the state of Maryland, and accredited by the Joint Commission. It is affiliated with the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and the Hospice & Palliative Care Network of Maryland. For more information about Compass Regional Hospice, call 443-262-4100 or visit compassregionalhospice.org.

It’s that time of year again!  On Saturday, August 3rd please join us at Chestertown Fire Hall: 211 Maple Ave, Chestertown, Md 21620 from 10am-2pm for our recovery event, Breaking the Chains.  This event is designed to bring the community together to show support and raise awareness for recovering addicts. This event will be raising money for, Mid-Shore Restoring Hope in Women.

The event will have various activities for everyone including: a bounce house, arts & crafts, face painting, silent auction, gift basket raffle, child gift basket raffle, door prizes, and a 50/50 cash raffle. In addition a fire truck will be on display.  Food will be available for purchase from “Aretha’s Creative Touch.”

Breaking the Chains will also include guest speakers Joseph Short, Jennifer Edwards, Katie Arrabal, and Jewell Bedwell. They will be speaking on recovery related topics, with the hopes of opening the eyes of struggling addicts and their loved ones. New to the event this year is a training on Narcan.

This year we have launched sales of  recovery awareness T-shirts “Breaking the chains”. The shirt made their first appearance at the March event. All proceeds  from shirt sales benefit Mid-Shore Restoring Hope in Women.

We would like to thank all the local businesses who support our event, as well as our mission. We would also like to thank all of you, the people of our communities. Without your support and encouragement, none of this would be possible. Addiction touches all of us in different forms. Many of us have loved someone who is/was struggling with addiction. Our mission is to break these chains of addiction and it is our belief that community driven events and education are leading us in the right direction. Thank you!

The Blood Bank of Delmarva (BBD) has declared a blood shortage emergency and is asking people across the state to donate blood to help replenish the supply. Chester River Health Foundation will hold a blood drive on Friday, August 9, 2019, 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Conference Center at UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown. The goal is to collect a minimum of 45 pints of all types of blood.

It takes at least 350 donors per day to supply the 16 local hospitals throughout the Delmarva Peninsula with the blood needed for patient care. To maintain a safe blood supply, a seven-day inventory of all blood types must be continually replenished. Right now, reserves are below that minimum; low levels are particularly dangerous in the summer months, when people are less likely to donate blood because schools are on summer break and families take vacations. The best preparation for life-threatening situations is having blood on hospital shelves in advance.

A pint of blood can save up to three lives. You can make your appointment by visiting https://donate.bbd.org/ or by calling the Delmarva Blood Bank, 1-888-825-6638. You can also download their scheduling app on your Android or iPhone.

Blood donors must be between the ages of 17 and 79 years old (bring a photo ID with proof of birth date) and must weigh at least 110 pounds and be in general good health.Individuals who have had a tattoo, body piercing or branding within the past 12 months, may not give blood. Ear piercing conducted by a reputable technician using an ear piercing gun is acceptable.

Also, anyone who has traveled outside of the U.S., must bring a list of countries visited and be able to report where and the duration of the stay). Note: Malaria risk areas change on a continual basis. For information on donor travel guidelines, visit http://www.delmarvablood.org/locations.

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 School of Medicine (UMSOM) Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, and David Stewart, MD, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department and Family and Community Medicine, jointly announced that Health Resources and Services Administration Administrator (HRSA), George Sigounas, MS, PhD, has awarded a $750,000 grant to establish a residency program in Maryland’s rural Eastern shore communities.

This grant is part of a larger $20 million multi-year initiative by HRSA to expand the physician workforce in rural areas by developing new, sustainable residency programs in family medicine, internal medicine, and psychiatry. The recipients of the awards include rural hospitals, community health centers, health centers operated by the Indian Health Service, Indian tribes or tribal organizations, and schools of medicine.

“The health challenges in rural America are clear: rural communities face a greater risk of poor health outcomes than their urban counterparts,” said Dr. Sigounas. “Programs like the Rural Residency Planning and Development grants take aim at one of the most persistent disparities: access to high quality healthcare providers. HRSA is committed to increasing the number of providers serving rural communities and improving health in rural America.”

The goal of the UMSOM program is to develop a sustainable, accredited rural training track in Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, and to ultimately expand the area’s rural primary care workforce.

“This program will help create a pipeline for expanding the physician workforce in rural, medically underserved areas on Maryland’s Eastern Shore,” said Dr. Stewart.

A key aspect of the program involves strong partnerships with University of Maryland Shore Regional Health and the Choptank Community Health System. Residents in the rural track program will complete their first year of training in Baltimore and their final two years in medical practices and other clinical settings offered by these two health care organizations.

“We are grateful for this generous support from the Health Resources and Services Administration. It is extremely important for us to generate and sustain interest in this new rural residency program,” said Dean Reece, who is also Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs, University of Maryland Baltimore and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor. “I believe we will do so, because that is part of our mission here at the University of Maryland School of Medicine: To Improve the health to all the citizens of Maryland.”

Addressing the needs of underserved communities in Maryland is a core goal of the University of Maryland, Baltimore.

“Primary care access in rural communities is one of our top priorities, and we know that medical residents who do their training in rural areas are more likely to practice in those areas after their training is complete,” said Jay A. Perman, MD, President of the University of Maryland, Baltimore. “This is one more way we can make sure we’re supplying the physicians that the state’s underserved regions need so badly.”

Officials from collaborating institutions, Shore Regional Health and Choptank Community Health System, highlighted the importance of the program for Maryland’s five-county Eastern shore region.

“The HRSA grant will be of great value to Shore Regional Health as it helps us attract and retain primary care providers to the five-county rural region we serve,” said Ken Kozel, MBA, FACHE, President and CEO of UM Shore Regional Health. “We are very excited to work with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and our regional partners, Choptank Community Health System and Eastern Shore Area Health Education Center, to realize the full potential that this primary care physician grant offers to SRH and to our community.”

Sara Rich, MPA, President and CEO of Choptank Community Health System, agreed that the HRSA-funded program is a critical step toward attracting primary care physicians to the most rural parts of the Eastern shore.

“Choptank Community Health is proud to be a partner in this groundbreaking grant award from the Health Resources and Services Administration.  We commend the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s commitment to enhancing access to care for our communities through the development of a rural training track on the Eastern Shore,” said Ms. Rich. “We look forward to collaborating with our partners at UMSOM, UM Shore Regional Health and the Eastern Shore Area Health Education Center as we work together to bring more primary care physicians to our rural communities.”

About the Rural Residency Program

The HRSA funding will be used to help recruit and train dedicated teaching faculty for the program, to recruit a diverse pool of primary care residency applications that reflect a demonstrable interest and dedication to the practice of rural health, and to develop and secure a clear and viable plan to sustain the rural residency program. Jason Ramirez, MD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, is the Principal Investigator for the program. Over time, the program will include 12 residents, he said.

“Our goal is to achieve full accreditation and to recruit highly-qualified medical students with track records of interest and dedication to practicing primary care in rural Maryland,” said Dr. Ramirez.

The sustainability of the program will also rely on support from the Maryland Department of Health as well as key organizational support from UM Shore Regional Health and Choptank Health.

“As a physician myself, I know it’s important to train physicians in rural areas because many physicians consider staying in practice in the communities where they trained. This HRSA grant will help our shortage of physicians on the Eastern Shore of Maryland,” said U.S. Representative Andy Harris (R-MD).

With assistance from the Eastern Shore Area Health Education Center (ESAHEC), the success of the program will be evaluated by tracking the number of family physicians retained in the five-county region, their practice locations, scope of practice and specific populations served.

“This grant is a huge win for our state – it will improve access to medical care for thousands of Marylanders and expand residency opportunities for physicians-in-training throughout the Eastern Shore. That’s why I’ve consistently fought for funding for this program and others that improve the availability of health care services and bolster the pipeline of physicians practicing in rural areas. I will continue working to ensure communities across our state have affordable, reliable health care options,” said U.S. Senator Christopher Van Hollen, (D-MD), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

About the University of Maryland School of Medicine
Now in its third century, the University of Maryland School of Medicine was chartered in 1807 as the first public medical school in the United States. It continues today as one of the fastest growing, top-tier biomedical research enterprises in the world — with 43 academic departments, centers, institutes, and programs; and a faculty of more than 3,000 physicians, scientists, and allied health professionals, including members of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, and a distinguished recipient of the Albert E. Lasker Award in Medical Research.  With an operating budget of more than $1 billion, the School of Medicine works closely in partnership with the University of Maryland Medical Center and Medical System to provide research-intensive, academic and clinically-based care for more than 1.2 million patients each year. The School has over 2,500 students, residents, and fellows, and more than $530 million in extramural funding, with most of its academic departments highly ranked among all medical schools in the nation in research funding. As one of the seven professional schools that make up the University of Maryland, Baltimore campus, the School of Medicine has a total workforce of nearly 7,000 individuals. The combined School and Medical System (“University of Maryland Medicine”) has an annual budget of nearly $6 billion and an economic impact more than $15 billion on the state and local community. The School of Medicine faculty, which ranks as the 8^th highest among public medical schools in research productivity, is an innovator in translational medicine, with 600 active patents and 24 start-up companies. The School works locally, nationally, and globally, with research and treatment facilities in 36 countries around the world. Visit medschool.umaryland.edu/

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 2,500 employees, medical staff, board members, and volunteers works with various community partners to fulfill the organization’s mission of Creating Healthier Communities Together. Visit umshoregional.org

About Choptank Community Health System
Choptank Community Health System, Inc. (CCHS), a private, non-profit Community Health Center network, provides access to quality health care through the delivery of comprehensive medical, dental and behavioral health care services in Caroline, Dorchester, and Talbot Counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.  CCHS has been providing quality health care in this rural area continuously for nearly 40 years.  All CCHS offices and program sites are accredited by The Joint Commission.  In 2018, CCHS provided care for over 28,000 patients in 6 health center locations and multiple school and community locations in our three-county region.  The mission of CCHS is to provide access to exceptional, comprehensive and integrated health care for all.  Visit choptankhealth.org

About the Health Resources and Services Administration
The Health Resources and Services Administration is the primary Federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services responsible for improving access to health care for people who are geographically isolated and economically or medically vulnerable. As Administrator, Dr. Sigounas oversees the execution of HRSA’s $11.7 billion annual budget (FY 2019) that is used to expand access to quality health care through an array of grants to state and local governments, health care providers and health professions training programs.