University of Maryland Shore Regional Health has announced that it has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Hospital Accreditation by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards. A symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to providing safe and effective patient care, the Gold Seal of Approval® applies to UM Shore Regional Health’s three hospitals, Shore Emergency Center at Queenstown, the Cancer Center, two home care agencies,  two ambulatory surgery centers, and inpatient and outpatient behavioral health programs.

UM Shore Regional Health underwent a rigorous, unannounced onsite survey in November, 2018. During the review, a team of Joint Commission expert surveyors evaluated compliance at all sites with standards related to several areas, including emergency management, environment of care, infection prevention and control, leadership, and medication management.

“UM Shore Regional Health is pleased to achieve re-accreditation from The Joint Commission, the premier health care quality improvement and accrediting body in the nation,” said Ken Kozel, president and CEO. “Team members from our three hospitals and many outpatient facilities throughout the five county region we serve work together to adopt and implement best-practice approaches that will improve care for our patients and enhance the health of our communities. I am grateful to our Medical Staff and volunteers, our Board, and staff members at all levels of our organization for their continued commitment to making Shore Regional Health ‘Where the Health of the Eastern Shore Comes First.’”

The Joint Commission has accredited hospitals for more than 60 years. More than 4,000 general, children’s, long-term acute, psychiatric, rehabilitation and specialty hospitals currently maintain Joint Commission accreditation, which is awarded for a three-year period. In addition, approximately 360 critical access hospitals maintain accreditation through a separate program. The Joint Commission’s hospital standards are developed in consultation with health care experts and providers, measurement experts and patients. The standards are informed by scientific literature and expert consensus to help hospitals measure, assess and improve performance

“Joint Commission accreditation provides hospitals with the processes needed to improve in a variety of areas from the enhancement of staff education to the improvement of daily business operations,” said Mark G. Pelletier, RN, MS, chief operating officer, Division of Accreditation and Certification Operations, The Joint Commission. “In addition, our accreditation helps hospitals enhance their risk management and risk reduction strategies.”

Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve health care for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating health care organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value. The Joint Commission accredits and certifies more than 21,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. An independent, nonprofit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. Learn more about The Joint Commission at

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.

UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown’s diagnostic imaging department will soon be undergoing renovation in preparation for the arrival of a GE Revolution EVO CT scanner, Penny Olivi, Shore Regional Health’s director, Diagnostic Imaging has announced.

According to Olivi, the new CT scanner will serve as a state-of-the-art diagnostic tool for patients in emergency and acute care, and also for outpatients. CT scans help diagnose illnesses as well as damage involving the brain and other soft tissue in patients suffering strokes, heart attacks, trauma to the abdomen, shortness of breath, blood clots in the lung, gastrointestinal bleeding and generalized pain.

Says Olivi, “We selected the GE Revolution EVO CT scanner because it provides the greatest clinical benefit, in terms of its advanced imaging capacity as well as its shorter scan times that reduce the patient’s radiation exposure. This state-of-the-art equipment also provides the capability to perform significantly advanced brain profusion studies so that patients can either be treated immediately with a clot-busting drug or if necessary, transported to a neurosurgery center. Also, because CT scans provide more detailed images than X-rays, the GE Revolution EVO CT scanner will be an effective tool in many types of cancer diagnosis.”

The majority of the purchase of the GE Revolution EVO CT scanner and the suite renovation is funded by UM Shore Regional Health’s Board-designated fund, SRH Fund for Kent County, which includes the proceeds from the sale of Shore Nursing and Rehabilitation Center at Chestertown in early 2018 and the prior sale of three properties on Valley Road in Chestertown.

According to Barrie Meima, Chester River Health Foundation board chair, the Foundation will be raising funds to support the cost of the project. “This equipment represents a key advancement in the access to quality care here in Chestertown,” says Meima. “For those needing the scan on an outpatient basis, it will eliminate the need to travel outside the county, and for those in emergency or acute care, it will help speed diagnosis and treatment, and in many cases, save lives. All of us on the Foundation Board are excited about this technology’s capabilities and looking forward to receiving charitable support from the community to help realize the scanner’s full potential.”

So that there will be no interruption of CT scanning services in Chestertown, a temporary, a mobile CT unit is being installed adjacent to the hospital while the renovation, installation and licensing of the new unit is being completed. Arrival and set-up of the mobile unit is scheduled during the week of March 18, 2019.

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.

For All Seasons recently presented its 9^th Annual Heart & Music at the Oxford Community Center to large crowds for its Gala and all three show performances.  This year, Director Ed Langrell and Music Director Ellen Barry Grunden returned with “Songs from the Stage” from Broadway and Beyond with selections by Carole King, Sara Bareilles, and Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, as well as special guests from Crashbox Theatre Troupe. Producers for the show were Beth Anne Langrell and Lisa Roth.

L-R: Delia Denny, Beth Anne Langrell, Executive Director of For All Seasons, and Diane Flagler, Heart & Music Committee Chair. Photo by Randy Bachand.

This year’s Heart & Music cast included Gail Aveson, Jane Copple, Matt Folker, Marcia Gilliam, Bill Gross, Malley Hester, Beth Anne Langrell, Ed Langrell, Lisa Roth, Zack Schlag, Heather Scott, Mike Sousa, Shelby Swann, Joe Tyler, Becca Van Aken, and Richard Vitanovec.  Crashbox Theatre Troupe members included Sarah Anthony, Sara Chapple, Logan Herron, Aiden Loeser, Sophie McGee, Jaylen Nixon, and Seth Wagner.

A special thank you to the Heart & Music Angels, Dock Street Foundation, Laurie and Michael Frame, Price Rentals and Events, and What’s Up Media.

Heart & Music benefits For All Seasons, the only non-profit Behavioral Health and Rape Crisis Center serving the five counties of Maryland’s Mid-Shore.  For All Seasons offers individual and group therapy, general, child and adolescent therapy, marriage and couples’ counseling, grief counseling, school-based mental health therapy, urgent care services, Rape Crisis Response, Rape Crisis Counseling and Support, 24-Hour English and Spanish Hotlines, and education and outreach programming. For further information about For All Seasons or make a donation, call 410-822-1018 or visit forallseasonsinc.org.

Coastal Hospice and Palliative Care, Compass Regional Hospice and Talbot Hospice recently teamed up to organize a free event for veterans —  Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day, which will take place March 30 in Easton.

The ceremony will begin at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 30, at the Easton High School cafeteria, 723 Mecklenburg Ave. Event organizers said the day is a way to recognize and commemorate the sacrifices of Vietnam veterans and their families. It is part of a national effort to recognize the men and women who were denied a proper welcome upon returning home more than 40 years ago.

The special guest speaker will be Maj. Gen. James A. Adkins, who was born in Cambridge and grew up on the Eastern Shore. Adkins has nearly 40 years of military service with the U.S. Army. He is a retired senior military officer and former cabinet-level official in state government and served as Maryland’s Adjutant General and Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

Adkins has received many military decorations, including the Legion of Merit and the Distinguished Service Medal. Among his many scholarly accomplishments, he has received senior military education at the U.S. Army Command; General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; and the U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. He also is a graduate of Washington College in Chestertown, where he received his master’s degree in history.

Adkins is a member of many veteran-centric organizations, including the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion and the Vietnam Veterans of America.

In addition to special guest speakers, the event will include special music; local, state and national resources for veterans; a pinning ceremony; and light refreshments. Trained grief counselors will be on hand from each hospice agency, in order to offer support to those who may wish to seek comfort during the day, as it is not uncommon for many veterans, their families and community members to experience a high degree of emotions when recalling times of war or military service.

Other special inclusions during the day will be a performance from the Easton High School Color Guard and a visit from the Hogs and Heroes Foundation MD-8 Salisbury, a community of motorcycle riders that support public safety, the U.S. military and Wounded Warriors.

The event is free and open to anyone who wishes to thank our Vietnam veterans for their service. To learn more about the event or to register, visit www.bit.ly/WHVV2019 or call Katie Willis at 443-262-4100, ext. 177.

All three organizations are partners in the We Honor Veterans program, a campaign developed by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Through the We Honor Veterans program, Coastal Hospice and Palliative Care, Compass Regional Hospice and Talbot Hospice gratefully acknowledge their military and service men, women and families. The mission of the program is to serve the nation’s veterans, who have served their country so selflessly, during their end-of-life journey.

Coastal Hospice and Palliative Care serves Dorchester, Wicomico, Somerset, and Worcester counties; Compass Regional Hospice serves Queen Anne’s, Kent and Caroline counties; and Talbot Hospice serves Talbot County.

The Retreat House at Hillsboro, in partnership with Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation, is offering a “Day of Retreat for People in Their 20’s and 30’s” on Saturday, March 16 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The retreat is designed for millennials who are interested in learning about the different practices of contemplative prayer. “At Day of Retreat this group of young people will learn new and interesting ways to restore their spirits when life gets overwhelming,” said Francie Thayer, Retreat House Director. Led by spiritual directors Patience Robbins and Heather Strang, the session will include meditation, time in silence and nature, and peer discussion.

“Conversations: The Road to Racial Reconciliation” is a half-day session to be held on Saturday, April 13 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. that continues discussions initiated in 2018 by The Retreat House in Hillsboro and other eastern shore locations, such as Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Chestertown, where a monthly gathering is held on the first Tuesday. “We are hearing that people really want to see a change in how human beings treat each other,” Thayer says, “but they often don’t know how to make it happen. These conversations allow time and space to listen, remember, and consider what we can do differently.” Participants will practice “open-hearted listening and speaking,” discuss their experiences with bias and their understanding of racial reconciliation. Breakfast is included and participants are invited to bring their lunch.

Heather Strang and Patience Robbins, spiritual directors leading “Day of Retreat for People in their 20’s and 30’s”

Several workshops and retreats are scheduled this season including “Lenten Quiet Day” on Saturday, March 9 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Led by spiritual director Linda Mastro, participants will look at the nature of atonement, lessons learned from mistakes and the resulting gifts received in the process.

The Retreat House also offers monthly retreats that provide time and instruction for meditation and reflection using poetry, prayer, journaling and nature. “Quiet Mornings” take place on the fourth Fridays from 9:30-11:30 a.m. and “Sisters on the Journey,” which includes a tea ceremony, is on the second Sunday of the month from 1:30-3:30 p.m.

Many Retreat House workshops and retreats are led by spiritual directors trained at Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia, Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation in Washington D.C. or Bon Secours Retreat &Conference Center in Marriottsville, Maryland. Refreshments and meals are often included; donations are requested but not required.

Weekly offerings at The Retreat House include Monday half-hour meditation sessions at 5:30 p.m. and a 6:15 p.m. yoga class led by instructor and Hillsboro resident, Kathleen O’Brien. AA meetings are held on Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday Women’s at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday at 5:30 p.m.

The Retreat House at Hillsboro is located on the grounds of St. Paul’s Church at 22005 Church Street, Hillsboro, Maryland, and is open for group retreats and meetings, individual hermitages, meditation and any who seek a spiritual connection. A traditional Chartres-style walking labyrinth is always open for walking and prayer. The Retreat House at Hillsboro is a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Easton, MD. For more information contact Francie Thayer, Director, at (410) 507-0368 or info@retreathousehillsboro.org.

March …

Caroline County Grief Support Group — St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 100 S. 5th Ave., Denton. 4 to 6 p.m. This eight-week grief support group runs every Tuesday, from March 12 through April 30. Guests are encouraged to attend the entire series to benefit the most from the group. Open to anyone 18 and older who is suffering the loss of a loved one. Cost: $25 for non-hospice attendees, but no one will be turned away due to an inability to pay. For more information or to register, please contact group facilitator Wayne Larrimore at 443-262-4108 or wlarrimore@compassregionalhospice.org.

Final Estate Treasures Warehouse Sale — Saturday, March 16, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 106 Log Canoe Circle, Chesapeake Business Park, Stevensville. Come find deeply discounted furniture, tools, sporting goods, small kitchen appliances, home décor, housewares, area rugs, Hunter Douglas blinds, furniture for small businesses, and more. This will be the final Warehouse Sale. Proceeds will benefit Compass Regional Hospice. For more information, please call Estate Treasures, an operating unit of Compass Regional Hospice, at 410-643-7360.

Understanding Your Grief Workshop — Saturday, March 16, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Bethel AME Church, 102 Washington Road, Centreville. Are you struggling with grief or helping someone else through their grief journey? Let Bethel AME Church and Compass Regional Hospice’s trained grief support staff stand with you and help you through this time. Light refreshments will be served. For more information or to RSVP, please call the Rev. Al Jones of Bethel AME Church at 443-988-9093 or revajonesjr@gmail.com.

Compass Regional Hospice’s Annual Gala — Friday, March 22, from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. at Annie’s Paramount Steak and Seafood House, 500 Kent Narrow Way N., Grasonville. This is the premier fundraising event for Compass Regional Hospice. Proceeds benefit hospice care, palliative care and grief support services provided by Compass Regional Hospice. The event will include a seated dinner, a live band, dancing, live and silent auctions, and a jewelry raffle. The jewelry raffle will feature a pair of 2-carat diamond earrings, valued at $14,000. Gala tickets: $200 per person, purchased in advance only. Raffle tickets are $100 per ticket and only 100 chances will be sold. For more information or to purchase tickets to the event or for the raffle (you do not have to attend the Gala to purchase raffle tickets), please contact Kenda Leager at 443-262-4106 or kleager@compassregionalhospice.org.

Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day — Saturday, March 30, from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Easton High School cafeteria, 723 Mecklenburg Ave., Easton, MD. Join Coastal Hospice, Compass Regional Hospice, and Talbot Hospice during this free event as we commemorate the sacrifices of Vietnam veterans and their families. This event will include local, state and national resources for veterans, a pinning ceremony, guest speakers, light refreshments and more. This is a free event and is open to all. Register at www.bit.ly/WHVV2019. For more information, please contact Allison Wood at 443-262-4117 or info@compassregionalhospice.org.

April …

Kent County Grief Support Group — Kent County Public Library, Yellow Building, 408 High St., Chestertown. 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. This eight-week grief support group runs every Tuesday, from April 16 through June 4. Guests are encouraged to attend the entire series to benefit the most from the group. Open to anyone 18 and older who is suffering the loss of a spouse or partner. Cost: $25 for non-hospice attendees, but no one will be turned away due to an inability to pay. For more information or to register, please contact group facilitator Ann OConnor at 443-262-4124 or aoconnor@compassregionalhospice.org.

Ongoing …

Bereaved Parent Grief Support Group — First Monday of each month; March 4 and April 1. From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Compass Regional Hospice, 255 Comet Drive, Centreville. A drop-in group for individuals, 18 and older, dealing with the loss of a child. For more information, please contact Rhonda Knotts at 443-262-4109 or rknotts@compassregionalhospice.org.

HALOS-Healing After a Loved One’s Suicide Grief Support Group — Second Wednesday of each month; March 13 and April 10. From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Compass Regional Hospice, 255 Comet Drive, Centreville. A drop-in group for individuals, 18 and older, dealing with the loss of a loved one from suicide. For more information, please contact Rhonda Knotts at 443-262-4109 or rknotts@compassregionalhospice.org, or Wayne Larrimore at 443-262-4108 or wlarrimore@compassregionalhospice.org.

Drug Overdose Grief Support Group — Third Thursday of each month; March 21 and April 18. From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Compass Regional Hospice, 255 Comet Drive, Centreville.  A drop-in group for individuals, 18 and older, dealing with the loss of a loved one from a substance overdose. Please join us for dinner and conversation/discussion. There also may be special guests or presenters to the group from time to time. For more information, please contact Rhonda Knotts at 443-262-4109 or rknotts@compssregionalhospice.org.

All Losses Grief Support Group — Fourth Tuesday of each month; March 26 and April 23. From noon to 1:15 p.m. at the Caroline County Public Library, Federalsburg branch, 123 Morris Ave., Federalsburg. A drop-in group for individuals, 18 and older, who have experienced any type of loss. Please bring a lunch. For more information, please contact Wayne Larrimore at 443-262-4108 or wlarrimore@compassregionalhospice.org.

Compass Regional Hospice – Care on your terms

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. Since 1985, Compass Regional Hospice has been dedicated to supporting people of all ages through the challenge of living with a serious illness and learning to live following the death of a loved one. Today, the organization is a regional provider of hospice care, palliative care, and grief support in Queen Anne’s, Kent and Caroline counties. “Care on your terms” is the promise that guides staff and volunteers as they care for patients in private residences, nursing homes, assisted living facilities and the residential hospice centers in Centreville and Chestertown. Grief support services are offered to children, adults, and families of patients who died under hospice care, as well as members of the community who are grieving the loss of a loved one. For more information about Compass Regional Hospice, visit compassregionalhospice.org.

University of Maryland Shore Regional Health has announced the 27 nominees for the upcoming Nurse Excellence Awards program, set for Monday, May 6, 2019 at the Rufus M. and Loraine Hall Todd Performing Arts Center at Chesapeake College.

There are six categories in the Nurse Excellence Awards program — five awards are given to individual nurses and one is given to the nursing staff of a unit or department. Nominations are submitted through an online process that is managed by the Nurse Excellence Awards Committee and is open to all staff throughout UM SRH.

The UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown nurses honored as Nurse Excellence Award candidates are: Eden Kinser, of Rock Hall and Cassandra Price, of Worton, both nominated for the Mentorship/Advocacy Award; and Christopher Burke, of Chestertown and Kayla Toulson, of Chester, both nominated for the Commitment to Others Award.

According to Ruth Ann Jones, senior vice president, Patient Care Services and chief nursing officer for UM Shore Regional Health, this year’s nominees are an outstanding group. “While one winner will be chosen for each of the award categories, all nominees  deserve recognition for their exceptional commitment to quality patient care and the spirit of teamwork and professionalism they bring every day to their hospitals and our health care organization as a whole,” says Jones.

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.

The care team at the Birthing Center at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton was recently recognized by the Maryland Patient Safety Center (MSPC) for their success in implementing a program designed to standardize care and treatment of newborns with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS).

“You can be very proud of your achievement in implementing this program, said Robert Imhoff, director, Maryland Patient Safety Center, to pediatrician Ahmed Gawal,, MD, Birthing Center Manager Luanne Satchell and several members of the Birthing Center team who were on hand for the presentation of a recognition banner from the Center. “Your success improves the quality and safety of care for infants born with neonatal abstinence syndrome.”

Photo: On hand to receive the recognition banner from Maryland Patient Safety Director Robert Imhoff (far right, back) were (l. to r.) Luanne Satchell, manager, Birthing Center; pediatrician Ahmed Gawad, MD; Aymee Gonzalez, RN; Myra Sisco, surgical tech; Carol Leonard, RN, lactation consultant; Debbie Correa, unit secretary; Linda Warren, RN, clinical coordinator; Sarah Hopkins, LCSW; Tammi Zalewski, RN; and Carol Rogers, RN, clinical coordinator.

NAS occurs in newborns who were exposed to opiates, alcohol, narcotic or other drugs while in the mother’s womb. Newborns with NAS have physiologic and neurobehavioral signs, medical complications, increased chance of admission to an intensive care unit, and prolonged hospital stays (average of 26 days). With the rising rate of opiate and heroin addictions in Maryland, the number of infants born to substance-using pregnant women has also risen, increasing the number of babies born with NAS. In October of 2016, the MSPC began a two year initiative to standardize care and treatment of these infants.

The MPSC partnered with the Vermont Oxford Network (VON) to utilize their Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome State-Wide Implementation Package. This partnership has provided participants with access to data-driven, action-oriented, education modules for improving outcomes and increasing the quality and safety of the care provided to infants with NAS and their families. The goals of this two-year initiative include: to decrease the length of stay for infants with NAS; to decrease 30-day readmissions of infants with NAS and to decrease the number of infants with NAS transferred from the birthing hospital to a higher level of care or specialty hospital for longer term care.

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.

Compass Regional Hospice’s Grief Support Services department has announced two eight-week spring grief support offerings, available to anyone in the community who is suffering the loss of a loved one.

The Caroline County support group will begin Tuesday, March 12, and run weekly through April 30. The group will meet from 4 to 6 p.m. at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Denton and is available to anyone 18 and older who has experienced any type of loss. The group will be facilitated by Compass grief counselor Wayne Larrimore. To register, please contact Larrimore at 443-262-4108 or wlarrimore@compassregionalhospice.org.

The Kent County support group will begin Tuesday, April 16, and run weekly through June 4. The group will meet from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the yellow house at the Kent County Public Library in Chestertown. The group will be led by Compass grief counselor Ann OConnor and is open to anyone 18 and older who has experienced the death of a spouse or partner. To register, please contact OConnor at 443-262-4124 or aoconnor@compassregionalhospice.org.

The eight-week sessions are open to anyone 18 and older; however, space is limited. The program fee is $25, but no one will be turned away based on an inability to pay for services.

Ann OConnor and Wayne Larrimore

Compass Regional Hospice’s Grief Support Services Department is a collection of programs and services available for the families of patients who have died under hospice care, as well as members of the community who are grieving the death of a loved one.

Services available in Queen Anne’s, Kent and Caroline counties include individual and family grief counseling; grief support groups; school‐based grief counseling;a grief retreat summer camp called Camp New Dawn for children, teens and families; and remembrance events and specialized workshops.

Ongoing grief support group offerings at our 255 Comet Drive, Centreville, location include a Bereaved Parents group, which meets from 6 to 8 p.m. on the first Monday of each month and is open to anyone who has lost a child at any age, under any circumstances; a support group for those who have lost a loved one to suicide, which meets from 6 to 8 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month; and a support group for those who are suffering the death of a loved one to substance overdose, which meets from 6 to 8 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month. These groups meet in the Grief Support Services wing of the Hospice Center in Centreville, 255 Comet Drive.

An ongoing grief support group open to anyone who is experiencing any type of loss meets from noon to 1:15 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of each month at the Caroline County Public Library’s Federalsburg branch, 123 Morris Ave. This is a lunch group and participants are encouraged to bring a bag lunch.

All ongoing grief support groups are offered free of charge to anyone in the community who is 18 and older and suffering the loss of a loved one. Learn more about Compass Regional Hospice’s Grief Support programs at www.compassregionalhospice.org.

Compass Regional Hospice – Care on your terms

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. Since 1985, Compass Regional Hospice has been dedicated to supporting people of all ages through the challenge of living with a serious illness and learning to live following the death of a loved one. Today, the organization is a regional provider of hospice care, palliative care, and grief support in Queen Anne’s, Kent and Caroline counties. “Care on your terms” is the promise that guides staff and volunteers as they care for patients in private residences, nursing homes, assisted living facilities and the residential hospice centers in Centreville and Chestertown. Grief support services are offered to children, adults, and families of patients who died under hospice care, as well as members of the community who are grieving the loss of a loved one. For more information about Compass Regional Hospice, visit compassregionalhospice.org.