University of Maryland Memorial Hospital Foundation will host an informative seminar, “Advanced Directive and the MOLST Form – Who Needs One and Why” on Saturday, March 30, 2019 from 10 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. at the Nick Rajacich Health Education Center in UM Shore Medical Center at Easton, 219 S. Washington Street in Easton.

This informational seminar will explore the difference between Medical Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (MOLST) and Advanced Directives, how to communicate your wishes through your Advanced Directive, understanding the Maryland MOLST form; and information about inpatient and outpalliative care.

Sharon Stagg, DNP and Madeline Steffens, BSN, RN

Guest presenters will be UM Shore Regional Health Palliative Care team members Sharon Stagg, nurse practitioner, and Madeline Steffens, program coordinator.A certified hospice and palliative care nurse practitioner, Stagg provides palliative care and related health services, including diagnosis, treatment and management of serious and/or chronic conditions, symptom management, advance care planning and care coordination.As program coordinator for Palliative Care, Steffens collaborates with core team members, hospital staff and community resources to provide quality palliative care to hospitalized patients. She also speaks to organizations and clubs to educate local citizens about palliative care and how it benefits patients and their families. She is certified as a hospice and palliative care nurse.

This seminar is free and open to the public; pre-registration is recommended due to limited seating. For more information or to register for the seminar, please contact Janet Andrews at (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.

UM Shore Regional Health’s Nursing Shared Leadership Global Council is wrapping up the collection drive to benefit His Hope Haven Homeless Shelter in Caroline County. On Friday, February 15, shelter manager Brian Gourley met UM SRH nurses Debby Taylor and Jakeisha Downing at the shelter to help unload a very full cargo van and give them a tour of the facility. Says Taylor, “Brian and his team at His Hope were overwhelmed by the generosity of our staff and expressed their sincere appreciation.”

His Hope Haven Homeless Shelter team manager Bryan Gourley (center) with SRH nurses Jakeisha Downing (left) and Debby Taylor (right).

According to Taylor, the drive has generated an outstanding response. “We have made three deliveries thus far and are planning another next Friday, March 1, because items have continued to come in,” she says. “Over 50 boxes of various items, in addition to several large multipacks of paper towels, bath tissue, and diapers were delivered last Friday, and 3 East staff made an earlier delivery of over 150 pounds of food items. Every single item on the wish list was donated many times over, and there were many other items — even a flat-screen TV.”

The drive was launched by the Nursing Shared Leadership Global Council’s Community Outreach Committee: Jakeisha Downing, Emergency Room, Easton; Sheila Greenwood, Case Management, Dorchester; Sam Owens, Neurology, Easton; Ashley Schreppel, Telemetry, Easton; and Debby Taylor, Same Day Surgery, Easton.

As part of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), University of Maryland Shore Regional Health is the principal provider of comprehensive health care services for more than 170,000 residents of Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Talbot counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. UM Shore Regional Health’s team of more than 2,500 employees, medical staff, board members, and volunteers works with various community partners to fulfill the organization’s mission of Creating Healthier Communities Together.

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

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

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

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

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

As part of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), University of Maryland Shore Regional Health is the principal provider of comprehensive health care services for more than 170,000 residents of Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Talbot counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. UM Shore Regional Health’s team of more than 2,500 employees, medical staff, board members, and volunteers works with various community partners to fulfill the organization’s mission of Creating Healthier Communities Together.

The UM Shore Regional Health neurosurgery team led by Khalid Kurtom, MD has taken on a new challenge – one that’s sending them to the gym once they leave the OR or the Neurosurgery practice office in Shore Medical Pavilion at Easton at the end of their day.

“As a team, we have taken on a fitness challenge,” says Dr. Kurtom, adding that all nine members of the Neurosurgery practice are in training to participate in the St. Michaels Running Festival, Saturday, May 18, 2019. “In line with the Mission ‘Creating Healthier Communities Together,’ we believe that the health of our UM Shore Regional Health employees is a great place to start.”

Neurosurgery team: front row, Kelsey Wilson, Candice Gardini, Erika Jordan and Wendy Towers; back row, Tom Bush, Cindy Yost, Robert Brault, Khalid Kurtom and Tyler Gogoll.

The Neurosurgery team is very diverse, including more than 30 years’ difference between the youngest and eldest members, and varying levels of athletic experience and fitness. Says Kurtom, “I am very proud that all of my staff members agreed to make this a team project. We hope to set an example that inspires fellow employees throughout the system — and just as important, our patients and their family members — to take their health and fitness seriously.”

In  training for the St. Michaels Running Festival are: Robert Brault, surgical technologist; Thomas Bush, staff nurse, Perioperative Services; Candice Gardini, front desk lead; Tyler Gogoll, surgical team lead; Erika Jordan, staff nurse; Khalid Kurtom, MD, medical director, System Operations, UM SRH; Wendy Towers, nurse practitioner; Kelsey Wilson, surgical coordinator; and Cindy Yost, director, Credentialing, UM SRH Medical Affairs.

For more information about the St Michaels Running Festival, visit the website, http://runstm.com/or the Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/StMichaelsRunningFestival/

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.

Residents of Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties are invited to help build a healthier community by completing the UM Shore Regional Health Survey Community Health Needs Survey.Wide participation in this online survey will help UM SRH provide much-needed outreach and wellness programs to help keep individuals and families in the region as healthy as possible.

The online survey can be accessed at this link:  https://umshoreregional.org/survey and is open until February 28, 2019.

As part of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), University of Maryland Shore Regional Health is the principal provider of comprehensive health care services for more than 170,000 residents of Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Talbot counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. UM Shore Regional Health’s team of more than 2,500 employees, medical staff, board members, and volunteers works with various community partners to fulfill the organization’s mission of Creating Healthier Communities Together.

The Meoli Companies/McDonald’s® and local owner/operator Mike Meoli recently pledged $100,000 to UM Memorial Hospital Foundation to provide assistance to cancer patients receiving treatment at the Clark Comprehensive Breast Center at UM Shore Regional Health. Providing support to patients during their cancer journey is personal for Mr. Meoli as his wife of 24 years, Kelli, is a 15-year breast cancer survivor and registered nurse.

“We are very fortunate to operate restaurants in communities all across the Eastern Shore, and part of that means recognizing ways we can make the biggest impact in every one of them,” Mike Meoli said. “When we discovered the opportunity to fund a second 3-D tomosynthesis mammography machine for the Clark Comprehensive Breast Center, it was a no brainer for us. The dedicated medical staff, exceptional facilities and the level of care patients receive at the Breast Center is unmatched. We are proud to support a health care system that gives back to so many during their most difficult times.”

Photo: L-R: Ken Kozel, president & CEO, UM SRH; Brittany Krautheim, CRNP, breast care nurse practitioner; Mike Meoli, owner/operator, The Meoli Companies/McDonald’s®; Roberta Lilly, MD, medical director, Clark Comprehensive Breast Center; Graham Lee, vice president, Philanthropy, UM SRH; and Brian Leutner, vice president, Clinical and Ambulatory Services.

“I want to thank Mike Meoli, the Meoli companies and McDonald’s Restaurants for stepping forward and making an important difference in breast care through this very generous pledge,” commented Graham Lee, vice president, Philanthropy, for UM Shore Regional Health. “Their support goes a long way toward our goal of acquiring the additional equipment the Clark Comprehensive Breast Center needs to provide our patients the most timely and state-of-the-art testing and evaluation.”

Mike Meoli is a second-generation McDonald’s owner/operator who has spent much of his career within the McDonald’s system. The Meoli Companies own 18 McDonald’s restaurants across Delmarva, including those in the Maryland counties of Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties.  His restaurants are consistently recognized for their outstanding achievements in customer satisfaction, superb operations, and great staff development. In 2012, Mr. Meoli was honored with McDonald’s Corporations most prestigious owner/operator award, the Golden Arch® Award, which recognizes the achievements of the top one percent of owner/operators worldwide.

Meoli is very active in his community, serving on the board of directors for the Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce and Beebe Medical Center. He is a past president of the Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce as well as a former Chairman of the Board for the Sussex Family YMCA.  He also serves as vice president of The Dresher Foundation, a Maryland-based charitable foundation established by his grandfather in 1988. Within his business field, Mr. Meoli has served his fellow McDonald’s owner/operators in numerous local, regional and national positions.

As part of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), University of Maryland Shore Regional Health is the principal provider of comprehensive health care services for more than 170,000 residents of Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Talbot counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. UM Shore Regional Health’s team of more than 2,500 employees, medical staff, board members, and volunteers works with various community partners to fulfill the organization’s mission of Creating Healthier Communities Together.

UM Community Medical Group – Palliative Care recently welcomed Victoria Kuntz to its provider team. As a board-certified Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Kuntz brings nursing experience in primary care, inpatient palliative care, medical/surgical care, intensive care and oncology to UM Shore Regional Health’s palliative care team. Most recently, she served five years on the inpatient oncology unit at Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis. Md. Kuntz earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from Walden University.

“Vicki’s experience in oncology nursing and practitioner training in adult gerontology are valuable additions to the depth of our specialized Palliative Care program,” says Lakshmi Vaidyanathan, MD, medical director, Palliative Care. “In addition to our hospital-based palliative care services, our outpatient program is growing as we serve more patients and families in the community. Patients who seek outpatient palliative care support in managing chronic disease symptoms to maintain their best health may contact us at 410-820-4434 to get additional information or make an appointment.”

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.

Penny Olivi has joined UM Shore Regional Health as director, Diagnostic Imaging. Olivi brings 17 years’ experience as senior administrator and senior director at the University of Maryland Medical Center and School of Medicine in Baltimore. Previously, she served as director of Imaging for York Hospital in York, Pennsylvania and as practice manager for a free standing CT scanning center in Timonium, Maryland.

A certified radiographer, radiology administrator and a Fellow of the Association of Medical Imaging Management, Olivi earned her undergraduate degree from Towson University and her MBA from York College of Pennsylvania. She has served as a board member and president of AHRA: The Association for Medical Imaging Management, the national organization representing management at all levels of hospital imaging departments, freestanding imaging centers and group practices. She has received numerous awards and honors for excellence in radiology administration,including the AHRA Gold Award.

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.

Twelve UM Shore Regional Health team members graduated from University of Maryland Medical System’s Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) on December 20, 2018. ELP is a seven-month leadership development program designed to introduce potential leaders to the changing landscape of health care and the role of effective leadership.

Completing the program as the first UM SRH cohort, the ELP graduates received certificates from Ken Kozel, president and CEO, UM SRH, and Kate McCann, senior vice president and chief human resources officer, University of Maryland Medical System.

“The ELP was extremely valuable to me at this time in my career,” said Karen Hemingway, clinical nurse coordinator, Intensive Care at UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown. “The program instructors and senior leaders shared their personal experiences and provided us with tools to help expand our leadership skills. I enjoyed working with my peers from the other Shore Medical campuses as well. We are all so spread out — it was nice to put faces with names.”

Joining Hemingway at the graduation event were, from UM Shore Medical Center at Dorchester, Koreen Smith, site coordinator, Laboratory Services, and Melissa Svehla, clinical specialist, Non-Invasive Cardiology. Easton graduates are Catherine Tripp, clinical nurse coordinator, Ambulatory Surgery Center, and five hospital team members:Donna Collins, Telemetry clinical nurse coordinator; Lisa Eisemann, Multi Specialty Care staff nurse; Lyndsey Feather, lead respiratory therapist; Jamie Johnson, Post Anesthesia Care clinical nurse coordinator;and Tara Smith, Multi Specialty Care staff nurse. Also completing the program were Melanie Donaway, administrative supervisor, UM SRH Nursing Administration and Alison Toepfer, staff nurse, UM Shore Emergency Center at Queenstown.

Photo: Shown with Ken Kozel (standing, far left) and Kate McCann (standing, far right) are the Shore Regional Health graduates of the UMMS Emerging Leaders Program. Seated: Lyndsey Feather, Lisa Eisemann, Melanie Donaway, Jamie Johnson, Alison Toepfer and Karen Hemingway. Standing: Melissa Svehla, Donna Collins, Koreen Smith, Tara Smith, Danielle Brummell and Cathy Tripp.

The program focused on six topics: models of leadership and the role leadership in driving organizational, team and employee performance; identifying and building on managerial strengths; effective communication; creating and delivering effective presentations; fostering inclusion and diversity; and strategies for creating and developing high-performing teams. Starting in July, participants met as a group each month for half-day sessions starting in July, and met in pairs between sessions.

During the half-day sessions, topics including health care finance, marketing, quality, safety, compliance and patient experience were illuminated by UM Shore Regional Health executives who made presentations to the group that included scenarios drawn from their own experiences as senior leaders in health care. Presenters were Ken Kozel, president and chief executive officer; William Huffner, MD, senior vice president, Medical Affairs and chief medical officer; Patti Willis, senior vice president, Strategy and Communications; JoAnne Hahey, chief financial officer; and Robert Frank, senior vice president, Operations.

Notes UM SRH Human Resources Director Barbara Hendricks, “One of the values of Emerging Leaders is learning about leadership concepts, and then taking the time to reflect. This helps to build leadership strengths and enhances the overall team member experience.”

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.

Ron Lewis has joined UM Shore Regional Health as security director, Brian Leutner,  executive director, UM Shore Medical Center at Dorchester and UM Shore Regional Health Oncology Services, has announced.

Lewis comes to UM Shore Regional Health from Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services System (MIEMSS), where he had served since August 2017 as associate regional manager for Region IV (Caroline, Cecil, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico, Worcester counties). Prior to joining MIEMSS, he spent 28 years in progressively responsible positions with Maryland State Police, including commander, Traffic Safety Division (2006-2007); commander, Special Operations Division (2007-2011); commander, Eastern Troop (2011-2015) and ultimately major-commander, Maryland State Police Southern Command (2015-2017).

A subject matter expert for medical emergency training programs, Lewis has vast experience working as a nationally registered paramedic program instructor He also over 20 years of flight paramedic experience in two separate Medevac programs and is a subject matter expert for medical emergency training programs.

Currently pursuing a master’s degree in criminal justice with a concentration in homeland security from Liberty University, Lewis holds a B.S. degree in management studies and criminal justice from University of Maryland University College and an A.A. degree in criminal justice from Wor-Wic Community College.

“Ron Lewis is an experienced leader in law enforcement,” says Leutner. “His resume includes a full complement of law enforcement work including oversight of SWAT, K-9, incident command and control, search and rescue, major event emergency management and tactical medical unit management. We are very fortunate to have him at the helm of our security programs here at Shore Regional Health.”

As part of 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.