Multiple cardiovascular centers associated with the University of Maryland Shore Regional Health (UM SRH) have re-earned the industry gold standard in echocardiography accreditation.

Cardiovascular Diagnostic Centers at UM Shore Medical Centers at Chestertown and Easton, and at Shore Medical Pavilions at Cambridge, Easton and Queenstown, have earned renewed three-year Echocardiography Reaccreditation by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC). UM SRH has been accredited through the IAC since 1991, earning it the Bronze distinction of being accredited for 20 consecutive years. The Bronze distinction also recognizes UM SRH’s continued commitment to improvement and quality patient care in echocardiography.

According to Melissa Svehla, Manager, Cardiovascular Services, UM Shore Regional Health, “We are proud to have been a part of this program since the IAC’s inception. This is truly a testament to the dedication of our entire team and the pride each team member takes in providing the best care to our patients.”

Echocardiography is used to assess different areas of the heart and can detect heart disease or signs of serious conditions. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, followed closely by stroke, the fourth highest cause of death.

Photo: Shown with echocardiography equipment are Bruce Helmly, MD, Medical Director, Non-invasive Cardiovascular Diagnostics, UM Shore Regional Health; Melissa Svehla,Manager, Cardiovascular Services, UM Shore Regional Health; and Hilary Schmitt MBA, BSN, RN, Regional Director, Heart and Vascular Center at UM Shore Regional Health.

“Twenty years of accreditation underscores our long-term commitment to provide the highest quality service to the community,” said Bruce Helmly, MD, Medical Director, Non-invasive Cardiovascular Diagnostics, UM Shore Regional Health.“More than 20 years ago, the original Chesapeake Cardiology group began working with Gary Jones, then-director of Cardio-Pulmonary Services for Shore Regional Health to offer echocardiography services for our patients. And together, along with Melissa Svehla, we have built an outstanding high-quality service for communities throughout the five counties of the Eastern Shore that UM Shore Regional Health serves.”

IAC accreditation is a “seal of approval” that patients can rely on. This reaccreditation signifies that all five facilities have undergone an intensive application and review process and have demonstrated a commitment to quality patient care in echocardiography, including accuracy and equipment standards.

The IAC is a nonprofit organization in operation to evaluate and accredit facilities that provide diagnostic imaging and interventional-based procedures, thus improving the quality of patient care provided in private offices, clinics and hospitals. Committed to its mission through a rigorous peer review process, the IAC has granted accreditation to more than 14,000 sites since its inception in 1991.

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 an academic private health system, focused on delivering compassionate, high quality care and putting discovery and innovation into practice at the bedside. Partnering with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland, Baltimore who educate the state’s future health care professionals, UMMS is an integrated network of care, delivering 25 percent of all hospital care in urban, suburban and rural communities across the state of Maryland. UMMS puts academic medicine within reach through primary and specialty care delivered at 11 hospitals, including the flagship University of Maryland Medical Center, the System’s anchor institution in downtown Baltimore, as well as through a network of University of Maryland Urgent Care centers and more than 150 other locations in 13 counties. For more information, visit www.umms.org.

Warmer weather and the end of the pandemic have created more opportunities for community engagement, and University of Maryland Shore Regional Health’s Shore Community Outreach Team (SCOT) is making the most of these opportunities.

“Mind, Body and Soul – Exploring Mental Health in the African American Community” was the focus of a half-day, free event on Saturday, April 29, at Minary’s Dream Alliance in Chestertown. Sponsored by SCOT in collaboration with the African American Women’s Health Committee and Minary’s Dream Alliance, the event attracted 40 community members.

At a health fair at Calvert Heights Apartments in Chestertown on May 20, SCOT team members provided 15 blood pressure screenings and provided five automatic blood pressure cuffs to screening participants who did not have cuffs at home. They also checked six individuals’ HgA1c readings.

For Older Americans Day at the Amy Lynn Ferris Adult Activity Center in Chestertown on May 23, SCOT staff provided a presentation on how organize your health care to a group of 20 attendees.

Moving outdoors, SCOT used grant funding from the Midshore Health Improvement Coalition to revitalize the community garden beds planted last year in three locations: Chesapeake Villa in Rock Hall, My Abode in Worton, and Hope Community Alliance at Rock Hall Church of God in Edesville.

“Late April and May were busy for us and June will be as well,” said SCOT Nurse Coordinator Emily Welsh, MSN, RN. “We have a number of community outreach activities in the works for this month, including a collaboration with Choptank Community Health and Angelica Nurseries to create an educational program about heat exhaustion prevention for migrant farm workers.”

SCOT will also provide blood pressure and HgA1c screenings at two Chestertown locations: Recovery in Motion’s Backyard Bash on Saturday, June 24; and atBrookmeadow Apartments on Thursday, June 29.

SCOT’s mission is to improve the health of Kent and northern Queen Anne’s counties by collaborating with partner organizations to bring health care access and support services to residents in their home settings and at convenient community sites. In addition to Welsh, the team includes social worker Michelle Mathews, two community advocates, Serenity Kelly, CCHW, and Amanda Webster; and Social Worker Michelle Matthews, MSW, LSCW-C. To learn more about SCOT programs, request services or make a referral, call 410-778-3300, ext. 5644.

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 an academic private health system, focused on delivering compassionate, high quality care and putting discovery and innovation into practice at the bedside. Partnering with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland, Baltimore who educate the state’s future health care professionals, UMMS is an integrated network of care, delivering 25 percent of all hospital care in urban, suburban and rural communities across the state of Maryland. UMMS puts academic medicine within reach through primary and specialty care delivered at 11 hospitals, including the flagship University of Maryland Medical Center, the System’s anchor institution in downtown Baltimore, as well as through a network of 10 University of Maryland Urgent Care centers and more than 150 other locations in 13 counties. For more information, visit www.umms.org.

University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Easton, a member organization of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), has received an “A” Hospital Safety Grade in The Leapfrog Group’s fall 2023 reporting period. This marks the sixth consecutive period that the hospital has received an ‘A’.

Leapfrog’s Hospital Safety Grade is a national distinction recognizing a hospital’s achievements in providing safer healthcare by protecting patients from preventable harm and errors.

“We are very proud to once again receive an “A” rating from The Leapfrog Group,” said Ken Kozel, President and CEO, UM Shore Regional Health. “This achievement reflects the tremendous dedication and commitment of our doctors, nurses and all team members to provide the safest, highest-quality medical care to our patients.”

“I applaud the hospital leadership and workforce for their strong commitment to safety and transparency,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “An ‘A’ Safety Grade is a sign that hospitals are continuously evaluating their performance, so that they can best protect patients. Your hospital team should be extremely proud of their dedication and achievement.”

The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization with a 10-year history of assigning letter grades to general hospitals throughout the United States, based on a hospital’s ability to prevent medical errors and harm to patients. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent, and free to the public. Hospital Safety Grade results are based on more than 30 national performance measures and are updated each fall and spring.

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 an academic private health system, focused on delivering compassionate, high quality care and putting discovery and innovation into practice at the bedside. Partnering with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland, Baltimore who educate the state’s future health care professionals, UMMS is an integrated network of care, delivering 25 percent of all hospital care in urban, suburban and rural communities across the state of Maryland. UMMS puts academic medicine within reach through primary and specialty care delivered at 11 hospitals, including the flagship University of Maryland Medical Center, the System’s anchor institution in downtown Baltimore, as well as through a network of University of Maryland Urgent Care centers and more than 150 other locations in 13 counties. For more information, visit www.umms.org.

University of Maryland Shore RegionalHealth(UM SRH) celebrated National Donate Life Month during April, honoring organ donors and bringing awareness to saving or enhancing lives through organ, eye and tissue donation.

Activities included raising the Donate Life flag at the entrance of Shore Medical Center at Easton and remarks from William Huffner, MD, UM SRH’s Chief Medical Officer, about the meaning of organ donation and expressing gratitude to patients and families who gave the gift of life in 2023.

“Local donors save local lives,” Dr. Huffner said. “In Maryland, there are more than 2,700 people currently on the transplant waiting list. One organ donor can save up to eight people and one tissue donor may enhance the lives of up to 75 people.”

Debbi McRann, Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer of Infinite Legacy, expressed gratitude to donor families and to UM SRH; Deacon Steve Gunther, Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Parish, ended the assembly with prayer

In partnership with Infinite Legacy, a non-profit organization that collaborates and facilitates donation and transplantation in area hospitals, UM SRH facilitated three organ donations in 2022, saving 11 lives, and 13 tissue donations, improving the lives of almost 1,000 patients. In Maryland, the thoughtful generosity of 45 deceased organ donors has led to dozens of transplants in 2023.

“Thanks to the generosity of donors and their families, and the dedication of healthcare and transplant professionals, thousands of lives are saved or vastly improved through organ and tissue donation,” said Chris Wright, Hospital Donation Coordinator. “Our donor families are comforted in knowing that, even in death, their loved one is helping others.”

“At Shore Regional Health, we are committed to caring for patients from birth to death, and also to those who make the renewal of life possible for others,” said Ken Kozel, President and CEO, UM SRH. “We support and stand behind the families and loved ones of these patients who have selflessly donated life so that others may have a second chance at it.”

During the past 30 years, UM Shore Regional Health has facilitated over 40 organ donations and 133 tissue donations.

To register as an organ donor, visit the Maryland Vehicle Administration while obtaining or renewing a driver’s license or state ID, or visit Infinite Legacy at infinitelegacy.org.

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 an academic private health system, focused on delivering compassionate, high quality care and putting discovery and innovation into practice at the bedside. Partnering with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland, Baltimore who educate the state’s future health care professionals, UMMS is an integrated network of care, delivering 25 percent of all hospital care in urban, suburban and rural communities across the state of Maryland. UMMS puts academic medicine within reach through primary and specialty care delivered at 11 hospitals, including the flagship University of Maryland Medical Center, the System’s anchor institution in downtown Baltimore, as well as through a network of University of Maryland Urgent Care centers and more than 150 other locations in 13 counties. For more information, visit www.umms.org.

Kendall Dixon, BS, RRT, a respiratory therapist with University of Maryland Shore Regional Health (UM SRH), recently received the “Rookie Therapist of the Year” award from the Maryland/District of Columbia (MD/DC) Society for Respiratory Care (SRC).

“We are so excited, not only at the Respiratory Services department level, but within UM Shore Regional Health as a whole, for Kendall to have won the “Rookie of the Year” award, said Steve Eisemann, BS, RRT, Director, Respiratory Services, UM Shore Regional Health. “Kendall represents everything our department and our organization stand for: A focus on making sure we deliver high quality, efficient patient care.”

Dixon, a resident of Greensboro, Md., began working with UM SRH in 2022 after finishing her clinical rotations at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton. Dixon said she enjoyed her clinical rotations and the UM SRH staff so much that she decided to add an additional summer and winter clinical rotation to her schedule, prior to finishing her degree requirements. She graduated from Salisbury University in May 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Therapy and sat for her Registered Therapist certification exams soon after graduation.

“Being considered, nominated and ultimately selected for this prestigious award displays only a trace of the encouragement that personnel at UM Shore Regional Health receive,” Dixon said. ”I am blessed to share success with the incredible individuals that make up our team.”

Nominated by numerous colleagues at UM SRH, Dixon received the award at the SRC’s ceremony, where details of her nominations were shared. One nominator wrote, “During the worst part of the COVID-19 pandemic surge at UM Shore Regional Health, during 2021 and 2022, Kendall came on board to our team as a senior extern during former Governor Larry Hogan’s emergency order. She worked as an “extender” to our respiratory therapists and made a massive difference in our ability to care for an overwhelming number of patients. Not only was she attending classes at Salisbury University while paying for summer and winter internships with Shore, she also worked nights and weekends when we needed her in order to help us through the worst part of the COVID surge.”

“We were so busy that our staff was working overtime on a regular basis,” wrote another nominator. “With an increase of very sick COVID patients, our hospital, like many others, saw full units and our workload was immense. She was a great help to our department and she worked tirelessly to ensure our team members were covered and our patients were well-taken care of.”

“Kendall is a breath of fresh air,” another nominator wrote. “She is fully committed to learning and growing in this position with Shore Regional Health, and providing exceptional care to our communities.”

The MD/DC Society for Respiratory Care “Rookie Therapist of the Year” award recipient is selected by a committee. Criteria for recognition include exceptional service to the profession and/or place of employment; leadership in the field of respiratory care at the local, state or national level; involvement in the development and implementation of innovative strategies/protocols that improve the delivery of respiratory care or enhances the practice of respiratory care; exceptional team leadership skills that motivate others to higher standards of care and practice and advancement in degrees, credentials and/or specialty practice. The therapist must be in their first two years of working as a licensed respiratory therapist in order to be eligible for recognition.

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 an academic private health system, focused on delivering compassionate, high quality care and putting discovery and innovation into practice at the bedside. Partnering with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland, Baltimore who educate the state’s future health care professionals, UMMS is an integrated network of care, delivering 25 percent of all hospital care in urban, suburban and rural communities across the state of Maryland. UMMS puts academic medicine within reach through primary and specialty care delivered at 11 hospitals, including the flagship University of Maryland Medical Center, the System’s anchor institution in downtown Baltimore, as well as through a network of University of Maryland Urgent Care centers and more than 150 other locations in 13 counties. For more information, visit www.umms.org

A new, state-of-the-art Senographe Pristina 3D mammography machine with tomosynthesis is the most recent addition to the Eleanor and Ethel Leh Women’s Center at UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown. Designed by women, for women, this new equipment offers a more comfortable mammogram experience, with adjustments made for better positioning and compression, and improved image quality. Proper positioning and better image quality reduce the need for repeat scans.

The Leh Women’s Center team sees nearly 500 patients a month for screening and diagnostic mammograms. This past January, the hospital decided to upgrade the Leh Women’s Center’s nine-year-old machine. The new Senographe Pristina was installed in early April and went online with its first patients undergoing mammography on April 12.

“We are excited about the upgrade of our mammography machine,” said Dennis Welsh, Vice President, Rural Health Transformation, and Executive Director, UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown. “We are up-and-running with a brand-new unit, operated by the same highly skilled, compassionate and experienced staff you have trusted all along.”

UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown’s leadership and Leh Women’s Center mammography team members held a pink ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the addition of the new machine.

“We are offering patients an exam that is more comfortable and accurate, and the patient can be confident in their results,” said Penny Olivi, Director, Radiology Services, UM Shore Regional Health. “I am excited we can offer this new, state-of-the-art machine to our Leh Women’s Center patients and our Kent County community.”

Photo: From left, Lara Wilson, Director, Rural Health Care Transformation at UM Shore Medical Center Chestertown; mammography technologists Jordan Boone, RT(R)(M), and Abby Spence, RT(R)(M); Lead Mammography Technologist Connie Branham, RT(R)(M), CN-BI; mammography technologist Susan Herr, RT(R)(M); Penny Olivi, MBA, RT, CRA, FAHRA, Director, Imaging Services, UM Shore Regional Health; and Dennis Welsh, Vice President, Rural Health Transformation, and Executive Director, UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown.

Screening mammograms are a necessary preventive measure in maintaining breast health. A mammogram screening is appropriate for all who are considered high risk due to family history of breast cancer or other factors, and any patient over age 40. Using an X-ray to take pictures of the breast, the screening is used to detect the presence of breast cancer, even in those patients who have no sign or symptom of the disease. Getting a routine breast exam and annual screening mammogram can help detect cancer early, improving the chance it can be treated successfully.

Leh Women’s Center Lead Mammography TechnologistConnie Branham, RT (R) (M), CN-BI said it was early detection that caught her own breast cancer in 2020.

“The Leh Women’s Center has paved the way in cutting-edge mammography technology on the Eastern Shore,” Branham said. “My cancer was found early thanks to mammography. Early detection is key. I am also fortunate in that my entire breast cancer team is all within Shore Regional Health.”

Branham said she and her entire team have advanced certification in mammography. Branham also has additional certification in Breast Imaging Patient Navigation from the National Consortium of Breast Centers.

In 2013, the Leh Women’s Center at UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown was the first UM Shore Regional Health facility to begin offering 3D mammography technology to patients. Today, all UM Shore Regional Health diagnostic centers have 3D mammography technology.

To schedule a mammogram at the Eleanor and Ethel Leh Women’s Center in Chestertown, patients should contact their primary care physician or women’s health physician for a screening mammogram order and then call Central Scheduling at 443-225-7474 to schedule an appointment. UM SRH customer service representatives are trained to assist patients in finding the best location to fit their medical imaging needs, so they can take care of all of their imaging orders, close to home, in as few visits as possible.

Information regarding our other Diagnostic and Imaging locations is also available by visiting umshoreregional.org.

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 an academic private health system, focused on delivering compassionate, high quality care and putting discovery and innovation into practice at the bedside. Partnering with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland, Baltimore who educate the state’s future health care professionals, UMMS is an integrated network of care, delivering 25 percent of all hospital care in urban, suburban and rural communities across the state of Maryland. UMMS puts academic medicine within reach through primary and specialty care delivered at 11 hospitals, including the flagship University of Maryland Medical Center, the System’s anchor institution in downtown Baltimore, as well as through a network of University of Maryland Urgent Care centers and more than 150 other locations in 13 counties. For more information, visit www.umms.org.

Chester River Health Foundation (CRHF) recently appointed Chestertown resident Clara A. Rankin, Esq., to its Board of Directors for a three-year term. Chester River Health Foundation raises funds to enhance excellence in health care at University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Chestertown.

Rankin, a retired attorney and teacher, has lived part-time in the Chestertown area with her husband and children since 1999. They became full-time residents in 2021.

“I am an advocate for our community, for the people in it and for quality treatment for all. As a retired litigator, parent, court-appointed guardian and disabled person, I have wide-ranging exposure to medical health systems, which will benefit my work with the Foundation,” said Rankin. “I am honored to bring my world-view and small-town pride to the Foundation, and to assist in its most worthy goals and services.”

“Clara has a wealth of knowledge in both law and health care,” said Richard Barker, chair, CRHF. “We are grateful that she is sharing her time and talents for the benefit of community health care.”

In addition to Barker, Rankin joins other members of the CRHF Board: Sandra Bjork, Esq., Vice Chair; Jack Edson, Secretary; Libby Woolever, Assistant Secretary; Sue Edson, Hospital Auxiliary President; JoAnne Hahey, CFO, UM Shore Regional Health and FoundationTreasurer; Ken Kozel, President and CEO, UM Shore Regional Health and FoundationPresident; Carol Hilty Droge; Michael Faust; Kristen Owen; and Sigrid Whaley.

For more information about the Foundation’s efforts, please contact Maryann Ruehrmund, Executive Director, 410-810-5660 or visit the Foundation’s web site at www.umcrhf.org.

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 an academic private health system, focused on delivering compassionate, high quality care and putting discovery and innovation into practice at the bedside. Partnering with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland, Baltimore who educate the state’s future health care professionals, UMMS is an integrated network of care, delivering 25 percent of all hospital care in urban, suburban and rural communities across the state of Maryland. UMMS puts academic medicine within reach through primary and specialty care delivered at 11 hospitals, including the flagship University of Maryland Medical Center, the System’s anchor institution in downtown Baltimore, as well as through a network of 10 University of Maryland Urgent Care centers and more than 150 other locations in 13 counties. For more information, visit www.umms.org.