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May 31, 2023

Talbot Spy

Nonpartisan Education-based News for Talbot County Community

Health Health Notes

Consumer Advisory of Illness Outbreak

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The Talbot County Health Department and the Maryland Department of Health are investigating illnesses associated with the consumption of chicken salad from the Graul’s Market located at 1212 South Talbot Street, St. Michaels, MD 21663. The chicken salad is made and sold in the deli department at this Graul’s location and is available in quarter pound, 1-pound and 2-pound clear plastic containers. If you have purchased chicken salad from this Graul’s location between the dates of May 13, 2023 and May 20, 2023 and have any remaining quantities left do not consume it.

Please contact the Talbot County Health Department Office of Environmental Health at (410) 770-6880 prior to discarding. If you have consumed chicken salad from this Graul’s location and are ill or experiencing the following symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, or fever please contact your healthcare provider.

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Choptank Health Testifies at Senate Hearing

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Choptank Health CEO Sara Rich, left, is seen with Subcommittee Chairman U.S. Senator Ben Cardin.

The importance of access to rural healthcare was the topic for Choptank Community Health System CEO Sara Rich’s May 17 testimony at a hearing titled, “Improving Health Care Access in Rural Communities: Obstacles and Opportunities” before the Senate Committee on Finance Health Care Subcommittee.

Presiding over the Subcommittee hearing were Chairman U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and ranking member U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-Mt.). Rich provided testimony on behalf of the nation’s community health centers and was one of four national healthcare leaders providing testimonials.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, “Rural Americans face numerous health disparities compared with their urban counterparts.” To combat these obstacles, rural communities and providers including Choptank Health are pioneering innovative approaches to increase access to high-quality health care.

“Community health centers are the key to providing access to high-quality, affordable, and equitable health care,” said Rich. “Community Health Centers, like Choptank, work to figure out how we can best meet the needs of the communities we serve and are constantly reinventing how we provide access to care so we can meet our mission.”

Choptank Health serves more than 30,000 rural residents of Maryland’s Eastern Shore with medical, dental, and school-based health services in Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Talbot counties.

“In the U.S., nearly 20% of residents live in rural areas, but only 10% of healthcare providers work in these areas,” said Rich during her testimony. “Twenty-five percent of Maryland’s total population lives in an officially designated rural area, with all five counties in the Choptank service area designated as rural.”

“Caroline, Dorchester, and Kent Counties have a Health Professional Shortage Designation (HPSA) for dental, mental health, and primary care,” Rich said. “In addition, Talbot County has a HPSA designation for dental care.

“Rural areas often share similar characteristics that are unique from other geographic designations,” said Rich. “These include distance to obtaining services, lack of transportation, healthcare access and availability, and poorer health outcomes.

Rich’s testimony shared how Choptank Health has been implementing innovative approaches to address and overcome obstacles to rural healthcare access, including workforce shortages, broadband access, transportation, and Medicaid redetermination.

Rich cited Choptank Health’s recent expansions in behavioral health, prenatal care, and women’s health as one way the Federally Qualified Health Center is addressing the area’s shortages of providers.

Rich says the need for reliable internet services became even more critical, especially in rural areas during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Virtual visits accounted for 65-70% of medical visits during the COVID-19 pandemic,” she says.

“Often, the planned virtual visit was converted to a phone visit so that the provider could connect with their patient,” Rich says. “Audio-only visits are a lifeline to some of our most vulnerable patients who face multiple obstacles in obtaining health care including chronic disease, transportation, and internet access.”

Rich’s testimony on Medicaid redetermination included how states will now have to begin eligibility redeterminations for Medicaid enrollees with the unwinding of the COVID-19 public health emergency and that estimates from Geiger Gibsonindicate that nationally up to 15 million Medicaid enrollees will lose coverage.

“Community health centers provide care for 1 in 6 Medicaid beneficiaries,” said Rich.

“States, including Maryland, are partnering with community health centers to provide outreach and education to patients who need to renew coverage depending on their eligibility or to find new coverage,” she says, “Choptank is developing messaging to share with patients at check-in and has members of the population health department reaching out to patients who are due to reapply for coverage.”

Rich also shared how providing health care in a rural area requires thinking outside the traditional healthcare delivery models, a practice she says is embraced by community health centers like Choptank Health.

Choptank Health’s strategies include expanding School-Based Health Centers both in the scope of service and in the number of sites, building a robust primary care delivery system for preventative health with the Maryland Primary Care Program, and garnering the power of partnerships to expand equity outreach.

“Choptank Community Health System has community in our name for good reason—community is at the core of everything we do,” said Rich. “When local agencies and community partners work together, the result is healthier communities.”

Rich concluded her testimony by sharing opportunities to increase rural health access for the Senate’s consideration.

Rich joined Choptank Community Health in 2007 as the vice president of community programs and eventually became senior vice president and COO in 2015. In 2017, she was appointed by the Choptank Community Health System Board of Directors as CEO. Prior to joining Choptank Community Health, Rich was the Associate Director for the National Center for Child Death Review, a program of the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and previously a community health consultant with the Michigan Child Death Review Program.

A recording of Rich’s testimony can be accessed at bit.ly/ruralhealthcarehearing.

Choptank Community Health System’smission is to provide access to exceptional, comprehensive, and integrated healthcare for all. Medical services include primary healthcare, women’s health, pediatrics, behavioral health, chronic health management, care navigation, and laboratory services, with new medical and school-based health patients now being accepted. More is at www.choptankhealth.org.

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May is Mental Health Awareness Month – For All Seasons Provides Tips for All Ages

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May is Mental Health Awareness Month and For All Seasons wants the public to know that it is never too early or too late to seek treatment for your mental health. Mental health is an essential part of overall health. Unlike other physical and mental disabilities, depression, anxiety, and other challenges may not always be readily visible to friends and family. Because we don’t know who might be suffering from a mental health issue, it is more important than ever to check in on one another regularly to ask with care and full attention: “How are you doing?” Have you checked in on people in your life this month?

Trying to tell the difference between what expected behaviors are and what might be the signs of a mental illness isn’t always easy. No perfect test can let someone know if there is mental illness or if actions and thoughts might be typical behaviors of a person or the result of a physical illness.

Signs and Symptoms of Mental Illness for Adults & Adolescents

Each illness has its own symptoms, but the National Association of Mental Illness (NAMI) includes the following indicators as possible signs of mental illness in adults and adolescents:

  • Excessive worrying or fear
  • Feeling excessively sad or low
  • Confused thinking or problems concentrating and learning
  • Extreme mood changes, including uncontrollable “highs” or feelings of euphoria
  • Prolonged or strong feelings of irritability or anger
  • Avoiding friends and social activities
  • Difficulties understanding or relating to other people
  • Changes in sleeping habits or feeling tired and low energy
  • Changes in eating habits such as increased hunger or lack of appetite
  • Difficulty perceiving reality (delusions or hallucinations, in which a person experiences and senses things that don’t exist in objective reality)
  • Inability to perceive changes in one’s own feelings, behavior, or personality (” lack of insight” or anosognosia)
  • Abuse of substances like alcohol or drugs
  • Multiple physical ailments without obvious causes (such as headaches, stomach aches, vague and ongoing “aches and pains”)
  • Thinking about suicide
  • Inability to carry out daily activities or handle daily problems and stress
  • An intense fear of weight gain or concern with appearance

Mental Health America suggests that eating healthy foods, spending time outdoors, recognizing and practicing stress management, exercising, and getting enough sleep can go a long way in making you both physically and mentally healthy. When the symptoms are not manageable with these lifestyle changes, For All Seasons staff is available 24/7 to respond to your mental health needs.

 Tips for Children’s Mental Health

For children, their emotional well-being is just as important as their physical health. Good mental health allows children and young people to develop the resilience to cope with whatever life throws at them and grow into well-rounded, healthy adults.  Just as there are basics for the good physical health of children – like nutritious food, shelter, sleep, exercise, access to health care, and a healthy living environment – there are also basics for helping the develop good mental health, including:

  • Unconditional love and acceptance from family – Children need to know that your love does not depend on their accomplishments. Confidence grows in a home full of love.
  • Self-confidence and strong self-esteem.
  • Model honesty – don’t hide your failures. Kids need to know that we all make mistakes.
  • The opportunity to PLAY – with other children, with parents or caregivers.
  • Appropriate guidance and discipline.
  • Talking about your feelings.
  • Being aware of a child’s fears.

Sign and Symptoms of Children’s Mental Illness

Warning signs that a child’s mental health challenges may require professional assistance may include:

  • Decline in school performance.
  • Poor grades despite strong efforts.
  • Regular worry or anxiety.
  • Repeated refusal to attend school or participate in normal children’s activities.
  • Hyperactivity or fidgeting.
  • Persistent nightmares.
  • Persistent disobedience or aggression.
  • Frequent temper tantrums.
  • Depression, sadness, or irritability.

There are many places to seek help – such as a child’s pediatrician, school counselor, or a mental health organization like For All Seasons. For further information, contact For All Seasons at 410-822-1018 or visit forallseasonsinc.org. For All Seasons Crisis Hotline English: 410.820.5600 | Español: 410.829.6143 | English/Español Text: 410.829.6143.

For All Seasons provides the highest quality mental health and victim services to children, adults, and families across Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Services are offered in both English and Spanish and include therapy, psychiatry, victim advocacy, 24-hour crisis hotlines, outreach, and community education. For further information, contact For All Seasons at 410-822

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Shannon Hart, BSN, RN, Honored as 2023 UM SRH Nurse of the Year

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Shannon Hart, RN, clinical nurse coordinator on the 2 East Multispecialty Unit at University of Maryland Shore Regional Health, has been named SRH’s Nurse of the Year. Hart was chosen by the SRH Nurse Excellence Awards Committee from over 30 nominations. The annual award recognizes nursing excellence achieved through leadership, professionalism, commitment to others and commitment to patient experience.

“I am genuinely honored,” said Hart. “I’ve only ever wanted to be a nurse. This means so much to me.”

“Shannon is a resilient, flexible and dedicated nurse,” wrote fellow team member Ashley Burl, RN, in her nomination. “No matter what the assignment, she strives to interact and build rapport with patients and families in every encounter. Shannon is a hero to all.”

Ten additional nurses received awards in eight categories: Art of Caring, Contagious Positive Attitude, Education/Professional Development, Excellence in Core Values, Excellence in Leadership, Personifies Professionalism, Precepting/Mentoring, and Professional Practice/Excellence in Nursing. Hart won the “Art of Caring” award and was then chosen from among the following category winners for the title of Nurse of the Year:

Photo: Shown at the UM Shore Regional Health Nurse of the Year Award presentation are Mary Collins, Nurse Manager, 2 East Multispecialty Unit; Shannon Hart, Nurse of the Year; Jenny Bowie, Chief Nursing Officer; and Ashley Higgs, Clinical Nurse Coordinator. 

Art of Caring – Shannon Hart, BSN, RN, 2 East Multispecialty Unit

Contagious Positive Attitude – Jakisha Downing, MSN, RN, Emergency Department, Easton

Education/Professional Development – Lori Geisler, MSN, RN, Population Health

Excellence in Core Values (Excellence) – HarliArcieri, RN, Emergency Department, Easton

Excellence in Core Values (Compassion) – Kelly Vogt, RN, 2 East Multispecialty Unit, Easton

Excellence in Core Values (Integrity) – Rachel Wright, BSN, RN, Emergency Department, Easton

Excellence in Leadership – Mary Collins, BSN, RN, 2 East Multispecialty Unit, Easton

Excellence in Leadership – Stacy Dion, BSN, RN, Same Day Surgery, Easton

Excellence in Professional Nursing Practice – Alexa Blazejak, RN, 2 East Multispecialty Unit, Easton

Personifies Professionalism – Eden Kinser, BSN, RN, Emergency Department, Chestertown

Precepting/Mentoring – Rebecca Hutchinson, BSN, RN, CMSRN, 2 East Multispecialty Unit, Easton

About University of Maryland 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 2,200 employees, medical staff, board members and volunteers works with various community partners to fulfill the organization’s mission of Creating Healthier Communities Together.

About the University of Maryland Medical System

The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) is an academic private health system, focused on delivering compassionate, high quality care and putting discovery and innovation into practice at the bedside. Partnering with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland, Baltimore who educate the state’s future health care professionals, UMMS is an integrated network of care, delivering 25 percent of all hospital care in urban, suburban and rural communities across the state of Maryland. UMMS puts academic medicine within reach through primary and specialty care delivered at 11 hospitals, including the flagship University of Maryland Medical Center, the System’s anchor institution in downtown Baltimore, as well as through a network of University of Maryland Urgent Care centers and more than 150 other locations in 13 counties. For more information, visit www.umms.org.

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Choptank Health’s Kim Fitzgerald, CRNP Receives Award

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Kim Fitzgerald, CRNP

Choptank Community Health System Family Nurse Practitioner Kim Fitzgerald, CRNP was recognized at the May 9 Maryland Assembly on School-Based Health Care (MASBHC) Conference in Columbia, Md. with this year’s Susan Borinsky Outstanding School-Based Health Center Nurse Clinician Award.

The annual award recognizes an outstanding nurse or nurse practitioner who always goes ‘above and beyond’ to manifest the vision of quality school-based health care for all young people and demonstrates passion and commitment to serving children and youth in a Maryland school-based health center. MASBHC created the award in honor of Susan Borinsky, who was lost to COVID-19 in 2020 after a long-standing, devoted career as a nurse practitioner in Baltimore school-based health centers.

“Kim’s passion and commitment to care embodies the qualities of a Susan Borinsky Outstanding SBHC clinician,” said Choptank Health Director of Community-Based Programs Chrissy Bartz, PA-C, MMSwho nominated Fitzgerald for the award. “The award is a tribute to her heart, hard work, and passion for caring for patients in school-based health.

“Over the course of just two school years—one interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic—Kim has worked tirelessly and effectively in strengthening our community partnerships and growing our program to serve our community,” Bartz says. “Her leadership has helped build a school-based practice that school staff consistently utilize, and students and family value.”

Fitzgerald provides healthcare to Talbot County Public Schools students enrolled in school-based health. She graduated from the University of Maryland Baltimore with a Master’s Degree in Nursing, specializing in the field of study to become a Family Nurse Practitioner. She is a native of Burlington Junction, Mo.and now lives in Easton, Md. with her husband and three children.

Talbot County School-Based Health Center locations include Easton Elementary School, Easton Middle School, Easton High School, the St. Michaels schools’ campus, and White Marsh Elementary School.

“Kim exemplifies the work all our School-Based Health Centers achieve in keeping our communities healthy and thriving,” says Choptank Health CEO Sara Rich. “These Health Centers meet children and their families where they are to provide more access to healthcare, which is at the heart of our mission and everything Choptank Health does.”

Rich says School-Based Health Centers often provide a child with their only form of medical or dental care, and that it’s never too late to sign up a student as services continue over the summer months.

School-Based Health Centers provide in-person, virtual, curbside well and urgent care during the school year and over the summer months, with student enrollment needed. Services include diagnosis and treatment of illnesses, behavioral health services, nutrition, and educational services. Choptank Health’s School-Based dental programs include dental screenings and sealants, polishing/cleanings, oral health education, fluoride treatments, and dental emergency referrals.

School-Based Health Center Enrollment forms can be picked up at each school or downloaded in English and Spanish at www.choptankhealth.org/formsinformation.

Choptank Health’s School-Based Health Centers also provide dental services for Dorchester County Public School students and staff and medical and dental services for students and staff in Caroline, Kent, and Queen Anne’s County Public Schools. The centers are made possible through partnerships with each county’s public school system, local health departments, and the Maryland Department of Health. A primary care mobile health unit is also used as part of Choptank Health’s School-Based health center services.

Choptank Community Health System provides medical and dental services to more than 30,000 adults and children in Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Talbot counties, with a mission to provide access to exceptional, comprehensive, and integrated healthcare for all. Medical services include primary healthcare, women’s health, pediatrics, behavioral health, chronic health management, care navigation, and on-site laboratory services, with new school-based and medical patients now being accepted. More is at www.choptankhealth.org.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Public Health Emergency Ends

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Talbot County Health Department is currently planning for the federal Public Health Emergency (PHE) for COVID-19 to expire on May 11, 2023. Addressing COVID-19 remains a significant public health priority for us. Below are changes that you can expect with the end of the PHE as well as links to resources.

Talbot County Health Department will continue to offer Covid-19 testing and vaccines at our main building 100 S. Hanson Street in Easton on a walk-in basis. Testing is available on Fridays only from 10 am-12 noon. Vaccines are available age 6 months and up on Fridays only from 12:30 pm-4:30 pm. Anyone 65 years of age or older is eligible for a booster as long as it has been 4 months since your last vaccine. Any person 12 years or older, who is severely immunocompromised is eligible for a booster as long as it has been 2 months since your last dose. For more information, call: 410-819-5641.

Covid-19 test kits are available at the local libraries in Easton at 100 W. Dover Street and St. Michaels at 106 Fremont Street and at the Health Department at 100 S. Hanson Street. Easton.

Local Covid-19 data updates will be available monthly on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalbotHealthMaryland and website https://talbothealth.org/

For updates on COVID-19 data, please visit the Maryland Department of Health’s new COVID-19 data page, https://health.maryland.gov/covid/Pages/Maryland-COVID-19-Data.aspx or the CDC, https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#datatracker-home

The MDGOVAX Call Center Services has transitioned to 2-1-1 Maryland. Marylanders can receive information and referrals regarding COVID-19 resources by calling 2-1-1 or texting your zip code to 898 211. STOP to end.

During the COVID-19 public health emergency, Marylanders who were enrolled in Medicaid continued to​ be covered, even if they were no longer eligible. Medicaid renewals will not be automatic this year. Starting in April 2023, Maryland began making Medicaid eligibility reviews again. These renewals will take place over 12 months. Learn more about the Maryland Medicaid Check-In here: https://health.maryland.gov/mmcp/Pages/MedicaidCheckIn-Participants.aspx

For assistance contact Talbot Department of Social Services at 410-770-4848.

SNAP Benefits returned to the eligible amount a household of your size received before the pandemic crisis at the end of February 2023. For local food resources click here.

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University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Easton Earns “A” Safety Grade

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University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Easton, a member organization of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), has received an “A” Hospital Safety Grade in The Leapfrog Group’s fall 2023 reporting period. This marks the sixth consecutive period that the hospital has received an ‘A’.

Leapfrog’s Hospital Safety Grade is a national distinction recognizing a hospital’s achievements in providing safer healthcare by protecting patients from preventable harm and errors.

“We are very proud to once again receive an “A” rating from The Leapfrog Group,” said Ken Kozel, President and CEO, UM Shore Regional Health. “This achievement reflects the tremendous dedication and commitment of our doctors, nurses and all team members to provide the safest, highest-quality medical care to our patients.”

University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Easton

“I applaud the hospital leadership and workforce for their strong commitment to safety and transparency,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “An ‘A’ Safety Grade is a sign that hospitals are continuously evaluating their performance, so that they can best protect patients. Your hospital team should be extremely proud of their dedication and achievement.”

The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization with a 10-year history of assigning letter grades to general hospitals throughout the United States, based on a hospital’s ability to prevent medical errors and harm to patients. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent, and free to the public. Hospital Safety Grade results are based on more than 30 national performance measures and are updated each fall and spring.

About University of Maryland 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 2,200 employees, medical staff, board members and volunteers works with various community partners to fulfill the organization’s mission of Creating Healthier Communities Together.

About the University of Maryland Medical System

The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) is an academic private health system, focused on delivering compassionate, high quality care and putting discovery and innovation into practice at the bedside. Partnering with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland, Baltimore who educate the state’s future health care professionals, UMMS is an integrated network of care, delivering 25 percent of all hospital care in urban, suburban and rural communities across the state of Maryland. UMMS puts academic medicine within reach through primary and specialty care delivered at 11 hospitals, including the flagship University of Maryland Medical Center, the System’s anchor institution in downtown Baltimore, as well as through a network of University of Maryland Urgent Care centers and more than 150 other locations in 13 counties. For more information, visit www.umms.org.

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UM Shore Regional Health Recognizes National Donate Life Month

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University of Maryland Shore RegionalHealth(UM SRH) celebrated National Donate Life Month during April, honoring organ donors and bringing awareness to saving or enhancing lives through organ, eye and tissue donation.

Activities included raising the Donate Life flag at the entrance of Shore Medical Center at Easton and remarks from William Huffner, MD, UM SRH’s Chief Medical Officer, about the meaning of organ donation and expressing gratitude to patients and families who gave the gift of life in 2023.

“Local donors save local lives,” Dr. Huffner said. “In Maryland, there are more than 2,700 people currently on the transplant waiting list. One organ donor can save up to eight people and one tissue donor may enhance the lives of up to 75 people.”

UM SRH team member assembled on April 6 for a Donate Life Flag Raising, honoring past organ donors and their families.

Debbi McRann, Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer of Infinite Legacy, expressed gratitude to donor families and to UM SRH; Deacon Steve Gunther, Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Parish, ended the assembly with prayer

In partnership with Infinite Legacy, a non-profit organization that collaborates and facilitates donation and transplantation in area hospitals, UM SRH facilitated three organ donations in 2022, saving 11 lives, and 13 tissue donations, improving the lives of almost 1,000 patients. In Maryland, the thoughtful generosity of 45 deceased organ donors has led to dozens of transplants in 2023.

“Thanks to the generosity of donors and their families, and the dedication of healthcare and transplant professionals, thousands of lives are saved or vastly improved through organ and tissue donation,” said Chris Wright, Hospital Donation Coordinator. “Our donor families are comforted in knowing that, even in death, their loved one is helping others.”

“At Shore Regional Health, we are committed to caring for patients from birth to death, and also to those who make the renewal of life possible for others,” said Ken Kozel, President and CEO, UM SRH. “We support and stand behind the families and loved ones of these patients who have selflessly donated life so that others may have a second chance at it.”

During the past 30 years, UM Shore Regional Health has facilitated over 40 organ donations and 133 tissue donations.

To register as an organ donor, visit the Maryland Vehicle Administration while obtaining or renewing a driver’s license or state ID, or visit Infinite Legacy at infinitelegacy.org.

UM SRH team members wore blue and green in honor of National Donate Life Blue and Green Day on April 14.

About University of Maryland 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 2,200 employees, medical staff, board members and volunteers works with various community partners to fulfill the organization’s mission of Creating Healthier Communities Together.

About the University of Maryland Medical System

The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) is an academic private health system, focused on delivering compassionate, high quality care and putting discovery and innovation into practice at the bedside. Partnering with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland, Baltimore who educate the state’s future health care professionals, UMMS is an integrated network of care, delivering 25 percent of all hospital care in urban, suburban and rural communities across the state of Maryland. UMMS puts academic medicine within reach through primary and specialty care delivered at 11 hospitals, including the flagship University of Maryland Medical Center, the System’s anchor institution in downtown Baltimore, as well as through a network of University of Maryland Urgent Care centers and more than 150 other locations in 13 counties. For more information, visit www.umms.org.

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UM SRH Respiratory Therapist Recognized With “Rookie Therapist of the Year” Award

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Kendall Dixon, BS, RRT, a respiratory therapist with University of Maryland Shore Regional Health (UM SRH), recently received the “Rookie Therapist of the Year” award from the Maryland/District of Columbia (MD/DC) Society for Respiratory Care (SRC).

“We are so excited, not only at the Respiratory Services department level, but within UM Shore Regional Health as a whole, for Kendall to have won the “Rookie of the Year” award, said Steve Eisemann, BS, RRT, Director, Respiratory Services, UM Shore Regional Health. “Kendall represents everything our department and our organization stand for: A focus on making sure we deliver high quality, efficient patient care.”

Dixon, a resident of Greensboro, Md., began working with UM SRH in 2022 after finishing her clinical rotations at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton. Dixon said she enjoyed her clinical rotations and the UM SRH staff so much that she decided to add an additional summer and winter clinical rotation to her schedule, prior to finishing her degree requirements. She graduated from Salisbury University in May 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Therapy and sat for her Registered Therapist certification exams soon after graduation.

Pictured with Kendall Dixon, BS, RRT (center) are, Steve Eisemann, BS, RRT, Director, Respiratory Services, UM SRH, left; and LuAnn Brady, MSPH, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, right

“Being considered, nominated and ultimately selected for this prestigious award displays only a trace of the encouragement that personnel at UM Shore Regional Health receive,” Dixon said. ”I am blessed to share success with the incredible individuals that make up our team.”

Nominated by numerous colleagues at UM SRH, Dixon received the award at the SRC’s ceremony, where details of her nominations were shared. One nominator wrote, “During the worst part of the COVID-19 pandemic surge at UM Shore Regional Health, during 2021 and 2022, Kendall came on board to our team as a senior extern during former Governor Larry Hogan’s emergency order. She worked as an “extender” to our respiratory therapists and made a massive difference in our ability to care for an overwhelming number of patients. Not only was she attending classes at Salisbury University while paying for summer and winter internships with Shore, she also worked nights and weekends when we needed her in order to help us through the worst part of the COVID surge.”

“We were so busy that our staff was working overtime on a regular basis,” wrote another nominator. “With an increase of very sick COVID patients, our hospital, like many others, saw full units and our workload was immense. She was a great help to our department and she worked tirelessly to ensure our team members were covered and our patients were well-taken care of.”

“Kendall is a breath of fresh air,” another nominator wrote. “She is fully committed to learning and growing in this position with Shore Regional Health, and providing exceptional care to our communities.”

The MD/DC Society for Respiratory Care “Rookie Therapist of the Year” award recipient is selected by a committee. Criteria for recognition include exceptional service to the profession and/or place of employment; leadership in the field of respiratory care at the local, state or national level; involvement in the development and implementation of innovative strategies/protocols that improve the delivery of respiratory care or enhances the practice of respiratory care; exceptional team leadership skills that motivate others to higher standards of care and practice and advancement in degrees, credentials and/or specialty practice. The therapist must be in their first two years of working as a licensed respiratory therapist in order to be eligible for recognition.

About University of Maryland 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 2,200 employees, medical staff, board members and volunteers works with various community partners to fulfill the organization’s mission of Creating Healthier Communities Together.

About the University of Maryland Medical System

The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) is an academic private health system, focused on delivering compassionate, high quality care and putting discovery and innovation into practice at the bedside. Partnering with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland, Baltimore who educate the state’s future health care professionals, UMMS is an integrated network of care, delivering 25 percent of all hospital care in urban, suburban and rural communities across the state of Maryland. UMMS puts academic medicine within reach through primary and specialty care delivered at 11 hospitals, including the flagship University of Maryland Medical Center, the System’s anchor institution in downtown Baltimore, as well as through a network of University of Maryland Urgent Care centers and more than 150 other locations in 13 counties. For more information, visit www.umms.org

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Compass’ Camp New Dawn Registration Open for Campers and Volunteers

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Registration is open for the 29th annual Camp New Dawn, a grief retreat summer camp offered through Compass.  Camp New Dawn is a four-day, three-night retreat held each summer at Camp Pecometh in Centreville.  Camp New Dawn is a grief retreat hosted by Compass for children, teens and families who are struggling with the loss of a loved one. Campers learn healthy coping skills that will benefit them throughout their lives. They engage in group discussions and activities with other kids who have experienced loss and interact with professional grief counselors.

“Grief is isolating in itself on a very natural level. When they show up here they’re all of a sudden in this amazing community of people who are on a similar walk.” says Camp New Dawn Director Rhonda Knotts. “Some of the most important things we do as a team is we validate every single feeling they have- good, ugly, bad, hard. We normalize, because grief can make you feel like you’re losing your mind and just like you don’t belong anywhere. The most important thing is we encourage them to remember that they actually have exactly what they need to survive this loss within themselves. When we all come together we remind each other we’re all survivors.”

This year’s Camp New Dawn kicks off on Saturday, August 12 at 12:30 pm, when campers arrive at Camp Pecometh.  The campers attend therapeutic workshops, age specific grief support groups and may participate in supervised camp activities such as swimming, fishing, and arts and crafts. The retreat for campers wraps up after the closing ceremony on Monday, August 14 at 4:30 pm.

Camp New Dawn also includes an overnight adult and family retreat that begins on Monday, August 14 at 4:00 pm. While their campers are busy learning how to cope with their grief, parents and guardians are invited to attend the adult retreat designed to help restore participants to a place of wholeness as they learn to navigate their own grief journey.  The family portion of Camp New Dawn provides the adults 24 hours of respite before their children join them on Tuesday, August 15.  This is also an opportunity for them to explore where they are in their grief.  While the children do great work at camp it is important for them to work on grief together as a family.  Our hope is they would have some great tools to take back home to continue to process their grief and heal as a family.

Camp New Dawn would not be possible without the support of our specially trained volunteers. Over 100 volunteers help to ensure that the weekend encompasses fun, friendship and learning. The most visible volunteers are Buddies— caring and compassionate adults who are paired up with campers to provide support.  There are also support staff volunteers who tend to every detail of camp by helping plan, set up and facilitate activities.  Former campers, PALS and Campatiers, can be found helping in an assortment of ways around camp and sharing their own personal camp experiences with new campers.

The cost of Camp New Dawn is $60 per camper and $100 per family.  These fees represent a small fraction of the actual cost of operating Camp New Dawn.  No one is ever turned away due to inability to pay.  To offer your financial support toward the cost of camp or to sponsor a child to attend, contact Shelly Baird, Development Director, Compass, 443-262-4106, sbaird@compassregionalhospice.org.

For more information, to register, or become a volunteer for Camp New Dawn, contact Rhonda Knotts, Camp New Dawn director, Compass, 443-262-4109, rknotts@compassregionalhospice.org. Applications can also be downloaded from Compass’ website https://compassregionalhospice.org/what-we-do/camp-new-dawn.

Compass

Since 1985, Compass has been allowing patients to spend their final months the way they choose, guiding loved ones after a life-limiting diagnosis, and showing individuals healthy ways to manage their grief. Today, the organization is a regional provider of hospice care, supportive care, and grief services in Caroline, Kent, and Queen Anne’s counties. Whether serving their patients in private residences, skilled nursing facilities, or Compass’ residential center in Centreville, staff and volunteers are guided by their mission to ensure that individuals facing end of life can live out their days in a full and meaningful way.

Compass is a fully licensed, independent, community-based nonprofit organization certified by Medicare and the state of Maryland and accredited by the Joint Commission. It is affiliated with the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and the Hospice & Palliative Care Network of Maryland. For more information about Compass, call 443-262-4100 or visit compassregionalhospice.org.

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