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April 10, 2021

The Talbot Spy

The nonprofit e-newspaper for the Talbot County Community

Health Health Notes

Choptank Health Receives Todd Fund Grant for HVAC Upgrades

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Choptank Community Health System has recently received a $50,000 grant from the Mid-Shore Community Foundation’s George B. Todd Fund to invest in the safety and health of patients and staff by helping to upgrade the community-based healthcare provider’s HVAC system to new COVID-19 requirements. The George B. Todd Fund awards grants to Dorchester County organizations and causes since its founding in 1988.

“The George B. Todd Fund has been a consistent supporter of our mission, and we remain grateful for their support of this critically important project,” said Choptank Community Health CEO Sara Rich.

The grant will help fund the installation of state-of-the-art HVAC systems at Choptank’s Fassett Magee and Cambridge Dental Center in Cambridge, capable of neutralizing COVID-19 and other contaminants. Choptank is upgrading HVAC systems at all of its locations in Easton, Cambridge, Denton, Federalsburg, Goldsboro, and St. Michaels, with a total project cost estimated to be over $1.2M.

Photo: L-R: George B. Todd Fund Advisor David DeLuca, Mid-Shore Community Foundation President Buck Duncan, Choptank Community Health System CEO Sara Rich, and Todd Fund Advisor Charles Capute.

“How we provide medical & dental care has changed since last March when this pandemic began,” said Rich. “We have always maintained high standards for safety and infection control, but COVID-19 has forced many organizations to evaluate air quality and environmental standards.

“Instead of relying on air purifiers in every exam room or dental operatory, CCHS will focus on improving whole building air purification and outdoor air exchanges to improve air quality in our health centers. This upgrade is critical with COVID-19, and will continue to be as other viruses and infections develop in the future.”

“This is a great example of how our foundation connects private resources with public needs to enhance the quality of life for people of the Mid-Shore,” said Mid-Shore Community Foundation’s Chief Program Officer Robbin Hill. “Supporting Choptank Community Health is an investment in providing access to high-quality health care for everyone in our communities.”

The Mid-Shore Community Foundation’s donor-supported funds make the Foundation one of the region’s largest grantmakers. Grants are annually distributed to registered nonprofits and government-related entities in Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Talbot Counties through an open application process, and at the recommendation of fund advisors. More is at mscf.org.

Choptank Community Health System is a private, non-profit network of health centers serving the Mid-Shore for nearly 40 years. Choptank Health provides access to quality health care through the delivery of comprehensive medical, dental, pediatric, and behavioral health services to more than 28,000 patients in multiple school and community locations and 6 health centers in Caroline, Dorchester, and Talbot Counties.

Choptank Health also serves as one of more than 1,300 community-based health care providers that receive funds from the U. S. Health Resources & Services Administration’s Health Center Program to provide primary care services in underserved areas as a Federally Qualified Health Center. Choptank Health’s uninsured patients are provided flat rates for medical services and percentage discounts for dental services.

Choptank Health’s mission to provide access to exceptional, comprehensive, and integrated health care for all, with more at choptankhealth.org.

UMMS Appoints System’s First Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer

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Roderick K. King, MD, MPH

The University of Maryland Medical System has recruited a physician with deep roots in addressing healthcare inequities over a career spanning nearly three decades, and lived experiences in inner-city America, to serve as the System’s first-ever Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer (CDEIO).

Roderick K. King, MD, MPH will join UMMS this summer and will be tasked with working collaboratively across the System to develop a long-term roadmap for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) that aligns with the System’s strategic plan.

“One of the things that excites me most about this position is the kind of far-reaching impact my role could have on the health of people in the state of Maryland,” said Dr. King.“In addition, because this role is one of the first of its kind in a large health care system, UMMS is at the forefront of leading a movement.  I believe that increasingly, health care systems are recognizing the importance of a role like mine in their C-suite.  We have an opportunity here to demonstrate measurable results in health improvements in diverse populations that can lead to the adoption of best practices nationwide. I have done a lot of work with hospitals, health plans and community-based organizations during my career and am encouraged that UMMS is making great strides to integrate strategies for diversity, equity and inclusion into hospital planning at the highest levels.”

Dr. King currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of the Florida Institute for Health Innovation and in multiple roles at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, where he is Senior Associate Dean of Diversity, Inclusion and Community Engagement; Director of the MD/MPH Program; and an associate professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences and the Department of Pediatrics.  He also serves as an associate professor at the University of Miami Business School in the Department of Healthcare Management and Policy. Dr. King will join UMMS this summer.

“With his breadth of experiences as a practicing clinician, a professor and an administrator at an academic medical institution, and in health policy with the federal government addressing underserved communities, Dr. King stood out among the candidates,” said Mohan Suntha, MD, MBA, President and CEO of UMMS.  “His personal experiences with diverse and underserved communities will be invaluable in leading our efforts at building individual, institutional and community excellence in health equity across the communities we serve.”

Among Dr. King’s responsibilities will be building organizational goals and fostering institutional change; integrating DEI work into the operations of the System and providing executive level guidance and direction to incorporating DEI best practices. He will also be charged with developing and executing a training and education strategy focused on increasing awareness, knowledge and skills of UMMS staff for diversity, equity and inclusion.

“My passion for this work stems from my lived experiences,” said Dr. King, a native of Brooklyn, NY. “I grew up in the inner-city, at a time when youth violence and health issues, particularly in communities of color, were a huge challenge.”Dr. King’s father was a primary care physician in Brooklyn for more than four decades, caring for the underserved and addressing issues of health inequalities his patients experienced when treated at larger health systems.

“The issues around access to care and having providers as a trusted messenger have been around for decades,” Dr. King added, noting the COVID-19 pandemic has “lifted up the rock so we can see all of the inequalities that exist and that we as a health system need to tackle if we are going to truly be committed to improving the health of the people and communities we serve.”

Dr. King said among his biggest challenges will be tackling issues of health inequality in communities and counties across the UMMS footprint that are very different. “The key will be assessing what the equity and diversity issues are in each of the System’s service areas and identifying strategies unique to each in order to move the needle on addressing these health inequalities and optimizing health and wellness.”

“My experience is that if you’ve seen one community, you’ve seen one community,” Dr. King added. “If you are truly going to tackle equity and diversity and effect long-standing change, you have to address the challenges and problems that are unique to each geographic area.”

Among his previous roles, Dr. King served as chairman for seven years of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Advisory Committee on Minority Health; in multiple instructor and director positions at the Harvard Medical School; as Director of the Boston regional office for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and as a Commander with the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corp.Dr. King also co-founded the Massachusetts General Disparities Solutions Center, where he focused on the development and implementation of strategies to eliminate health disparities, working with health systems, health insurance plans, and community-based and governmental organizations from around the world.

Dr. King earned a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from The Johns Hopkins University, an M.D. degree from Cornell University Medical College, and a Master of Public Health degree from the Harvard School of Public Health’s Commonwealth Fund Fellowship in Minority Health Policy program.

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. For more information, visit www.umms.org.

A Look Back at a Difficult 2020 with Talbot County’s Social Services

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Formal annual reports come and go all the time during “normal times.” The business of recording the highlights of a specific year is a long-standing tradition to document critical events for corporations and government agencies. But they are rarely on the top of anyone’s reading list, given these somewhat predictable narratives of jobs well done.

But as Talbot County slowly finds itself hopefully coming out of the worst aspects of the COVIC-19 pandemic, these straightforward accounts don’t do justice to the extraordinary pivots local governments made as the region shut down for most of the year.

And no other agency felt more of that burden than the County’s Department of Social Services. With sky-high unemployment, child care canceled, and significant spikes in mental illness, DSS had a full plate at a time when its regular plate was already full.

Given all that, the Spy reached out to DSS director Linda Webb and her colleague, Katie Pedersen, who heads up the County’s Children’s Advocacy Center, to talk about this very strange and sometimes painful year for many Talbot families.

This video is approximately four minutes in length. For more information about Talbot County’s Department of Social Services please go here.

Dennis Welsh, Lara Wilson Named to Head Rural Health Transformation Team at UM SRH

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Dennis Welsh

Dennis Welsh has been named vice president, Rural Health Transformation and executive director, Shore Medical Center at Chestertown, and joined the UM Shore Regional Health (UM SRH) leadership team in early April 2021. Supporting Welsh in leading rural health transformation initiatives for UM SRH is Lara Wilson, who has been named director, Rural Health Care Transformation, UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown, will begin in her new role in May 2021.

Welsh brings two decades of senior leadership experience in rural health care settings, including strategic planning, operations management, organizational transformation, change management, technology implementation, lean management, corporate compliance, data security/privacy, grant/capital funding and healthcare consulting.

Welsh served three years as president and chief executive officer of Down East Community Hospital, a full-service, independent rural hospital located in Machias, Maine. During his tenure, the hospital enjoyed significant growth in several areas, including family practice and laboratory services. He also planned and led a multimillion-dollar upgrade of the Emergency Department and implemented effective, long-term strategic plans for the hospital.

Previously, Welsh spent 13 years at Eastern Maine Health Care Systems’ Charles A. Dean Memorial Hospital, a full-service critical access hospital with off-site rural health clinics in Greenville, Maine, including nine years as executive vice president and chief operating officer.

Welsh’s educational credentials include a Master of Health Care Administration from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia and a bachelor’s degree from Point Park College in Pittsburgh. He is a Fellow of the American College of Health Care Executives, and holds multiple health care specialty certifications.

Lara Wilson

Wilson also is a proven health leader, bringing experience in the non-profit, hospital and community health industries to her role. She comes to UM SRH after serving six years as executive director of the Maryland Rural Health Association, based in Centreville, Maryland. In that capacity, with the goal of improving the health of Maryland’s rural communities, Wilson provided leadership and advocacy, program and strategic planning, financial management and personnel management, communications and marketing, and membership development and services.

Since 2017, Wilson also has served as an independent consultant for Merchant McIntyre in Washington, D.C., providing grant support to rural hospitals and health care organizations across the country and strategizing with top rural health care organization leadership to brainstorm new ways to increase funding for the rural communities.

Wilson’s prior experience includes two years as senior director, Grant Development, and administrator for Hospital Owned Physician Practices at Garrett Regional Medical Center in Oakland, Maryland; three years as practice manager, Maryland Primary Care Physicians, based in Annapolis; and four years as project director for the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

Wilson holds a B.A. in psychology from the University of Maryland, an M.S. in Health Systems Administration from Georgetown University and multiple, specialized certifications, including Lean Six Sigma – Yellow Belt.

“Dennis Welsh and Lara Wilson are a fantastic team who will lead the development and implementation of a new model of rural health care for the region,” said Ken Kozel, president and CEO, UM SRH. “Dennis brings two decades of experience leading critical access hospitals and has a real passion for rural health care. His expertise will be complemented by Lara’s skills in working with community partners to build the programs in the Aging & Wellness Center of Excellence and her in-depth knowledge of the Maryland health care landscape, our key community partners and our legislators. I am so grateful to have them joining our team.”

Prescription Medication Collection Sites Set for April 24 Across Talbot County

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Talbot County Sheriff’s deputies will collect unused prescription medications from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 24, at the fire departments in Trappe, St. Michaels and Oxford.

Deputies will have collection sites set up at all three fire departments. Collection includes unwanted medications, vitamins and supplements — vape pens, inhalers, sharps and needles are NOT accepted. This program is anonymous – no questions asked, no identification required. The sites also will include free educational materials along with free disposal and storage solutions, like Deterra bags, from the Talbot County Health Department (TCHD). Beth Williams, prevention consultant with TCHD, will provide free, on-site Narcan trainings at the St. Michaels event for the duration, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

April 24 is National Drug Take-Back Day, an annual collection event sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The DEA also sponsors a collection event each October; last year’s event saw nearly 500 tons of medications collected across more than 4,500 sites – the most collected in the program’s 10-year history.

Unused or expired prescription medications pose a serious public safety issue – proper disposal helps prevent misuse and abuse and helps save lives.

“Overdoses have become the leading cause of accidental deaths in people younger than 50,” said Talbot County Sheriff Joe Gamble. “Many people who start using prescription painkillers recreationally get them from a family member or friend’s medicine cabinet, so proper disposal really makes a difference. Please take advantage of this take back day to keep your family and friends safe!”

Due to the pandemic, masks are required at all collection sites. If you have any symptoms or feel sick, please stay home. You may contact the health department for at-home storage and disposal solutions.

In addition to this year’s take-back day initiative, a permanent, year-round, 24-hour a day, 7-days a week disposal box is located at the Talbot County Sheriff’s Office at 28712 Glebe Road, at the south end of the Talbot County Business Center. Other disposal locations in the county include the Maryland State Police Barrack at 7503 Ocean Gateway in Easton (24 hour). The drop box at Oxford Police Department at 101 Market St. in Oxford is open by appointment only. The drop box at St. Michaels Police Department is currently closed due to the pandemic.

For more information on National Take-Back Day visit www.takebackday.dea.gov.

An initiative from the Talbot County Sheriff’s Office and Tidewater Rotary, in partnership with Talbot County Public Schools, Saints Peter & Paul School and the Mid-Shore Community Foundation, Talbot Goes Purple empowers our youth and our community to ‘Go Purple’ as a sign of taking a stand against substance abuse.

More information about Talbot Goes Purple is available at www.talbotgoespurple.org. Find us on Facebook @TalbotGoesPurple or contact us at talbotgoespurple@gmail.com.

Talbot Goes Purple is a component fund of the Mid-Shore Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization – donations to which are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

ChoiceOne Urgent Care Sites Rebranded As University of Maryland Urgent Care

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Nine ChoiceOne Urgent Care sites in Baltimore, Caroline, Harford and Talbot counties and Baltimore City are being rebranded as University of Maryland Urgent Care, effective April 1, 2021.  The rebranding comes one year after the ChoiceOne Urgent Care sites were acquired by the University of Maryland Medical System.

Signage at the sites will begin being changed this week to reflect the University of Maryland Urgent Care branding.

“Bringing ChoiceOne Urgent Care centers fully into our medical system will allow UMMS to provide patients with integrated clinical services and a continuous care experience,” said Mohan Suntha, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of UMMS. “Today’s announcement reflects so much more than a name change. Our purposeful and strategic decision to invest in urgent care centers is part of our drive to transform healthcare delivery in the communities we serve across Maryland and connect patients with the care they deserve – where and when they need it.”

In 2020, ChoiceOne’s nine sites cared for more than 100,000 patients, with 96% of these treated for injury and illness; almost half of these patients (46%) were in the 26- to 55-year-old age range.  During the pandemic, through mid-March 2021, ChoiceOne sites also have administered more than 40,000 COVID-19 tests.

“The University of Maryland Medical System has a long history of providing exceptional patient care. We are excited to fully align our centers as part of the UMMS family to offer unified, patient-centered care to the communities we serve,” said Benjamin Rinn, ChoiceOne Urgent Care’s Senior Director of Operations.

The University of Maryland Urgent Care sites will provide opportunities to reduce the total cost of care for patients via a deeper engagement with wellness programs promoting population health initiatives and working with patients to manage issues around social determinants of health.   The urgent care sites will complement existing UMMS services to ensure patients continue to have access to healthcare services at an organization they know and trust.

The urgent care locations include:

Caroline County

  • University of Maryland Urgent Care – Denton (8 Denton Plaza)

Talbot County

  • University of Maryland Urgent Care – Easton (28522-C Marlboro Avenue)

Choptank Community Health System receives Innovative Excellence Award

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Choptank Community Health System received the Caroline County Chamber of Commerce’s Innovative Excellence for 2020 Best in Business Award at a March 23 drive-in event at Choptank Transport in Preston, Md. This is the second consecutive year Choptank Health has been recognized with the Chamber’s Innovative Excellence award.

Choptank Community Health System has received the Caroline County Chamber of Commerce’s Innovative Excellence Award for the second consecutive year. The peer-nominated award recognizes businesses who have demonstrated innovation through the use of technology, business strategies, and operations. Pictured from left are Choptank Health’s CFO Ben Cottle, Senior Vice President & Chief Clinical Officer Megan Wojtko, CEO Sara Rich, Chief Quality and Compliance Officer Susan Johnson, and Director of Communications Lucie Hughes.

The annual awards recognize outstanding business practices, with awardees nominated by their peers. The Innovative Excellence Award recognizes businesses who have demonstrated innovation with technology, business strategies, and operations.

Choptank Health remained safely open throughout the COVID-19 pandemic through the use of telehealth and in the innovation and development of new screening and treatment protocols, as well as new environmental and infection control systems.

Choptank Health worked with the Caroline County emergency operations center over the past year to actively share information and track the initial spread of COVID-19. They were the region’s first health care provider to offer drive-up and curbside COVID-19 testing for Choptank Health patients, and worked in partnership with county government and Caroline County Public Schools to provide community mass testing sites.

“This is a special honor for Choptank to be recognized this year for all the hard work that has been done in the fight against COVID-19,” said Choptank Health CEO Sara Rich. “It certainly wasn’t an easy year, but our team joined together and demonstrated daily our passion for our mission and our patients.

“It is a pleasure to work with such a committed team, and my thanks go to each Choptank Health team member for everything they have done to make this recognition possible.”

The drive-in event included a take-home meal prepared by Tenchi American Restaurant of Denton, Md. with Choptank Transport hosting and volunteering for the outdoor event.

Other Caroline County Chamber of Commerce 2020 Best in Business Award recipients include the Denton branch of Shore United Bank as Business of the Year; Gelin and Nick Wake as Business Leaders of the Year; Angel Perez as Citizen of the Year; Trevor Nichols as Young Professional of the Year; Shore Gourmet for Innovative Excellence; Seaberry Farm for Excellence in Agriculture; Midshore Technology Services and Mirror Image Premier as Rising Stars; and Caroline Food for Learning as Caroline’s Best Non-Profit.  A video announcement of the award recipients is at bitly.com/chamberwinners2020.

UM SRH Offers Monoclonal Antibody Treatments for COVID-19 Patients

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University of Maryland Shore Regional Health (UM SRH) is operating a new Infusion Center at Shore Medical Center at Easton to provide monoclonal antibody (mAb) treatment for certain individuals with COVID-19.

When administered within 10 days of the onset of symptoms, mAb treatment has been shown to reduce severe illness related to COVID-19 and an increased risk of patients’ hospitalization and death. The new COVID Infusion Center at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton provides Ab treatment to eligible COVID-19 patients over age 18 with mild-to-moderate symptoms who are deemed to be at high risk for progressing to severe COVID-19 and/or the need for hospitalization, and who are referred as possible candidates for infusion by a physician or other provider.

All referrals are reviewed and evaluated by Rosa Mateo, MD, infectious disease specialist.“We recommend referrals be made as soon as possible – and definitely within seven days of symptom onset –to allow time for review and scheduling before the patient reaches the 10-day ‘time out’ for receiving the treatment,” said Dr. William Huffner, MD, chief medical officer and senior vice president for Medical Affairs at UM SRH.

Photo: Shown in UM Shore Regional Health’s Monoclonal Antibody Infusion Center are (front) infusion nurses Mary Scott and Stacy Dion, and (back) Debbie Henson, infection prevention nurse, and Ron Lewis, director, Security/Emergency Management.

The Infusion Center is operating on Wednesday and Friday mornings by appointment only, and referred patients who meet the eligibility criteria are contacted and scheduled for the infusion treatment based on timeliness of treatment, the availability of medications, and other logistics.

In addition to being over 18 and within 10 days of symptom onset, patients likely to be eligible for monoclonal antibody infusion treatment include those who are high-risk, meaning 65 years of age or older and/or with certain chronic medical conditions. High-risk patients include those who have conditions such as obesity (body mass index greater than 35); chronic kidney disease; diabetes;or immunosuppressive disease (with or without treatment). Patients over age 55 with cardiovascular disease, hypertension or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or other chronic respiratory disease also are considered high risk.

Monoclonal antibody treatment is not authorized for use in patients who are hospitalized due to COVID-19, require oxygen therapy due to COVID-19, or for those who are on chronic oxygen therapy due to an underlying non-COVID-19 comorbidity and require an increase in baseline oxygen flow rate due to COVID-19.

UM SRH is authorized by the Maryland Department of Health to administer the EUA approved mAb treatment for COVID-19. These investigational treatments are authorized for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) and currently include products made by Eli Lilly and Regeneron.

“While there is continued focus on access to the COVID-19 vaccines for people in our communities, it is critical that we keep utilizing all available tools in our COVID-19 response,” said Dr. Huffner. “Offering mAb treatment to patients is an important part of our plan to continue providing patients with the most appropriate and effective care, and also to alleviate additional strain on our hospitals.”

Healthcare providers and county health department officials throughout the five county region served by UM SRHhave been informed of the treatment availability, eligibility criteria and the referral process. Individuals with COVID-19 or their caregivers interested in seeking monoclonal antibody treatment are encouraged to contact their primary care or urgent care provider to request a referral.

The Infusion Center is located at 219 South Washington Street, in the advanced medical tent building behind the Emergency Department, Patient parking is available adjacent to the medical tent. Before arrival, patients will be given detailed instructions related to parking and a number to call upon arrival; someone will escort patients to the medical tent for the treatment. Only patients and Infusion Center staff are allowed inside the Center.

National Social Work Month Observed at UM Shore Regional Health

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The National Association of Social Work (NASW) honors the 700,000-plus social workers nationwide during of March as National Social Work Month. This year’s theme, Social Workers Are Essential, emphasizes the important role social work professionals play in community wellbeing. Trained to help people address personal and systemic barriers to optimal living, their mission is to effect positive change with individuals, families, groups and entire communities.

University of Maryland Shore Regional Health’s medical social workers help patients and caregivers during their most vulnerable times through effective communication skills and a holistic approach to patient care needs.

Deserving special recognition and appreciation this month are a host of social workers in several departments. They include: in Behavioral Health – Katey Carroll, Pam Young, Chelsea Slacum, Kirby Meredith, Audra Cherbonnier, Tyler Betz, Christina Acree, FaundaCrowson, Robert Martin, Jr., and Susan Ingersoll; at the Cancer Center – Patty Plaskon and Jennifer Buckler; in Home Care, April Sharp (Chester River Home Care) and Alice Ofano (Shore Home Care); Palliative Care – Monick Conway and Sarah Hopkins; and in Transitional Care Coordination / Population Health — Michelle Matthews, Stacey Kuhn, Melissa Kleppinger, Sarah Demers, Brittni Conn and Angela Meekins.

Photo: Shown celebrating National Social Work Month are UM Shore Regional Health social work care coordinators Stacey Kuhn, Sarah Demers, Melissa Kleppinger, Brittni Conn and Angela Meekins.

Among several determinants of successful patient outcomes are access to adequate food supply and housing. During the past year, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Shore’s medical social workers saw higher numbers of patients whose post-discharge plans were made more complicated by deficient housing and food access. They addressed these challenges by getting to know each patient, gaining his or her trust during consultations with effective listening and compassion, and by having the knowledge of community resources and support that can be enlisted once the patient is discharged to home.

As Brittni Conn, who works in telemetry in UM Shore Medical Center at Easton, explains, “Hospital social work is meaningful to me because during a very stressful time in their lives, I get to help patients and their families navigate the health system and connect them to resources to help simplify their next steps. Social work is a work of heart.”

Being a medical social worker means also means being a voice for patients who lack adequate resources to manage their health conditions after leaving the hospital. “To me, being a social worker means being an advocate for all patients, especially those who are vulnerable and/or oppressed,” says Sarah Demers, who works in the Requard Center for Acute Rehabilitation. “It means speaking up for patients who need support during difficult times, helping patient’s meet their needs, and also linking patients with resources so that they may succeed.”

UM SRH Dietitians Contribute to Better Health for Inpatients and Outpatients

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UM Shore Regional Health’s Clinical Nutrition Manager Christine Allen, RD, CSO, LDN, along with her fellow Shore dietitians Hunter Plog, RD, LDN, Kathy Toepfer, RD, LDN, and Xingyue (Joy) Zhang, MS, RD, LDN, do their part to help achieve UM Shore Regional Health’s mission, Creating Healthier Communities Together. As they visit hospital inpatients to discuss dietary guidelines and serve outpatients through dietary consultations, the dietitian team provides guidance to patients and also their fellow SRH team members on nutritious eating options for optimal health.

Created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, National Nutrition Month is celebrated in March as a nutrition education and information campaign. The national campaign focuses attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits.

According to Joy Zhang, while adopting a healthy diet is important, being mindful of the food you consume can help you to gain control of your eating habits. “Mindful eating takes the concept of mindfulness and applies it to why, when, where, what, and how you eat,” she explains. “Mindful eating is about listening to our physical sensations, like hunger, fullness and satisfaction cues, and taking time to notice our thoughts and emotions while eating so we can have a more enjoyable and healthful eating experience.”

Photo: Shown is the UM Shore Regional Health Clinical Nutrition team: Christine Allen, RD, CSO, LDN, manager (seated); and standing L-R: Hunter Plog, RDN, LDN, Xingyue (Joy) Zhang, MS, RDN, LDN and Kathy Toepfer, RDN, LDN.

Interested in seeking advice from a registered dietitian/nutritionist to help develop an individualized eating and activity plan to meet your health goals? With a referral from your health care provider, you can receive nutrition counseling services from dietitians at UM Shore Medical Centers at Chestertown (410-778-3300), ext. 2297), Dorchester (410-228-5511, ext. 8035) and Easton (410-822-1000, ext. 5339). For more information, contact Christine Allen, 410-822-1000, ext. 5351 or Christine.allen@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.