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August 13, 2022

The Chestertown Spy

An Educational News Source for Chestertown Maryland

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Maryland Hospitals Face Most Critical Staffing Shortage in Recent Memory

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Maryland hospitals are struggling to cope with a significant shortage of nurses and the problem is certain to get worse if steps aren’t taken to recruit newcomers to the profession and retain existing workers, according to a new report.

The 2022 State of Maryland’s Health Care Workforce Report, released by the Maryland Hospital Association on Monday, found that one of every four nursing positions is vacant.

“Maryland hospitals face the most critical staffing shortage in recent memory,” according to the association. “High staff turnover, shifting care delivery models, and an insufficient talent pipeline are pushing the workforce to an unsustainable point.”

Maryland is currently short 5,000 full-time registered nurses and 4,000 licensed practical nurses. If steps aren’t taken to lure new workers and reduce the number of nurses leaving the profession, the state could see shortages two or three times larger than current levels by 2035, according to the report.

“The workforce challenges that we are facing are unsustainable,” said Nicole Stallings, the head of external affairs for the MHA.

The report cites several primary factors for the soaring vacancy rates. Nurses are overworked, face occasional violence in the workplace, and feel under-appreciated.

“Workforce challenges predated the COVID-19 pandemic, but the situation is now alarming,” said the association’s CEO, Bob Atlas, in a statement. “Any threat to the workforce of our 60 hospitals and health systems threatens the health and wellness of all Marylanders and stability of our state’s core functions. We cannot take for granted that our excellent health care workforce will always be there.”

Stallings said the association hopes the report offers a roadmap for institutions, educators and policymakers. The nursing shortage is expected to become more acute as the Baby Boom generation ages, she said.

The report found the most populated parts of the state have the highest vacancy rates. Central Maryland, which includes the Baltimore metropolitan region, and the Washington, D.C., suburbs have vacancy rates just over 26%. In Southern and Western Maryland and on the Eastern Shore, vacancy rates are between 13% and 17%.

Many nurses have opted to work for agencies, as “travel nurses,” moving from hospital to hospital, often earning more money and working fewer hours. That phenomenon has pushed up hospital costs while increasing the workload on the remaining staff, which in turn feeds the exodus.

The report makes a number of recommendations:

  • Hospitals should consider adopting more worker-friendly schedules, shifts and roles
  • Safety policies should be strengthened
  • Career advancement opportunities for nurses should be expanded
  • Hospitals should streamline the administrative burden nurses face
  • Hospitals should expand the “pipeline” by offering stipends and other financial incentives for people considering a career in nursing
  • Hospitals should make it easier for military nurses and those who have received training overseas to earn accreditation in Maryland
  • Hospitals should increase the number of nursing instructors and nursing school capacity
  • State policymakers should promote tele-health, outpatient care and “hospital-at-home” models

“This data-driven report lays the groundwork to address the long-standing, and now urgent need to strengthen our pipeline of nurses in Maryland,” said Ed Lovern, president & CEO of Ascension Saint Agnes and the chairman of the Task Force on Maryland’s Future Health Workforce, in a statement.

“While we won’t fix the nursing shortage overnight, the Task Force urges immediate and concerted actions to shore up the health care workforce we will need for generations to come.”

Stallings said that 20% of nursing students drop out after the first semester. Figuring out how to reduce that drop-off could help address the overall shortage of personnel, she said.

By Bruce DePuyt

Dorchester County Reports First Monkeypox Case

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A human monkeypox virus infection has been reported in a Dorchester County resident. This is the first case reported in the county and the 87th case in Maryland thus far.

“Although human monkeypox is rare in the U.S. and the risk of transmission to the general public is low, we urge residents to learn about the signs and symptoms, exercise caution, and continue to practice good hygiene, including frequent washing of hands with soap and water,” Roger L. Harrell, Dorchester County’s health officer, said.

Anyone who has the characteristic rash or other symptoms or who thinks they may have been exposed to monkeypox should call their health care provider immediately.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

Monkeypox virus is part of the same family of viruses as smallpox. Monkeypox is not related to chickenpox. Monkeypox symptoms are similar to smallpox symptoms, but milder; and monkeypox is rarely fatal.
The monkeypox virus can spread from person-to-person through:

• direct contact with the infectious rash, scabs, or body fluids
• respiratory secretions during prolonged, face-to-face contact, or during intimate physical contact, such as kissing, cuddling, or sex
• touching items (such as clothing or linens) that previously touched the infectious rash or body fluids
Symptoms of monkeypox can include:
• fever, headache, muscle aches and backache,
• swollen lymph nodes, chills, exhaustion, and,
• a rash that can look like pimples or blisters that appears on the face, inside the mouth, and on other parts of the body, like the hands, feet, chest, genitals, or anus.

The rash goes through different stages before healing completely. The illness typically lasts 2-4 weeks. Sometimes, people get a rash first, followed by other symptoms. Others only experience a rash.

Choptank Community Health Provides Produce Prescriptions for Students

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Choptank Community Health System is providing produce prescriptions to Mid-Shore students through community partnerships with the Avalon Foundation and Caroline County Public Schools Shore Gourmet “Sho Go” Mobile Market. Funding for the project comes from a $25K grant through the School-Based Health Center (SBHC) Food Access Learning Network and Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry Campaign.

The program provides local children with four, $5 vouchers for the child and family to obtain fresh produce from the Easton Farmers Market and Shore Gourmet’s “Sho Go” Mobile Market locations in Caroline and Talbot counties. The vouchers are being provided over the summer to students enrolled in Choptank Health’s School-Based Health Centers in both counties.

“Participating students are also receiving health education on topics including the importance of a healthy diet and physical activity,” explains Choptank Health Director of Community Based Programs Chrissy Bartz PA-C, MMS. “By integrating food access and preventative care, we’re able to help address childhood hunger and improve healthy dietary outcomes.”

From left: Avalon Foundation CEO Al Bond, Avalon Foundation COO/CFO Jessica Bellis, Avalon Foundation Easton Farmers Market Manager Marie Nuthall, Choptank Health CEO Sara Rich, Choptank Health Director of Community Based Programs Chrissy Bartz PA-C, MMS.

Bartz and her School-Based Health Center team planned the logistics of the program.

“This program is allowing families to select and prepare local produce together and continue our conversations around healthy diet with everyone in the home,” says Bartz. “This outreach with the farmers and mobile markets is also a great way to meet the needs of local children facing food insecurities.”

Feeding America reports that 1,430 or 18.2% of children in Caroline County and 980 or 14.3% of Talbot County’s children are facing food insecurity. Feeding America is the United States’ largest hunger-relief organization that conducts an annual study to learn more about hunger at local levels.

“This is a great example of how collaboration with other organizations can help our community,” says Choptank Health CEO Sara Rich. “These partnerships enhance the meaningful work our teams do each day while providing essential resources that strengthen our communities.”

“We’re fortunate to build on a partnership that began with Choptank Community Health at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Avalon Foundation CEO Al Bond. “Transitioning from our outreach efforts to working together to help make sure no child goes hungry is very meaningful work.”

From left: CCPS Community Outreach Coordinator Holly Foster, Choptank Health Director of Community Based Programs Chrissy Bartz PA-C, MMS, Choptank Health CEO Sara Rich, Caroline County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Derek Simmons, CCPS Supervisor of Food Services Beth Brewster, Chesapeake Culinary Center Executive Chef David Murray, and CCPS Food Operations Manager Samantha Figueroa stand in front of the Sho Go Mobile Market.

“This program is a great way to put fresh produce in the hands of children and families facing food insecurities,” says Caroline County Public Schools Supervisor of Food Services Beth Brewster. “This program is even more important over the summer months, and the mobile market makes it even more accessible to those in Caroline County.”

By providing access to fresh produce, organizers are offering healthier choices to students in need with the hope that they become less food insecure and healthier overall. The program engages both the student as well as family members and guardians. Choptank Health providers will follow up with students to assess the campaign’s popularity and gauge the level of behavior changes, as a direct result of the program.

Food insecure children need this additional support now more than ever. In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, No Kid Hungry estimates that one out of every six kids could face hunger this year. This organization is working to end childhood hunger by helping launch and improve programs that give all kids the healthy food they need to thrive. No Kid Hungry is a campaign of Share Our Strength, a D.C.-based organization committed to ending hunger and poverty around the world.

Information on the Easton Farmer’s Market can be found at www.avalonfoundation.org/eastonfarmersmarket, with the schedule and information for the Sho Go Mobile Market at www.carolineculinaryarts.org/shogomobile.

Choptank Community Health System provides medical and dental services in Caroline, Dorchester, and Talbot counties, with a mission to provide access to comprehensive and integrated health care for all. Medical services include primary health care, women’s health, pediatrics, behavioral health, chronic health management, and care navigation. Choptank Health also operates 32 School-Based Health Centers in Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, and Talbot counties, providing medical and dental services for enrolled K-12 students, with more at www.choptankhealth.org.

Social Worker Michelle Matthews Joins Chestertown Mobile Wellness Team

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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.

Chesapeake College Gets a Second Wind after the COVID years: A Chat with President Cliff Coppersmith

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The last time the Spy had a check-in with Chesapeake College president Cliff Coppersmith in the spring of 2021, there were far too many unknowns for the CEO of one of the best community colleges in the state as he faced year two of the great COVID pandemic.

In almost every part of Cliff’s portfolio, there were more questions than answers about the college’s future as the school saw a dramatic decline in students, unprecedented budget challenges, confusion on how much state funding his institution was to receive, or whether or not Chesapeake could access COVID recovery funding from the federal government.

Like every other school in the country, COVID has created enough havoc for Chesapeake College’s students, faculty, and staff over the last two years that even its president couldn’t responsibility guess what its future held at the time.

Fast-forward to 2022, and Dr. Coppersmith has almost become a new man. Since our last conversation, the state has come through for its community colleges with an unprecedented 15.1% increase in operational support. And, yes, fed money for COVID recovery did arrive with the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF), and just as importantly, the five counties of Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Talbot all agreed to a 3% increase in annual support.

Cliff also notes that during those uncertain months, his board of trustees and staff double-downed on private fundraising and government grant-seeking to create new revenue sources to help with the college’s bottom line with outstanding early results.

But the thing that puts a smile on President Coppersmith is that students are coming back to the classroom. In fact, the school should be able to report soon that enrollment will almost reach its pre-pandemic level.

Last week, the Spy sat down with Cliff Coppersmith at his office in Wye Mills to hear more.

This video is approximately seven minutes in length. For more information about Chesapeake College please go here.

For All Seasons: David’s Story

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Six years ago, For All Seasons’ client David was barely hanging on. He explains, “It was bad, and I needed help. I reached out for help, and I got it.” Susan, his therapist, shares her story of the incredible journey that she witnessed and supported David with along the way. “I see someone who went from trying to survive, to learning how to thrive… To see people become what they have always been able to be is the best gift.”

For All Seasons is hosting its 2nd Annual Give With Your Heart campaign. During the end of March, community members, along with For All Seasons’ clients and team members share their stories of mental health and resilience to underscore the importance of mental health and community connection.

In addition to hearing the personal stories of mental health featured in the campaign’s videos, you can support the agency’s life-saving work at www.GiveWithYourHeart.org. The impact of your gift will be doubled thanks to the generosity of our matching gift sponsors the Wren L. Allen Family Fund and Paul B. and Joanne Prager.

COVID Answers with Choptank Community Health #6

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As Covid Rates across the region continue to skyrocket the Choptank Community Health, and their partner, the Avalon Foundation have jointly produced an ongoing series that seeks to inform the Mid-Shore region about Covid-19.

Capitalizing upon the Avalon Foundation’s video production capacity  and using Choptank Community Health’s medical resources, the organizations have committed to producing two video Question and Answer sessions a week to inform the local community. 

 This program  features Choptank Community Health’s Senior Vice President & Chief Clinical Officer, Megan Wojtko, CRNP.

COVID Answers with Choptank Community Health #5

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As Covid Rates across the region continue to skyrocket the Choptank Community Health, and their partner, the Avalon Foundation have jointly produced an ongoing series that seeks to inform the Mid-Shore region about Covid-19.

Capitalizing upon the Avalon Foundation’s video production capacity  and using Choptank Community Health’s medical resources, the organizations have committed to producing two video Question and Answer sessions a week to inform the local community. 

 This program  features Choptank Community Health’s Senior Vice President & Chief Clinical Officer, Megan Wojtko, CRNP. 

COVID Answers with Choptank Community Health #3

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As Covid Rates across the region continue to skyrocket the Choptank Community Health, and their partner, the Avalon Foundation have jointly produced an ongoing series that seeks to inform the Mid-Shore region about Covid-19.

Capitalizing upon the Avalon Foundation’s video production capacity  and using Choptank Community Health’s medical resources, the organizations have committed to producing two video Question and Answer sessions a week to inform the local community. 

 This program  features Choptank Community Health’s Senior Vice President & Chief Clinical Officer, Megan Wojtko, CRNP. 

COVID Answers with Choptank Community Health #2

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As Covid Rates across the region continue to skyrocket the Choptank Community Health, and their partner, the Avalon Foundation have jointly produced an ongoing series that seeks to inform the Mid-Shore region about Covid-19.

Capitalizing upon the Avalon Foundation’s video production capacity  and using Choptank Community Health’s medical resources, the organizations have committed to producing two video Question and Answer sessions a week to inform the local community. 

 This program  features Choptank Community Health’s Senior Vice President & Chief Clinical Officer, Megan Wojtko, CRNP.