Tomorrow, member organizations of the University of Maryland Medical System will join the World Health Organization’s World Patient Safety Day (WPSD) movement to recognize patient safety issue as a global health priority.  This year’s theme for WPSD is “Health Worker Safety: A Priority for Patient Safety.”

Observing WPSD, UMMS is highlighting the importance of keeping health care workers safe and promoting patient safety, two issues critically important especially during the time of the global COVID-19 pandemic. A significant focus during COVID-19 is encouraging and reminding individuals to wear a mask to protect everyone, including those who care for our sickest individuals. All UMMS member organizations will be promoting this effort across their campuses and social media properties on September 17.

“We are all in this together and are fully supportive of recognizing patient safety as a global health priority,” said Mohan Suntha, MD, MBA, President and CEO of UMMS. “As a System, nothing is more important than keeping our patients and employees safe. I have been impressed by how our System has truly come together as OneUMMS during our COVID-19 response, which has benefitted our patients and those in the communities we serve across the state.”

World Patient Safety Day was established by the 72nd World Health Assembly in May 2019 with a goal of bringing together health workers, patients, families, care-givers, communities, health care leaders and policy-makers to demonstrate commitment to health worker safety and patient safety. The overall objectives of World Patient Safety Day include enhancing the global understanding of patient safety, increasing public engagement in the safety of health care and promoting global actions to enhance patient safety and reduce patient harm. The origin of the Day is firmly grounded in the fundamental principle of medicine – First, do no harm.

UMMS has a workforce of 28,000 employees and delivers approximately 25 percent of all hospital care in Maryland.

About the University of Maryland Medical System

The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) is a university-based regional health care system focused on serving the health care needs of Maryland, bringing innovation, discovery and research to the care we provide and educating the state’s future physician and health care professionals through our partnership with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the UM Schools of Nursing, Pharmacy, Social Work and Dentistry in Baltimore. As one of the largest private employers in the State, the health system’s 28,000 employees and 4,000 affiliated physicians provide primary and specialty care in more than 150 locations and at 13 hospitals. UMMS’ flagship academic campus, the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore is partnered with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and is recognized regionally and nationally for excellence and innovation in specialized care.  Our acute care and specialty rehabilitation hospitals serve urban, suburban and rural communities and are located in 13 counties across the State. In addition, UMMS operates health insurance plans serving Medicare and Medicaid members. For more information, visit www.umms.org.

The College of American Pathologists (CAP) announced this past spring that University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Chestertown and UM Shore Medical Center at Dorchester’s laboratories successfully met the Laboratory Accreditation Program Standards for Accreditation. This is Chestertown’s 15th bi-annual re-accreditation and Dorchester’s 19th bi-annual re-accreditation of this gold standard accomplishment.

“Chestertown has shown high standards of laboratory excellence since their first inspection in 1991. Dorchester has been participating since 1983, displaying a high standard of excellence in each inspection,” says Juliana Hospodor, director, Laboratory Services, UM Shore Regional Health. “Our teams continuously work to maintain the high standard of care expected by CAP.”

As part of the accreditation process, participating laboratories also do peer inspections of other hospital labs. Recently, UM SMC at Chestertown’s Laboratory Services team received a letter of commendation from CAP for their inspection of another laboratory.

CAP awards accreditation every two years and laboratories must maintain continuous compliance throughout their accreditation term. UM Shore Medical Center at Easton and UM Shore Emergency Center at Queenstown were re-accredited in 2019. This is the 25th re-accreditation of UM SMC at Easton’s Laboratory, which began participating in CAP accreditation in 1971. UM SEC at Queenstown first became accredited in 2011.

“I want to congratulate our entire team on this achievement, as together we help to provide excellence in laboratory medicine services for UM Shore Regional Health,” says Hospodor. “We strive to provide the very best in laboratory medicine to the people of the Eastern Shore each day. This is a significant accomplishment and we are pleased to offer such a high quality commitment to our communities and the patients we serve.”

The College of American Pathologists serves patients, pathologists and the public by fostering and advocating excellence in the practice of laboratory medicine; and the CAP Laboratory Accreditation Program is the gold standard for laboratory practices throughout the world. For 70 years, CAP has fostered excellence in laboratories and advanced the practice of pathology and laboratory science. There are currently more than 4,800 laboratories in Maryland – but only 130 have achieved CAP Accreditation. The laboratories at UM Shore Regional Health have been participating in the CAP Accreditation program for almost 50 years.

About UM 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 2,600 employees, medical staff, board members and volunteers work with various community partners to fulfill the organization’s mission of Creating Healthier Communities Together.

The congregation of Hurlock United Methodist Church recently donated $2624 to UM Memorial Hospital Foundation to benefit the Wig Room at the Cancer Center at UM Shore Regional Health. Pastor Joan Brooks presented the check to Jeanie Scott, Oncology Services manager, earlier this month.

According to Scott, Pastor Brooks indicated that the congregation was inspired to give because of one of their members has been undergoing cancer treatment. They wanted to do something to honor her journey, and once Pastor Brooks put out the call, members responded very generously within a week’s time.

“Patients who undergo cancer care often have physical changes,” says Scott. “Those changes that are easily visible can add to an already stressful ordeal.  Gifts like these can make a world of difference! We are extremely appreciative for the generosity of the Hurlock United Methodist parishioners’ generosity.”

About UM 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 2,600 employees, medical staff, board members and volunteers work with various community partners to fulfill the organization’s mission of Creating Healthier Communities Together.

UM Memorial Hospital Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization serving the fundraising needs of UM Shore Medical Center at Easton and UM Shore Regional Health. Through its philanthropic efforts, the Foundation supports UM Shore Regional Health’s ability to provide quality healthcare to the local community by contributing to hospital programs and services.

University of Maryland Memorial Hospital Foundation will host Part II of the three-part series “Getting Your Affairs in Order” on Tuesday,September 15, 2020 from 12p.m. to 1 p.m. via Zoom.

“Basic Estate Planning” will discuss essential estate planning documents, living trusts, property titling, beneficiary designations and ensuring a legacy for one’s loved ones.

The seminar will feature guest presenters Diana Johnson, Employee Benefits Broker and Consultant, Avon-Dixon, an Alera Group Agency, LLC and JoRhea Nagel Wright, Esquire and Partner, Armistead, Lee, Rust & Wright, P.A.

This seminar is free and open to the public; pre-registration is required.The final seminar in this series is Getting Your Affairs in Order:  Part III-Avoiding Potential Titling Pitfalls and is scheduled for Tuesday October 13, 2020. For more information or to register, please contact Janet Andrews,410-822-1000, ext. 5792, or janet@umm.edu.

About UM 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 2,600 employees, medical staff, board members and volunteers work with various community partners to fulfill the organization’s mission of Creating Healthier Communities Together.

UM Memorial Hospital Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization serving the fundraising needs of UM Shore Medical Center at Easton and UM Shore Regional Health. Through its philanthropic efforts, the Foundation supports UM Shore Regional Health’s ability to provide quality healthcare to the local community by contributing to hospital programs and services.

The Heart and Vascular Center at University of Maryland Shore Regional Health has received the Mission: Lifeline® Gold Plus Receiving Quality Achievement Award for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association for the treatment of patients who suffer severe heart attacks.The Cardiac Intervention Center, located in UM Shore Medical Center at Easton, has been in operation since February 2018.

Winning this award required the CIC to meet specific criteria and standards of performance for quick and appropriate treatment through emergency procedures to re-establish blood flow to blocked arteries in heart attack patients coming into the hospital directly or by transfer from another facility.

“We are proud to have met these guidelines outlined by Mission: Lifeline®. The national target for these patients entering a facility and having blood flow restored, or ‘Door to Balloon’ time, is 90 minutes. Shore Regional Health’s cardiologists and Cardiac Intervention Team are meeting that target time and then some. We are achieving ‘door to balloon’ times of under 60 minutes more than 98 percent of the time,” says Stephen Eisemann, interim director, Heart and Vascular Center, UM SRH.

UM Shore Medical Center at Easton was issued a four-year accreditation as a Cardiac Intervention Center in 2019 following a Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS) survey.

Every year, more than 250,000 people experience an ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), the deadliest type of heart attack, caused by a blockage of blood flow to the heart that requires timely treatment.

The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline®program’s goal is to reduce system barriers to prompt treatment for heart attacks. The initiative provides tools, training and other resources to support heart attack care.

“This is a wonderful accomplishment that takes tremendous dedication and sacrifice from all those involved,” says Eisemann. “The award is made possible by the collaboration between our emergency departments and other units within our hospitals, and our emergency medical services teams throughout our five-county region. These team efforts are vital to patient survival.”

According to Eisemann,EMS team members evaluate patients during transport to initiate treatment and to activate the Cath Lab Call Team process. At UM Shore Medical Center in Easton, cardiac interventionists work quickly with a team of nurses and technologists to perform emergent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). PCI is a minimally invasive procedure that opens up blood vessels in the heart that have been narrowed by plaque buildup.

Before the CIC designation in 2018, patients in the region experiencing STEMI heart attacks (ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction) were transferred to the closest CIC that offered treatments for this type of heart attack, which occurs in about 15 to 20 percent of all heart attack patients. Many STEMI heart attack patients were transported by ambulance or helicopter to hospitals in Annapolis, Salisbury, Delaware or Baltimore. Travel times alone pushed the boundaries of the desired target time of under 90 minutes, and optimally within 60 minutes.

“Having the Cardiovascular Intervention Center— and particularly providing primary PCI treatments — is a rare gift to a rural area,” says Dr. Jeffrey Etherton,medical director, Interventional Cardiology, UM SRH. “Every minute counts when it comes to patient survival. I am so proud of our CIC teams and so grateful for community partnerships like the ones we have with Emergency Medical Services in our five county-region.”

Eisemann said Shore Regional Health is dedicated to providing quality care for heart attack patients.

“Our program is unique because we are providing services to three acute care hospitals and four emergency departments. Our ability to provide this high level of care to our community is completely dependent on ensuring that these services are available 24/7, 365 by our dedicated staff, who are always on call, to respond within 30 minutes of a STEMI emergency.”

About UM 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 2,600 employees, medical staff, board members and volunteers work with various community partners to fulfill the organization’s mission of Creating Healthier Communities Together.

University of Maryland Memorial Hospital Foundation has announced plans for its 6th Annual Sporting Clays Classic, scheduled for Saturday, October 24, at The Point at Pintail in Queenstown. Proceeds from the event will be dedicated to the purchase of a Faxitron machine for the Clark Comprehensive Breast Center. The Faxitron is used by surgeons to evaluate an area that has been identified for removal by mammography.

This year’s Sporting Clays Classic will feature 75 targets, lunch for participants and various prizes, raffles and a silent auction. Participant registration will begin at 8 a.m. with the shoot beginning at 9:15 a.m. Registration fees are $125 per individual and $500 per team of four.

UM Memorial Hospital Foundation and The Point at Pintail will be following State of Maryland COVID-19 mandates and guidelines. Face coverings and social distancing are required when outside, on the course, and when inside the clubhouse.

This year’s sponsors include:

Champion Sponsor – Bosom Buddies Charities, Inc.

Tournament Sponsors – Paul & Joanne Prager, Preston Automotive Group, Jack & Susan Stoltz, The Auxiliary of Memorial Hospital at Easton and The Maggie Ferree Fund.

High Flyer Sponsors – ATTRACTION Magazine, Bullock Construction, Inc., Provident State Bank, RETAY USA, The Point at Pintail, The Star Democrat and Willow Construction, LLC.

Pro Sponsors – Cambridge Marketplace, CBIZ, Inc., Gillis Gilkerson, Inc., Shore United Bank, Tidewater Anesthesia Associates, P.A. and WIN Transport.

Course Sponsors – ChoiceOne Urgent Care, Ewing, Dietz, Fountain and Kaludis, P.A., Garden Treasures, LLC, Home Instead Senior Care, KDB Landscapes, Klein Enterprises, Nancy Morton, The Orthopedic Center, RBC Wealth Management and VFW Post 7464 Grasonville.

Sponsorship opportunities are still available.

Last year, the Clark Comprehensive Breast Center team provided breast care to more than 3,100 patients, diagnosing more than 145 new cases of breast cancer. These numbers continue to rise each year.

“We are deeply grateful for the community’s commitment to help ensure we have state-of-the-art equipment for diagnosis and treatment,” says Roberta J. Lilly, MD, medical director of the Clark Comprehensive Breast Center. “The Faxitron allows us to capture digital images of specimens that can be sent to Radiology immediately, thus reducing the time a patient in anesthetized.”

Registration for the Sporting Clays Classic is available online at ummhfoundation.org/upcoming-events. For additional information and sponsorship opportunities, contact Shelley Bell, donor relations coordinator, 410-822-1000, ext. 5481 or by email, shbell@umm.edu.

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 UM Chester River Health Foundation will host its 26th annual golf fundraiser at the Chester River Yacht & Country Club in Chestertown, Maryland on Friday, September 25.

Postponed in May due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament is being sponsored for a third year by the UM Chester River Hospital Center Auxiliary and will raise funds for a new telemetry system for inpatient care at UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown.

“2020 has been an extraordinary year and this fundraiser is being held in tribute to the approximately 250 local health care heroes who, to this day, continue to fight the epic pandemic battle at the bedside at UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown,” said Maryann Ruehrmund, Foundation executive director. “Essential to our nurses, technologists and physicians’ efforts is the telemetry technology, which measures and monitors patients’ vital signs – at the bedside and through WIFI during transport. Proceeds from this event will help provide the $250,000 needed to replace our current system with new and more advanced technology.”

According to Kathy Elliott, hospital executive director, telemetry is indispensable technology and fundamental to taking care of patients, especially those with heart conditions “We would be very grateful for every community member’s support of this event, at any donation level, because the cost is a ’heavy lift‘ but attainable with wide spread support,” said Elliott.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and for the safety of all golfers and volunteers, the fundraiser is being planned with all current health, safety and social distancing precautions in place. There will be two tee times, 8:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., with a maximum of 18 foursomes per tee-time, which are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

There will be NO on-site registrations this year.  All registration forms and fees must be submitted prior to the tournament —no later than September 18^th. The Foundation respectfully requests that all sponsorships and golfer registrations be made via credit card, which can be completed by mail or by phone by calling Deb Lauser at 410-810-5661.

Because of the essential role this annual fundraiser plays in the Foundation’s ability to provide funding for the highest priority hospital equipment, this event will be held rain or shine.

For more information about the tournament and the safety precautions included in plans for the event, please contact Maryann Ruehrmund at 410-810-5660 or by email at: mruehrmund@umm.edu.

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.

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University of Maryland Shore Regional Health, in partnership with Chesapeake College, 1000 College Circle, Wye Mills, is offering free drive-through COVID-19 testing from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Mondays and Wednesdays.

Testing is primarily for those in Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties. You do not need to have symptoms or a doctor’s order to schedule a COVID test at this location, but an appointment is required. Please bring a photo ID to your appointment.

“In response to the need for more community-based COVID-19 testing, we are pleased to partner with Chesapeake College and our five county health departments in our region to provide additional drive-through testing on the Eastern Shore,” says Pam Addy, vice president, Ambulatory and Clinical Services. “We are grateful to Chesapeake College for providing a perfect, centralized location that can accommodate a large number of cars. None of this would be possible without this collaboration and we are happy to be able to offer this service to our communities.”

Addy says UM SRH is conducting almost 300 tests per week and has ramped up its ability to provide more in the future.

Turnaround time for results is typically 48 to 72 hrs. Patients should sign up for electronic access to their own results via UM SRH’s MyPortfolio online health information system, but a nurse also will call all patients who test positive and those who test negative and have not accessed their own results through the online portal.

To schedule an appointment for a free COVID-19 test, please visit https://www.umms.org/shore/coronavirus/testing-locations and follow the link to “Schedule a free COVID test online.” More information regarding other Eastern Shore testing locations also is available on the website.

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.

Don’t miss the latest! You can subscribe to The Talbot Spy‘s free Daily Intelligence Report here

University of Maryland Memorial Hospital Foundation will host a three-session informative seminar series, “Getting Your Affairs in Order,” beginning Tuesday, August 18, 2020 from 12p.m.to 1 p.m. via Zoom.

Getting Your Affairs in Order” will explore aspects of coping with life’s sudden and unanticipated personal and professional challenges, and deliver strategies for organizing your financial affairs with an eye toward planning for the unexpected.

Part 1 of the series, “Taking the First Step,” will feature guest presenters Caryn M. Sullivan, columnist and award winning author of a memoir, “Bitter or Better,” and Semene Gilden, vice president Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. Sullivan will offer a unique combination of the “why” and “how” to plan for and respond to life’s challenges.She marries her personal experiences and insights with those of others who also faced challenges and found ways to survive and thrive. Gilden will focus on how to plan for the unexpected by organizing your financial affairs.

This seminar is free and open to the public; pre-registration is required.Subsequent seminars in this series are scheduled for Tuesday, September 15 and Tuesday October 13, 2020. For more information or to register, please contact Janet Andrews,410-822-1000, ext. 5792, or janet@umm.edu.

About UM 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 2,600 employees, medical staff, board members and volunteers work with various community partners to fulfill the organization’s mission of Creating Healthier Communities Together.

UM Memorial Hospital Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization serving the fundraising needs of UM Shore Medical Center at Easton and UM Shore Regional Health. Through its philanthropic efforts, the Foundation supports UM Shore Regional Health’s ability to provide quality healthcare to the local community by contributing to hospital programs and services.

Don’t miss the latest! You can subscribe to The Talbot Spy‘s free Daily Intelligence Report here

Hamza Merza Abdulla, MD joined Shore Medical Group-Gastroenterology in July 2020, after completing a Gastrointestinal and Hepatology Fellowship at The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas, and previously, a Fellowship in Motility and Neurogastronterology at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.

Dr. Abdulla earned both his MD and BS degrees from Arabian Gulf University School of Medicine in Bahrain. He served as a clinical intern at Salmaniya Medical Complex in Bahrain and completed his residency in internal medicine at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, Georgia.

In addition to his clinical experience, Dr. Abdulla completed research training at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, the Medical College of Wisconsin and the Medical College of Georgia. He has published widely in the field of gastroenterology.

“We are very pleased to have Dr. Abdulla join our Gastroenterology team. His skills and experience are a much needed asset to our community” said Timothy Shanahan, DO, medical director, UM Shore Medical Group.

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.

Don’t miss the latest! You can subscribe to The Talbot Spy‘s free Daily Intelligence Report here