Choptank Community Health System is recognizing National Health Center Week this Aug. 7-13 with “Community Health Centers: The Chemistry for Strong Communities” the theme for the National Association of Community Health Center’s annual initiative.

“This year’s National Health Center Week honors the values, services, affordability, and innovations health centers bring to our communities,” said Choptank Health CEO Sara Rich. “We are joining  Health Care Centers across the nation to recognize the importance of health centers and their role in supporting strong communities.”

Rich says National Health Center Week provides the opportunity to highlight the innovative ways Choptank Health and other health centers provide high-quality care and improved health outcomes by narrowing health disparities. Focus areas include public health in housing; children’s health; healthcare for agricultural workers and people facing homelessness.

Choptank Community Health is a Federally Qualified Health Center and one of 17 community-based health centers in Maryland serving more than 377,000 individuals, including those without insurance or the ability to pay.

Choptank Health and other participants in the U. S. Health Resources & Services Administration’s Health Center Program serve more than 28 million people nationwide and provide affordable, high-quality, comprehensive primary care to people from throughout local communities.

“Community Health Centers look beyond medical charts to address the factors that may cause poor health, such as poverty, homelessness, substance use, behavioral health, lack of nutrition, and unemployment,” Rich says.“We create the chemistry for strong communities by forging partnerships with hospitals, local and state governments, social, health, and business organizations to improve health outcomes, especially for medically vulnerable people.”

Choptank Community Health System’s commitment to excellence is recognized by the nation’s oldest and largest health care accreditor, The Joint Commission. Achieving Joint Commission accreditation demonstrates Choptank Health’s commitment to continuous improvement in patient care.

Choptank Community Health System provides medical and dental services in Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, and Talbot counties to more than 30,000 adults and children, with a mission to provide access to exceptional, comprehensive, and integrated healthcare for all. Choptank Community Health’s medical services include primary healthcare, women’s health, pediatrics, behavioral health, chronic health management, and care navigation, with new medical patients now being accepted. More information is at www.choptankhealth.org.

The center is made possible through a partnership with Choptank Health, Talbot County Public Schools, and the Talbot County Health Department.

“We want to keep our students and staff as healthy as they can be,” says White Marsh Elementary School Principal Kimberly Seidel. “We’re seeing several new registrations each day and are encouraging parents and guardians to register their students for these important school-based health services by contacting our administrative offices during school hours.”

The White Marsh Elementary School health center is open on Mondays and Wednesdays from 12 noon to 3:30 p.m. and is staffed with medical professionals from Choptank Health and the Talbot County Health Department. All TCPS public school students and staff can enroll in the program and utilize any Talbot SBHC site regardless of ability to pay.

“Now students in and around Trappe have access to our School-Based Health Center,” says Choptank Health CEO Sara Rich. “We’re grateful for our partnerships and staff to be able to bring this access to dental and medical health services to more students and their families.”

Rich says School-Based Health Centers oftentimes provide a child with their only form of medical or dental care, furthering the importance of this new center.

“We’re grateful for Talbot County Public Schools’ partnership with Choptank Health,” said Talbot County Public Schools Superintendent Kelly Griffith. “Our students can focus more on learning when they feel good and are well, while our school families benefit from the convenience and accessibility of these important services.”

Choptank Health operates 32 School-Based Health Centers in Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, and Talbot County Public Schools, offering medical and/or dental services for enrolled K-12 students. A new primary care mobile health unit is additionally being used as part of Choptank Health’s medical and dental School-Based Health Center services.

The School-Based Health Centers provide in-person, virtual, curbside well and urgent care, and other services including health education and risk assessment, sports and other physical exams, dietary support, asthma management, and sick or acute care.

Student enrollment in Choptank Health’s School-Based Wellness and Dental Programs can be made by contacting your student’s Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, or Talbot County public school.

Choptank Community Health System provides medical and dental services in Caroline, Dorchester, and Talbot counties, with a mission to provide access to exceptional, comprehensive, and integrated healthcare for all. Choptank Community Health’s medical services include primary healthcare, women’s health, pediatrics, behavioral health, chronic health management, and care navigation, with new medical patients now being accepted. More information is at www.choptankhealth.org.

Choptank Community Health System has received $125k from the Town of Federalsburg to help fund sewer and water expenses for its new Hayman Ave. Federalsburg facility. Monies were able to be provided thanks to eligible use from funding provided through the American Rescue Plan Act. Choptank Community Health System announced its plans for the new 15- to 20,000-square foot Federalsburg health center in Oct. 2021, after purchasing land for its new facility on Hayman Ave.

The new community health center is also supported by federal and county funding, with a spring 2024 anticipated completion date.

Choptank Health CEO Sara Rich presented the health center’s request for funding to the Federalsburg Mayor and Council at the town’s Nov. 1 meeting. During the presentation, Rich shared that the health center currently sees more than 5,100 medical and dental patients in its Bloomingdale Ave. facility and has outgrown the space.

“We are extremely grateful for the Mayor’s and Council’s support of our new Federalsburg facility,” said Choptank Health CEO Sara Rich.  “This support will help Federalsburg residents have the best access to quality care, as we move forward towards construction of our state-of-the-art new facility.”

“Having accessible health care in Federalsburg is important to our residents,” said Federalsburg Mayor Kimberly Jahnigen Abner. “We’re grateful for Choptank Health’s commitment to quality care, and to be able to support their new building through this funding.”

Architectural and engineering firm George, Miles & Buhr, LLC of Salisbury is charged with the new facilities’ design. The new Federalsburg facility will include expanded spaces for dental and medical services, more parking, and space for Choptank Health’s residency programs and behavioral health services for patients.

GMB serves local, national, and international clients with a team of more than 90 professionals working from a network of Mid-Atlantic region offices. The firm was founded in 1960, with local architectural projects including the Onley, Eastville, and Atlantic Community Health Centers in Virginia; the Denton Health Center and Caroline County EMS Facility in Denton, Md.; and the Salisbury University Center for Entrepreneurship in Salisbury, Md.

Choptank Community Health System provides medical and dental services in Caroline, Dorchester, and Talbot counties, with a mission to provide access to exceptional, comprehensive, and integrated health care for all. Choptank Community Health’s medical services include primary health care, women’s health, pediatrics, behavioral health, chronic health management, and care navigation, with new medical patients now being accepted. More information is at www.choptankhealth.org.

Funding for Choptank Community Health System’s new Federalsburg facility is included in the $9.5M direct federal funding for Eastern Shore projects recently secured in legislation by U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen (both D-Md.). The bill now goes to President Biden to be signed into law.

The $2.889M funding supports the construction of Choptank Health’s new Hayman Ave. Federalsburg Health Center. The new community health center is expected to be completed in 2024 and replaces Choptank Health’s current Bloomingdale Ave. medical and dental center, which has outgrown the space while annually seeing more than 5,100 medical and dental patients.

“We are extremely grateful for the Senators Cardin and Van Hollen’s support and investment in this new Federalsburg Health Center,” said Choptank Health CEO Sara Rich. “The new health center will better support the medically underserved residents of Caroline County, and we’ll be able to have space for Choptank Health’s medical rural residency program, expanded dental residency programs, and behavioral health services.

Choptank Community Health System announced its plans for the new 20,000-square-foot Federalsburg Health Center in Oct. 2021, after purchasing land for its new facility on Hayman Ave. The new center also received an $829K U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration one-time capital improvement grant and $750K in funding from Caroline County in support of Choptank Health’s expanded health care infrastructure.

“I was proud to help secure funding to construct Choptank Health’s new Federalsburg Health Center, which will help expand primary health, behavioral health, and oral health care, as well as other integrated services to our underserved communities in and around Caroline County,” said Senator Cardin. “All Marylanders should have access to high-quality, affordable health care in their community, and this project is a leap forward to that reality.”

“Access to health care should not depend on the zip code you live in, yet rural residents often have fewer options and have to travel further to get the care they need,” said Sen. Van Hollen, a member of the Appropriations Committee. “The new Choptank Community Health Center will provide vital care to Federalsburg and beyond. That’s why I fought to deliver these funds directly to our community. I will continue working to bring federal investments to our state to increase access and improve the quality of care for all Marylanders.”

“Our residents deserve the best access to quality care,” said Choptank Community Health CEO Sara Rich. “We have long outgrown our original facility in Federalsburg and are eager to see patients for medical and dental care in our new state-of-the-art health center.”

Architectural and engineering firm George, Miles & Buhr, LLC of Salisbury is charged with the new facilities’ design.

Choptank Community Health System provides medical and dental services in Caroline, Dorchester, and Talbot counties, with a mission to provide access to exceptional, comprehensive, and integrated health care for all. Choptank Community Health’s medical services include primary health care, women’s health, pediatrics, behavioral health, chronic health management, and care navigation, with new medical patients now being accepted. More information is at www.choptankhealth.org.

Choptank Community Health System has recently been awarded a $25K grant through the School-Based Health Center (SBHC) Food Access Learning Network and Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry Campaign. The funding will be used to provide what Choptank Health is calling “produce prescriptions” to students along with health education on topics including the importance of a healthy diet and physical activity.

Through the grant program, No Kid Hungry will support the work of a SBHC learning network with the primary purpose of addressing childhood hunger and improving dietary health outcomes by integrating food access and preventative care.

Beginning this spring and continuing over the summer, Choptank Health will be teaming up with local produce stands, farmer’s markets, and more to help ensure no child goes hungry along the Mid-Shore.

“This is a great example of how collaboration with other organizations can help our community,” said Choptank Health CEO Sara Rich. “We’re excited to bring locally sourced produce to more Mid-Shore families.”

Rich says the Avalon Foundation Farmer’s Market in Talbot County and Caroline County Public Schools Food Service are already on board with partnering with Choptank on this effort.

“The Avalon Foundation and Choptank Community Health continue to partner in meaningful & creative ways,” said Avalon Foundation CEO, Al Bond. “We’ve transitioned from our COVID-19 outreach efforts and are now leveraging our farmers market program to help make sure no child goes hungry. I can’t think of more meaningful work.”

“Our food insecure children need this additional support now more than ever,” said Caroline County Public School’s Food Service Supervisor Beth Brewster. “Choptank Health’s initiative and help with providing fresh produce will help bring more healthy food choices to those in need.”

Choptank Health Director of Community Based Programs Chrissy Bartz PA-C, MMS says her School-Based Health Center team is currently planning the logistics of the program, with details to be announced in April.

“The health and nutrition education provided by our providers in the SBHCs, coupled with the distribution of the produce prescriptions, will allow an opportunity for families to select and prepare local produce together, and continue our conversations around healthy diet with everyone in the home”, said Bartz. “This outreach with farmer’s markets and produce stands will be a great way to meet the needs of children facing food insecurities.”

Choptank Health operates 32 School-Based Health Centers in Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, and Talbot County Public Schools, offering medical and/or dental services for enrolled K-12 students. The school-based health centers are open during the school day and provide in-person, virtual, and curbside well and urgent care to enrolled students and school staff, with other services including health education, risk assessment, physical exams, dietary support, asthma management, sick/acute care, and more.

Choptank Community Health System provides medical and dental services in Caroline, Dorchester, and Talbot counties, with a mission to provide access to exceptional, comprehensive, and integrated health care for all. Choptank Community Health’s medical services include primary health care, women’s health, pediatrics, behavioral health, chronic health management, and care navigation, with new medical patients now being accepted. More information is at www.choptankhealth.org.

About No Kid Hungry

No child should go hungry in America. But in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, 1 in 6 kids could face hunger this year. No Kid Hungry is working to end childhood hunger by helping launch and improve programs that give all kids the healthy food they need to thrive. This is a problem we know how to solve. No Kid Hungry is a campaign of Share Our Strength, an organization committed to ending hunger and poverty.

Choptank Community Health System has received $750k from Caroline County to help fund the construction of its new Hayman Ave. Federalsburg facility. The new community health center is also supported with federal funding, with a spring 2024 anticipated completion date.

Choptank Health CEO Sara Rich says that its current Federalsburg health center currently sees more than 5,100 medical and dental patients in its Bloomingdale Ave. facility and has outgrown the space.

“We are extremely grateful for the County’s support of our new Federalsburg facility,” said Choptank Health CEO Sara Rich. “This investment helps prioritize the best access to quality care for Caroline County and Federalsburg residents as we move forward towards construction of this state-of-the-art new facility.”

“Having accessible health care in a modern health care facility is important for Caroline County residents,” said Caroline County Commissioner President Lary Porter. “We’re grateful for Choptank Health’s commitment to quality care, and to be able to support their new building’s construction through this funding.”

Photo: From left: Caroline County Commission Vice President Dan Franklin, Choptank Community Health System CEO Sara Rich, Caroline County Commission President Larry Porter, and Caroline County Commissioner Wilbur Levengood, Jr. gather at a recent commissioners meeting.

Choptank Community Health System announced its plans for the new 20,000square-foot Federalsburg health center in Oct. 2021, after purchasing land for its new facility on Hayman Ave. The new center also received an $829K U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration one-time capital improvement grant in support of its expanded health care infrastructure.

Architectural and engineering firm George, Miles & Buhr, LLC of Salisbury is charged with the new facilities’ design. The new Federalsburg facility will include expanded spaces for dental and medical services, more parking, and space for Choptank Health’s residency programs and behavioral health services for patients.

GMB serves local, national, and international clients with a team of more than 90 professionals working from a network of Mid-Atlantic region offices. The firm was founded in 1960, with local architectural projects including the Onley, Eastville, and Atlantic Community Health Centers in Virginia; the Denton Health Center and Caroline County EMS Facility in Denton, Md.; and the Salisbury University Center for Entrepreneurship in Salisbury, Md.

Choptank Community Health System provides medical and dental services in Caroline, Dorchester, and Talbot counties, with a mission to provide access to exceptional, comprehensive, and integrated health care for all. Choptank Community Health’s medical services include primary health care, women’s health, pediatrics, behavioral health, chronic health management, and care navigation, with new medical patients now being accepted. More information is at choptankhealth.org.

Choptank Community Health System is celebrating National Children’s Dental Month this February by promoting the importance of good oral health for children and adolescents, including the cavity-preventing and cost-saving benefits of dental sealants.

National Children’s Dental Month is presented by the American Dental Association as a national health observance bringing together thousands of dedicated professionals, health care providers, and educators to promote the benefits of good oral health to children, their caregivers, teachers, and many others.

Dental sealants are thin, painless plastic coatings painted on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth to prevent tooth decay. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), dental sealants can reduce tooth decay in children by 80 percent. Even so, the application of dental sealants remains underutilized as less than half of children and adolescents have dental sealants on their teeth.

“Children’s teeth are meant to last a lifetime, and a healthy smile is important to a child’s self-esteem,” said Choptank Health Chief Dental Officer Sandra Garbely- Kerkovich, DMD. “We’re so glad to begin seeing our pediatric and school-based dental patients again for their dental sealant applications and their annual checkups. With proper care, a balanced diet and regular dental visits, our children’s teeth can remain healthy and strong.

“Our pediatric dental teams are also here to help educate parents,” says Garbely-Kerkovich. “We’re here to share the best ways for children to take care of their teeth, including when children should have their first dental visit, ways to prevent early childhood tooth decay, when to expect changes from primary to permanent teeth, proper brushing and flossing techniques, thumb sucking, dental sealants, choosing the right mouth protector for active children and adolescents, and more.”

Choptank Community Health System provides pediatric dental services for children and their families in its Cambridge, Denton, Federalsburg, Goldsboro, and St. Michaels offices.

Choptank additionally provides dental services to more than 5,500 students enrolled in its 30 School-Based Health Centers located in Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Talbot County public schools.

“For many of our Mid-Shore students, our School-Based Health Centers are their only form of health care,” says Choptank Health CEO Sara Rich. “We’re grateful for our partnerships with local schools to bring this access to dental and medical health services to our students and their families.”

Rich says Choptank’s School-Based Health Centers provide in-person, virtual, and curbside well and urgent care, along with other services including health education and risk assessment, physical exams, dietary support, asthma management, and sick or acute care.

Choptank Health’s school-based dental services are provided by a dental hygienist at participating schools throughout the school year, with medical services additionally offered to enrolled students and school staff at participating schools.

School-based dental services include sealant applications and free dental screenings—which include examinations of the teeth and all soft tissues of the mouth—along with instruction on brushing and flossing, and education on the importance of eating healthy foods in good oral hygiene. Choptank Health’s dental case manager works with families in dental care coordination as a follow-up to the screenings.

Choptank Health recently announced a new primary care mobile health unit is being used to provide more accessibility to Choptank Health’s medical and dental School-Based Health Center services.

“The mobile unit provides us with the capability to truly meet our students where they are,” said Rich. “The unit will travel to Mid-Shore schools during the school year to help provide school-based medical and dental services.”

Rich says the mobile primary care unit will also be used over the summer months to provide a platform for Choptank Health’s migrant program team to visit various farms, agricultural nurseries, and crab houses across the Shore.”

“Dental health is so important to your overall health,” said Garbely-Kerkovich. “Healthy minds and bodies help support our children’s academic successes. Our School-Based Health Centers play a big part in helping to serve children and their families.”

Choptank Health’s dental services and offices are listed at www.choptankhealth.org, with student enrollment in Choptank Health’s School-Based Health Centers made by contacting your student’s Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, or Talbot County public school.