Lucie Hughes

Compass Regional Hospice Chief Executive Officer Heather Guerieri announced the appointment of Lucie Hughes as its Director of Mission Advancement. “I am beyond excited to have Lucie join our Compass team. She will be an integral part of our leadership team. She is highly skilled and just what we need to advance our mission and presence in the communities we serve”, said Guerieri. Hughes will oversee the newly created Mission Advancement Department including fundraising, communications, advocacy and outreach, and volunteer services.

A native of Hebron, Maryland, Hughes has more than 30 years of experience in leading fundraising, communications, public relations, legislative outreach, marketing, budget planning, alumni development, special events management and strategic planning.

Hughes comes to Compass Regional Hospice from Chesapeake College where she served as the Vice President of Institutional Advancement for 5 years. Prior to Chesapeake College, she was Vice President for Advancement at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Hughes also served as Associate Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations at Maryland Institute College of the Arts. She held a similar position at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, and was later a Vice President at Brakeley Briscoe, Inc. Consulting.

A graduate of Washington College, Hughes earned her master’s degree in management from Notre Dame of Maryland University. She is a graduate of Leadership MD ‘17, and past president and current member of Tidewater Rotary where she developed and leads Talbot Goes Purple. She currently serves as a member of the Vestry for Christ Church in Easton, and as a board member for Waterfowl Chesapeake.

Hughes joins Compass Regional Hospice at a pivotal time, as they round out their $4 million dollar capital campaign to raise funds for their expansion project, and prepare to celebrate their 35th year in business.

“Compass Regional Hospice is a crucial resource, and an integral part of our counties’ strategy to care for the physical and mental health of our community members,” Hughes said. “Our goal is to educate the public on the range of services and assistance available to both patients and caregivers. Compass is here to provide support and guidance during what can otherwise be a difficult and lonely transition.”

“We have also recently added a palliative care program, and anticipate being able to accommodate a previously overlooked category of residents who are suffering with a serious and life-limiting illness, but do not qualify for hospice services.” Hughes adds, “The rate at which our organization is growing is both thrilling and crucial, and we will continue to expand as necessary to ensure that our residents have access to the resources they need as they near end-of-life.”

To learn more about Compass Regional Hospice and the various services available, please contact 443-262-4100 or info@compassregionalhospice.org.

Compass Regional Hospice

Since 1985, Compass Regional Hospice has been dedicated to supporting people of all ages living with a serious illness, and those learning to cope following the death of a loved one. Today, the organization is a regional provider of palliative care, hospice care, and grief support in Queen Anne’s, Kent, and Caroline counties. Whether serving their patients in private residences, skilled nursing facilities, or Compass’ residential centers in Centreville and Chestertown, staff and volunteers are guided by their mission to provide comprehensive and compassionate care. Grief support services are offered to families of all patients, as well as to children and adults in the community who are grieving the loss of a loved one. 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. It is affiliated with the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and the Hospice & Palliative Care Network of Maryland. For more information about Compass Regional Hospice, call 443-262-4100 or visit compassregionalhospice.org.

Chesapeake College recognizes the importance of specialized training for first responders who may interact with individuals with disabilities including autism spectrum disorders. As a component of the college’s paramedic program, Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT’s) participate in hands-on awareness training at Benedictine during the month of April.   

Benedictine’s special education teachers, therapists, nurses, and behavioral specialists all play a role in educating the students. The small-group training on campus provides students with the tools they need to communicate and respond effectively and safely to emergency situations involving individuals with multiple disabilities.

“We call it the 17 second rule,” said Benedictine Teacher, June Ward. “It may seem like a lot, but that is the amount of time individuals need to process and respond to a direction.”

For a paramedic, those directions could be as simple as, “Where does it hurt?” An understanding of processing times and the importance of visual cues, such as a picture, can be keys to effective communication during an emergency.

“My experience here so far has been truly eye opening,” said EMT and paramedic student, Bradley Garner. “I can see how each individual is different and how our approach has to be case specific with a tailored treatment plan.”

During training, students toured different program areas and clinical services including physical therapy, Total Communication classrooms, music therapy, nurses’ station and the behavioral resource team.

While on campus, students were able to observe Benedictine’s skilled staff and the various supports and techniques they use, as well as become familiar with the clients served here. Working within this population it is important to understand the difference between mental age verse chronological age, behavioral challenges and more commonly associated medical issues.

“We’ve been able to ask about what challenges to expect when doing patient assessments, like getting blood pressure or doing a physical evaluation,” said EMT and paramedic student Brandon Givens. “I’ve learned about applying pressure as a calming technique here which could be used in the field, as well as the School’s protocols so we know how to step in if and when we get the call.”

Did you know that research and trends are indicating that children today have more early childhood trauma than their parents?

A new Children’s Health Initiative, a collaboration between the Talbot County Health Department (TCHD), Talbot County Public Schools (TCPS), and Talbot County Department of Social Services (TCDSS), provides an early intervention program for children in kindergarten through second grade with mild to moderate adjustment problems to classroom settings that produce behavioral problems. The initiative is based on studies that early childhood investments decrease the risk for many physical, behavioral, and social problems later in life.

The first year, the initiative was able to increase capacity in several areas without new county funds, however, this year, Talbot County Government is investing $100,000 in the FY2020 school health budget to support the initiative. The additional funds will predominately fund behavioral health trained workers to assist children with coping and adjustment skills, self-confidence, and interpersonal relationships using theraplay.

Fredia Wadley, MD, Health Officer, Talbot County Health Department, points to research by James J. Heckman, PhD, a Nobel Memorial Prize winner in economics and an expert in the economics of human development, which says that the best investment is in quality early childhood development from birth to five for disadvantaged children and their families. Dr. Wadley explains, “The children born now will be less prepared for success in life unless we do something during their early development to give them a healthy start.”

Heckman further explains in his research that adverse early environments across the economic spectrum create deficits in skills and abilities that drive down productivity and increase social costs—thereby adding to financial deficits borne by the public. According to research done by the Talbot County Health Department, 39 percent of Talbot County children live in single-parent households and there are 216 homeless students in Talbot County. In addition, there are a number of children in the county who are experiencing trauma with parents who have addiction and mental health problems. Multigenerational poverty, people living longer, a more mobile population, along with advances in Internet technology have all impacted this breakdown of the family support structure.

Pictured left to right are Fredia S. Wadley, MD, Health Officer, TCHD; Kelly Griffith, Superintendent, TCPS; and Linda Webb, Director, TCDSS.

Kelly Griffith, Superintendent of the Talbot County Public Schools, comments about the collaborative, “We are all working with the same families. We came to a common understanding around educating our community about early intervention and prevention so we can be more proactive.”

There had been a collaborative 10 years ago between the Talbot County Public Schools and Channel Marker, Inc. through a Substance Abuse and Mental Services Administration (SAMSA) grant which addressed some of these issues. After the grant ran out, the number of children helped in Talbot County schools was reduced from 90 students to 30 students in Kindergarten through second grade.

Dr. Wadley adds, “We looked at existing services, asking what were their capacity and where were the gaps, and started there.”

Accomplishment to date include: 1) adding a second employee to both the Healthy Families Program in TCHD and the Infant and Toddlers Program in TCPS; 2) adding a social worker to county elementary schools to support high-risk students and their families; 3) implementing a five day program with new federal dollars at the Family Support Center (Early Head Start) for children that will allow mothers to work; 4) implementing a Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Team (START) program through TCDSS and TCHD to help mothers using drugs get treatment and support for their children; 5) hosted  “Healing Neen,” the first conference on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and “Resiliency,” a movie by James Redford about what children need to cope with adversity; and 6) establishing through TCHD a telehealth program with Johns Hopkins for three specialty pediatric clinics.

Among the goals of the initiative are to 1) get children born healthy; 2)concentrate on early childhood development and the prevention and mitigation of ACEs; 3) increase the percentage with school readiness skills and competencies, and 4) provide early detection of behavioral problems and services for behavioral modification.

The Children’s Health Initiative continues to seek new partners. For All Seasons has come on board to supplement the work being done by Eastern Shore Psychological Services in the schools. Through their ACE trained professionals, For All Season is also able to provide ACE training for the community.  Corey Pack, President of the Talbot County Council, comments, “We applaud these efforts as new partners are being brought on board as the initiative moves forward.”

The group started meeting when Griffith became Superintendent of the Talbot County Public Schools and she realized she needed help in meeting the needs for her families. Linda Webb, Director of the Talbot County Department of Social Services, reflects, “Our relationship is unique. As a newcomer to Talbot County, it has been valuable in helping me to learn the landscape here. And, our work together is making a real impact on expanding services in the community.”

Dr. Wadley points to changing demographics in Talbot County and the need to educate the public about these needs. She concludes, “Not everyone is seeing the needs we have in the county. In addition, people don’t know about our services and how to use them. Sharing our resources to meet the growing needs is critical.”