New $2.4 million investment in medical training program promises to put more doctors on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, help prevent high rate of premature deaths in region

Those who live in the Eastern Shore of Maryland can expect to live shorter lives: as much as seven years in some rural counties. That’s largely because residents of counties like Caroline and Kent County don’t have easy access to health care to help diagnose and manage chronic health conditions like heart disease and diabetes. In an effort to increase physician density in these rural areas, the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) last year launched its Rural-MD Scholars program, to train and place up to 10 students a year in Eastern Shore healthcare practices.

As the first class of three students completed their first year of medical school, the program received a large influx in funding from state ($1.4 million) and an anonymous donor ($1 million) that will provide full scholarships to 9 new students next year. These students all commit to practicing for four years on the Eastern shore after finishing their residency training.

“One in four residents on the Eastern Shore live at least 10 miles from a hospital, which increases the risk of delayed treatment,” said Mark T. Gladwin, MD, Dean of UMSOM. “Caroline County, for example, has only one physician for every 2,500 residents, which is six times lower than the physician density in other parts of the state. We need to do what we can to fix this problem.”

View full update on the program here: bit.ly/43IvAcU

Take a look at the graphic below to see how efforts to increase physician density on the Eastern shore can lower the rate of preventable deaths from heart disease.

More Doctors, Longer Lives: Preventing Heart Disease Deaths in Rural Maryland

Rates of preventable heart disease deaths were found to be significantly higher in rural areas compared to large central suburban areas throughout Maryland. A major reason cited by federal health researchers for this disparity was lack of access to health care. Increasing physician density in rural areas could reduce the rate of preventable deaths.

Choptank Community Health System’s Easton Health Center recently welcomed Behavioral Health Clinician Carmen Grant, LCSW-C, to its behavioral health care team.

Grant’s experience includes conducting individual therapy, psychosocial assessments, supervision, and behavioral consultation, working with patients in school-based environments, and those with serious mental illnesses.

She earned a master’s degree in social work from the University of Southern California and a bachelor’s degree in international relations from the University of California. She holds certifications in USC’s military social work specialization and EMDR therapy and speaks fluently in English and Spanish.

Choptank Community Health System provides medical and dental services in Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Talbot counties to more than 30,000 adults and children, including school-based health in all five counties, with a mission to provide access to exceptional, comprehensive, and integrated healthcare for all.

Choptank Health patients can schedule an appointment by calling the Easton Health Center at 410-770-8910, with more information at www.choptankhealth.org.

Choptank Community Health System’s leadership team recently welcomed Bill Baxendale as Facilities Director. In this role, Baxendale will lead the maintenance, safety, and operational integrity of Choptank Health’s owned and leased facilities across the region, while overseeing construction and renovation projects, managing vendor contracts, and ensuring compliance with safety standards and regulatory requirements.

He also serves as the organization’s Safety Officer, working closely with senior leadership to support a safe, efficient, and high-quality healthcare environment for patients and staff.

“We’re pleased to have Bill on our leadership team,” said Choptank Health President and CEO Sara Rich. “His extensive experience in facilities management and commitment to safety and quality will play a key role in supporting our health centers and ensuring we continue to provide the best possible environment for our patients and staff.”

Baxendale brings more than a decade of facilities management and project leadership experience to his new role. He joined Choptank Health in 2021 as Assistant Director of Facilities and Project Manager, leading multi-million-dollar capital improvements across the organization’s campuses and overseeing projects from design through completion with a focus on safety, quality, and cost-efficiency.

He previously served as Facilities Manager at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, where he managed major construction and renovation efforts while ensuring smooth day-to-day operations. His earlier work with the Center for Creative Works and Talbot County Public Schools further strengthened his expertise in facilities oversight and maintenance. Baxendale holds a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.

Choptank Community Health System provides medical, dental, and school-based health services to more than 30,000 adults and children in Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Talbot counties, with a mission to provide access to exceptional, comprehensive, and integrated healthcare for all.

Services include primary healthcare, women’s health, pediatrics, pediatric dental, behavioral health, chronic condition support, lab services, and care navigation, with new medical patients welcomed in all Mid-Shore locations. More is at www.choptankhealth.org.

Heart to Heart: Coloring Together, a unique new coloring book produced by For All Seasons and created by the agency’s art therapist Jane P. Gordon, LCPAT, ATR-BC, recently debuted at a special tea party for girls and their adult female caregivers. The event held at Brookletts Place in Easton featured a tea party-themed lunch for girls and their parents, mentors, or caregivers.

“For All Seasons wants to share the therapeutic expertise of our staff with the broader community. This book provides a therapy-based activity for parents and caregivers to engage in during their leisure time. The book is universal – whether a family has experienced trauma or just wants to connect – it offers a wonderful exercise for everyone,” states Katie Theeke, Vice President of Marketing & Communications at For All Seasons.

According to Gordon, coloring is a universally loved activity that can be very fun and relaxing for participants.

“Adding the special element of coloring with someone on the same page can promote a beautiful connection. Creating together inspires and reinforces a closer relationship,” states Gordon.

“I originally came up with this concept while working with elementary school clients who, at times, were hesitant to engage in therapy, and had difficulty expressing their concerns and feelings. This activity almost immediately set their minds and hearts at ease. Sharing this positive experience with me sparked communication and began the development of rapport and trust,” she adds.

Heart to Heart: Coloring Together was created for children and families to enjoy a shared activity while building strong connections and relationships, developing healthy attachments, and promoting conversation. It serves as an effective therapeutic process for children and families who have experienced trauma. It provides a fun, relaxing activity that reduces stress and fosters a joint feeling of joy and comfort.

The book can be shared at home to wind down after a long day or reconnect after a conflict; for hospital visits and doctors’ offices to reduce stress and fear; for school celebrations, indoor rainy day activities, and “buddy” programs; in areas affected by natural disaster, helping children feel a sense of normalcy and hope; and anytime, anywhere you want to enjoy coloring with a partner.

Gordon’s first book, Color Me Closer, has been used in multiple settings, including schools, offices, homes, assisted living settings, hospital visits, and in areas of trauma (most recently the California wildfires).

“My granddaughter Winnie says that Color Me Closer is her favorite book, and we color every time we are together. This inspired me to create another separate book, Heart to Heart: Coloring Together, with her character as the hostess,” Gordon shares.

“It truly warms my heart to see and hear about coloring partners in action. We’re excited about launching this book. It is a unique therapeutic tool, an opportunity to develop positive attachment and to simply enjoy the experience with a special person,” she adds.

Gordon is a board-certified, licensed art therapist with a career spanning 40 years. She has been a licensed clinician for For All Seasons for many years, sharing the mission of serving the community by providing mental health services.

Heart to Heart: Coloring Together will be released for sale to the public in the coming weeks. Reach out to Carly Palmer at [email protected] to preorder a copy.

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For All Seasons provides the highest quality mental health and victim services to children, adults, and families across the Mid-Shore and throughout the state of Maryland. Services are offered in both English and Spanish and include therapy, psychiatry, victim advocacy, 24-hour crisis hotlines, outreach, and community education. For information about For All Seasons walk-in hours, contact For All Seasons at 410-822-1018 or visit ForAllSeasonsInc.org.

Mid-Shore families and individuals in need of a primary care provider are invited to attend a New Patient Welcome Session at Choptank Community Health’s Chestertown Health Center this June.

The events are designed to help individuals and families learn more about available health services, meet providers, and to complete new patient registration information with ease.

The free sessions will be held at the Chestertown Health Center, located at 126 Philosophers Terrace, on Tuesday, June 10 from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m., Wednesday, June 11 from 12 to 1 p.m., and Thursday, June 12 from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.

Translation services will be available, with walk-ins welcome, or reserved times available by calling 443-215-5353.

Attendees can receive assistance with completing new patient paperwork, explore insurance options and Choptank Health’s sliding fee scale program, and have an opportunity to meet many of Choptank Health’s medical providers and team members.

Guests will also be invited to tour the facilities to gain further familiarity with Choptank Health’s approach to providing access to exceptional, comprehensive, and integrated health care for all.

“These New Patient Welcome Sessions help people connect with our team and learn how we can support their care,” says Choptank Health President and CEO Sara Rich. “It’s a meaningful first step that builds trust and makes registration easier.”

To learn more, go to www.choptankhealth.org or call the Chestertown Health Center at 443-215-5353.

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Choptank Community Health System is a private, non-profit Community Health Center providing primary healthcare services in Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Talbot counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

Choptank Health provides comprehensive care for the whole family, including medical, dental, pediatric, school-based, behavioral health, women’s health, chronic condition support, lab services, and care coordination. Choptank Health is a participating provider in Medicare, Medicaid, and most major insurance plans. A sliding fee scale is also available for any patient without insurance.

For All Seasons is partnering with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) Maryland to offer Suicide Bereavement Support Group Facilitator training on June 6 and 7, 2025 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. at Anchor Church, located at 620 Goldsborough Street in Easton.

This training, which offers CEUs, is for mental health professionals and survivors of suicide loss who want to start a support group and current group facilitators who want to strengthen their skills, stay up to date on the latest practices, and explore issues they have encountered while facilitating. It is recommended for participation that survivors of suicide loss have waited at least two years after experiencing a suicide loss, and non-clinicians have at least one year of experience participating in a support group.

By the end of this training, participants will understand: the unique needs of suicide loss survivors; develop skills to facilitate a safe and supportive group environment; apply effective communication and active listening techniques; recognize and respond to crisis situations within a support group setting; and utilize AFSP resources and best practices for group facilitation.

“This is an excellent opportunity for the Center for Learning at For All Seasons to help create a community-based support network around suicide bereavement. We have seen this issue impact our community in significant ways over the last several years. This is an effort to help address those needs,” comments Lauren Weber, Vice President of Strategy & Development at For All Seasons.

Two professional trainers will lead the training. Joan Schweizer Hoff has worked for over 25 years at The Dougy Center, National Center for Grieving Children and Families, in Portland, Oregon. She has over 40 years of experience working with children and families and has served on local and national boards. She is a member of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s National Loss and Healing Council. She is a trainer for AFSP Facilitator Training, organizes Survivor of Suicide Loss Day, coordinates Healing Conversations, and supports the Out of the Darkness Walks. She conducts training nationally and internationally on issues related to program development, the impact of suicide, trauma, and violent death on children, teens, and their families, crisis response, and children and teen grief.

Wendy M. Resnick, R.N., M.S., C.S., works as a Nurse Practitioner in Psychiatry. She has worked as a psychiatric nurse in inpatient psychiatry and chemical dependency centers. She co-founded The Depression and Related Affective Disorders Association (DRADA), a non-profit organization in collaboration with The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She developed a network of mutual-help support groups across the Mid-Atlantic area and a one-to-one peer support program serving individuals nationwide.

This two-day training includes lecture, interactive discussion, and role-playing, and participating clinicians will receive 14 Category I CEUs, issued by For All Seasons, Inc., an approved continuing education provider for Maryland Social Workers and Professional Counselors. The cost for the two-day training is $175 and includes breakfast, lunch, snacks, and all needed materials for both days. For more information or to register, visit the training website at bit.ly/SupportGroupFacilitatorTraining.

For All Seasons provides the highest quality mental health and victim services to children, adults, and families across the Mid-Shore and throughout the state of Maryland. Services are offered in both English and Spanish and include therapy, psychiatry, victim advocacy, 24-hour crisis hotlines, outreach, and community education. For information about For All Seasons walk-in hours, contact For All Seasons at 410-822-1018 or visit ForAllSeasonsInc.org.