Members of the Birthing Center’s Breastfeeding Support Group met at Blue Crab Coffee in St. Michaels on Friday, August 2, 2019 for playtime and parents’ meet-and-greet. “We hope that these kinds of get-togethers outside the hospital will encourage more parents to be more interested in the advantages of breastfeeding and consider joining the group,” says Carol Leonard, lactation nurse in the Birthing Center and coordinator for the group.

Photo: Back row: Brian Herman; Phil Eames; Patrick, Brittany and Owen Wright; Gary, Ashley and Tripp Baxter; and Carol Leonard. Middle row: Jacqui and Leona Burchfield; Jen and Luke Eames; and Kari and Canna St. Laurent. Front: Hannah and Abby Hollis; Helen and Persephone Herman; and April and Liam Earl.

The UM SRH Breastfeeding Support Group meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month, from 10 to 11:30 a.m., in the fifth-floor Birthing Center conference room at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton. For more information, contact Leonard, 410-822-1000, ext. 5700.

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.

Talbot Hospice will offer a six-week support group called Looking Ahead for anyone in the community who is grieving the death of a loved one. The group begins September 9, and meets every Monday through October 14. Participants have a choice of two times, 1-3 p.m. or 6-8 p.m. Registration is required and can be made by calling 410-822-6681.

All Talbot Hospice support groups meet at 586 Cynwood Drive in Easton and are free of charge and open to the public regardless of whether or not your loved one received hospice services.

According to Bereavement Coordinator Becky DeMattia, the weekly group differs from a monthly grief group in that each week a different topic is discussed. Some of the topics include difference between depression and grief, healthy coping skills, and ways to remember and honor a loved one’s memory and legacy. After the second week, the group will be closed to new members, as the goal is to foster connections and relationships with fellow grievers and to be a safe confidential space.

Talbot Hospice offers a variety of grief and caregiver support groups including traumatic loss from suicide, overdose, accident or homicide; child loss; pet loss; navigating the holidays; and healing with yoga. For a complete listing of dates and times, visit bit.ly/THsupport.

Founded in 1981, Talbot Hospice is the premier resource for hospice, palliative care, and grief support services in Talbot County and is the 2019 Talbot Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Nonprofit.

Team members in the Pain Center at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton were recently recognized as EveryDay Heroes by their patient, Dr. Forest Hansen, who paid tribute to the team for the wonderful care he received at the Pain Center.

Pain Center staff members Gail Shorter, DNP, Cathy Asche, Linda Wilt Donna Lyons, Theresa Thomas and George King were recognized by Dr. Hansen, who has been a patient of Dr. Shorter’s since 2016. A retired professor of philosophy and world traveler, Dr. Hansen credits his care at the Pain Center as enabling him to continue to travel to places such as Viet Nam and India.

L-R: Graham Lee, VP for Philanthropy, Donna Lyons, Teresa Thomas, Linda Wilt, Stephen Wills, MD, Dr. Forest Hansen, George King, Gail Shorter, Cathy Asche and Teresa Blem.

The Everyday Hero program provides patients, visitors and staff members with the opportunity to recognize and thank any UM SRH staff member or team who has made a positive difference in a visit or stay by making a financial contribution of any size to the UM Memorial Hospital Foundation or the UM Chester River Health Foundation. Funds received through gifts to the Foundations’ Everyday Hero programs help pay for equipment, capital improvements and staff education for the departments in which the employees or team work.

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 Rotary Club of Easton will hold its Annual Golf Tournament, Friday, September 6, 2019, at Hog Neck Golf Course. Registration and lunch will begin at 11:30 a.m. with a shot gun start at 12:30 p.m. Registration is $600 per team and can be made by contacting Ron Flohr at 410-829-5711 or ronald.flohr@ml.com. Registration forms can be found on Easton Rotary’s website at EastonRotary.org. Greens sponsorships are available for $200, and tee box sponsorships are $100.

Beverages will be available on the course, and prizes will be awarded afterwards for top gross team, top net team, longest drive (male and female), and closest to the pin (male and female). “I am excited to continue to support the community with this long standing fundraiser,” said Ron Flohr, co-chair of the golf tournament.

Easton Rotary Golf Tournament Co-Chair Ron Flohr (left) at last year’s tournament with his brother Braden Flohr.

In keeping with Rotary International’s motto of “Service Above Self,” all proceeds from the golf tournament will go to the Easton Rotary Youth & Community Fund which awards grants to local organizations such as Benedictine Foundation, CASA, Historic Cemetery of Easton, Mental Health Association, Talbot County Family Support Center, Talbot County Free Library, Talbot Hospice, Upper Shore Aging, and many more.

The Rotary Club of Easton is comprised of nearly 100 professional men and women committed to the Rotary motto, “Service Above Self.” They are part of a global network of more than 1.2 million Rotarians who are changing lives in their own communities and around the world. Known as the world’s first Rotary Club established in a town of fewer than 10,000 people, Easton Rotary will celebrate its centennial anniversary in 2021. The Rotary Club of Easton meets on Thursdays at noon at Scossa Restaurant in Easton. All are welcome. For more information, please visit EastonRotary.org.

The 2019 Dorchester Goes Purple campaign, which aims to raise awareness of opioid and other types of addiction, kicks off with a free outdoor concert with Uprizing on Friday, Aug. 30 from 6 to 8pm. Food will be available for purchase from Creative Creations BBQ.

The Dorchester Goes Purple: Awareness Starts At Home campaign will continue throughout the month of September.

The band Uprizing will perform a mix of funk, R&B classics, Top 40, and reggae, on the Choptank River waterfront at the Amphitheater at Sailwinds Park (next to the Dorchester County Visitor Center) in Cambridge.

Featuring several vocalists, guitar,bass, keyboard and drums; Uprizing’s versatility and through-the-roof energy makes it a top dance party band. Hailing out of Delmar, the band offers a mix of classic covers that range from the soulful sounds of Adele and Mary J. Blige to the rock and roll classics of Jimi Hendrix and combines this with a reggae beat.

Uprizing, Photo by Jill Jasuta.

The band is led by James Stewart, Sr. who has been part the local band scene on the Shore for more than 30 years. One of the area’s top bass players, James Sr. earned the John Postley Memorial Top Bass Man on the Shore Award. He is accompanied by his son, James Stewart, Jr. who is Uprizing’s lead guitarist. James Jr. is one of the top up and coming guitarists in the area with musical talents that wow the crowd with his Jimi Hendrix antics playing with his teeth. Vocals are provided by Aaron Stewart, as well as Miesha Foreman and Jacqueline Nichols, whose traditional gospel singing backgrounds bring powerful voices to the group. The band is rounded out by Sam Cook III on drums and Marcus Clark on keyboard.

Be sure to bring your blankets and lawn chairs. Children, as well as friendly dogs on leashes, are welcome.You are free to bring a picnic.

The Amphitheater at Sailwinds Park is next to the Dorchester Visitor Center at 2 Rose Hill Place in Cambridge. This event is part of the “At The Sail” series of events organized by Dorchester County Tourism, Dorchester Chamber of Commerce, and City of Cambridge.

Watch for updates and more information about the Dorchester Goes Purple campaign at DorchesterGoesPurple.org.

Talbot Hospice will offer a four-week memoir writing workshop facilitated by Barbara Reisert and Anne McCormick, M.Ed., Tuesday mornings 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m., September 3 –24, 2019. The class is free of charge, open to the public, and is limited to ten participants. Advance registration is required and can be made by calling 410-822-6681.

As a member of the Academy for Lifelong Learning where she served on the board for eight years, Reisert has attended and facilitated many classes, one of which was a basic class about memoir writing.  According to Reisert, when the class was completed she and Anne McCormick decided to start a memoir writing group.  “That was eleven years ago,” said Reisert. “I just completed memoir number 300, and I am still writing.  I think I have found my passion in life.”

Reisert is the former owner and operator of “Claiborne Cottage,” a small bed and breakfast in Claiborne. She has two associates degrees from Des Moines Area Community College in business and liberal arts.

McCormick is the retired Associate Director of the Learning and Counseling Center and adjunct professor of English at American University, Washington, D.C. She is the co-author of two books and numerous journal articles about accommodating college students with disabilities. Since retiring to the Eastern Shore, Anne has co-offered numerous workshops in memoir writing and served on multiple advocacy boards for individuals with disabilities.

Founded in 1981, Talbot Hospice is the premier resource for hospice, palliative care, and grief support services in Talbot County and is the 2019 Talbot Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Nonprofit.

UM Shore Medical Center at Easton has passed another milestone in its transition to a Community Academic Medical Center, according to William Huffner, MD, senior vice president, Medical Affairs and chief medical officer, UM Shore Regional Health. In collaboration with the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine and funding from UM Memorial Hospital Foundation, Shore Regional Health has inaugurated a residency program in emergency care for medical residents in their second or third year of training who are interested in gaining experience in rural community emergency medicine.

The new program,through which medical residents (one or two at a time) work in the UM Shore Medical Center at Easton Emergency Department and Shore Emergency Center at Queenstown for four weeks, offers several benefits. “These residents will get a real taste of rural emergency medicine that offers a lot of direct experience with patients, and while they are here, they get a feel for our community and the quality of life in our five-county region has to offer,” said Dr. Huffner. “This will support our efforts in recruiting emergency care physicians to our hospitals in the same way that our Physician Assistant Rotation Program, offered in collaboration with Anne Arundel Community College and University of Maryland at Baltimore, helped us recruit several physician assistants after they completed their PA clinical studies at Shore Regional Health.”

L-R: Brennan Ellis, MD, residency program director for Eastern Shore Emergency Medicine Physicians, Gregory Dashani, MD, who completed his residency at UM SMC in Easton, and Walter Atha, MD, regional director, Emergency Medicine for UM SRH.

Brian Browne, MD, FACEP, chair, Emergency Medicine at UM School of Medicine and physician in chief, Statewide Emergency Medicine Services, was very involved in the establishment of the residency program at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton, working with Dr. Huffner, Walter Atha, MD, regional director, Emergency Medicine at UM SRH, and UM SRH emergency department directors Glenn Hebel, MD, Eric Maniago, MD, Jane Wang, MD and Steven White, MD.  “Offering this residency program expands the types of experiences as well as setting in which our residents can train,” said Dr. Brown. “It also further integrates Shore Regional Health with the University of Maryland Medical System, University of Maryland Medical Center and the UM School of Medicine.”

UM Memorial Hospital Foundation has played a key role in bring the residency program to life, according to Graham Lee, vice president, Philanthropy at UM SRH. “The Board recognized this as an important opportunity for our emergency care team to participate in the training of future emergency physicians,” said Lee. “As a result, the Foundation Board voted to fund the program for three years at an anticipated approximate cost of $175,000 per year. We are happy to provide the resources needed to expose physicians in training to the challenges and rewards of emergency care in a rural setting.”

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.

University of Maryland Shore Regional Health (UM SRH) has announced its Board of Directors and officers, effective July 1, 2019.

Keith McMahan

Leading the Board as chairman is Keith McMahan of Caroline County. McMahan is chairman and CEO of Tri-Gas & Oil Company, a 56-year old propane, petroleum and transportation company based in Federalsburg, Md. and serving the Mid-Atlantic region. McMahan served on the former Shore Health System Board 2008-2013 and has served on the UM SRH Board since 2013. He also is a member of the UM Memorial Hospital Foundation Board, which he joined in 1995 and has served as secretary since 2009. He also serves as a director for Provident State Bank and as a board member and past chairman of the National Propane Gas Association.

McMahan is actively involved in St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Denton, Maryland, and is a member of C12, a Christian CEO roundtable and advisory group.

Richard Loeffler

Richard Loeffler serves the Board as vice chairman and chairs the Strategic Planning Committee. A resident of Dorchester County, Loeffler is a business consultant for the Maryland Small Business Development Center and has served a variety of community and civic organizations, including as president of the Dorchester County Library, as a member of the Cambridge Economic Steering Committee and on the boards of Sailwinds Park, Inc. and the Cambridge Elks 1272.

JoAnne Hahey

Serving as treasurer is JoAnne Hahey, certified public accountant and chief financial officer, UM SRH. Hahey came to UM SRH in April, 2014 after 23 years at Jefferson Regional Medical Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, including seven years as senior vice president and chief financial officer.

Robert Frank

Robert A. Frank, senior vice president of operations for UM SRH, has joined the Board as secretary. Frank came to UM SRH in 2014 from Weirton Medical Center in Weirton, West Virginia, where he was vice president and chief financial officer. Previously, he served more than three decades with Jefferson Regional Medical Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where his last role was executive vice president and
chief operating officer.

“UM Shore Regional Health is fortunate to have the diverse talent, knowledge and experience of these leaders and Board members who are dedicated to the advancement of health care in the five county region we serve,” says Ken Kozel, president and CEO, UM Shore Regional Health. “I look forward to their leadership and contributions as we expand and enhance our patient care programs and services.”

In addition to these officers, UM SRH Board members include: John Ashworth, interim president and CEO, University of Maryland Medical System; Charles Capute; Art Cecil III; Kathleen Deoudes; Marlene Feldman; Wayne L. Gardner, Sr.; Wayne Howard; Ona Kareiva, MD; Ken Kozel; Charles B. MacLeod; David Milligan; Eugene Newmeier, DO; William B. Noll; Stephen Satchell; Samuel T. Shoge; Thomas Stauch, MD; and Glenn L. Wilson.

The Dorchester General Hospital Foundation and the hospital Auxiliary continue to support the ongoing advancement of quality medical care for residents of Dorchester County. Most recently, the Foundation and the Auxiliary dedicated a total of $48,000 toward the purchase of new and replacement technologies for UM Shore Medical Center at Dorchester’s Laboratory Services Department.

According to Foundation President Ida Jane Baker, the centerpiece of the new lab equipment is the $26,000 Biomerieux Vidas 3 BRAHMS Procalcitonin (PCT) analyzer. The Dorchester General Hospital Foundation’s 2018-2019 appeal called for community support to make its purchase possible. Now installed and fully operational, the Vidas 3 helps to distinguish between viral and bacterial infections.

“This is a wonderful technology that assists medical professionals in evaluating a patient’s risk of severe sepsis or sepsis shock,” says Baker. “It also is useful in determining whether antibiotic therapy is effective for patients with suspected or confirmed respiratory tract infections or sepsis.”

Photo: Nancy Duvall, DGH Auxiliary president, Cathy Gullion, DGH Auxiliary treasurer, Penny Pink, executive director, SMC at Dorchester, DGH Foundation president Ida Jane Baker and Koreen Smith, site coordinator, Laboratory Services, SMC at Dorchester.

The Auxiliary of Dorchester General Hospital, which raises funds through the Robin Hood Shop, the hospital gift shop and special vendor sales, provided $22,000 to fund the purchase of several laboratory instruments, including a hematology slide stainer, a urine analyzer, two microscopes, a centrifuge and two slide warmers.

“Our Auxiliary members were very enthusiastic about designating funds raised this year to benefit Laboratory Services,” says Nancy Duvall, Auxiliary president. “They understand the importance of having the best, high-tech equipment available to support the health of our community. Auxiliary volunteers work hard, but they really appreciate their shared camaraderie and the gratification of knowing that their efforts bring better health care for their families, friends and neighbors.”

“Having top-quality laboratory equipment at our Dorchester hospital improves patient outcomes and can even save lives,” said Koreen Smith, laboratory site coordinator at Dorchester. “All of us working in Laboratory Services are ever so grateful to the Auxiliary for their hard work and generosity, and also to the Foundation and the many donors who responded to the appeal so that these equipment purchases could be made.”

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.

University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Easton’s Primary Stroke Center recently was notified by the American Heart Association (AHA)/American Stroke Association (ASA) that, for the third year in a row, it has received the Get With The Guidelines®- Stroke Gold Plus Achievement Award with Target: Stroke Elite Honor Roll. The award recognizes the hospital’s achievement in providing the most effective stroke treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence.

“We are proud to announce that our Stroke Center has received the Gold Plus and Target Stroke: Elite Honor Roll certification awards, commented Walid Kamsheh, MD, medical director, Primary Stroke Center. “This is a great achievement for any medical institution and shows that we are competitive among the larger, more well-known stroke care providers within Maryland and the United States.”

According to the ASA, hospitals earning the Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award have reached an aggressive goal of treating patients with 85 percent or higher adherence to all Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Achievement Indicators for two or more consecutive 12-month periods and have achieved 75 percent or higher compliance with five of eight Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Quality Measures.

“Our key players deserve recognition for these awards, including our Emergency Medical Service providers, the Emergency Department team, our Stroke Coordinator Nicole Leonard, and our entire Brain Attack Team, including the nurses on our neurology unit,” Dr. Kamsheh said. “As we continue to provide this level of service and excellence within the Shore Regional Health medical community, we appreciate this recognition.”

Photo: UM SRH team members from UM Shore Medical Center at Easton’s Stroke Center, Emergency Department, Rehab, Neurology, Emergency Medical Services, Registration and Telecommunications, Radiology, Pharmacy, Laboratory, Neuroscience, Tele/ICU, Shore Bayy Hospitalists and Senior Leadership gathered to celebrate the Stroke Center’s Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Achievement Award with Target: Stroke Elite Honor Roll.

Stroke, a disease that affects the arteries leading to and within the brain, takes the lives of more than 130,000 Americans each year and is the leading cause of serious long-term disability in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Residents of the five-county region served by University of Maryland Shore Regional Health who suffer a stroke have access to the designated Primary Stroke Center at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton.

A Primary Stroke Center designation is given by the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS) when standards are met to support better outcomes for stroke care. Certification standards include having a dedicated program, staffed 24/7 by specially trained medical professionals who provide fast diagnostic services and optimal stroke care.

Inclusion on the Target: Stroke Elite Honor Roll is awarded to hospitals demonstrating success in meeting quality measures to reduce the time between the patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), Alteplase, the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke. If administered within three hours of the onset of stroke symptoms, Alteplase has been shown to significantly reduce the effects of stroke and lessen the chance of permanent disability.

According to Ken Kozel, president and CEO, UM Shore Regional Health,the Primary Stroke Center’s continued recognition from the American Stroke Association demonstrates the Center’s success with providing innovative stroke treatments to patients as quickly and safely as possible.

“Our team is providing state-of-the-art care that saves lives and helps reduce the risk of long-term disability in patients who experience a stroke,”Kozel said.

Additional information about the Primary Stroke Center at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton can be found at UMShoreRegional.org/stroke.

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.