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September 22, 2021

The Talbot Spy

The nonprofit e-newspaper for the Talbot County Community

Health Health Notes

Choptank Health Expands School-Based Dental Health

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Choptank Community Health System’s Kim Fitzgerald, CRNP at one of the School-Based Health Centers serving children with medical and dental health services for all students enrolled in the program.

Choptank Community Health recently added school-based dental services to Kent, and Queen Anne’s County public school student enrollees. Choptank Health’s dental services are already provided in Dorchester County Public Schools, with dental and medical services available to students enrolled in the school-based health programs of Caroline and Talbot County Public Schools.

Choptank Community Health’s Chief Dental Officer Sandra Garbely- Kerkovich, DMD and Community Based Program Director Chrissy Bartz, PAC, MMS oversee the school-based dental program, with Pre-K through 12th-grade students enrolled in each school are eligible to receive care at any location.

Registered dental hygienists provide on-site dental screenings, fluoride treatments, sealant applications, and dental hygiene education. The free dental screenings include examinations of the teeth and all soft tissues of the mouth—along with instruction on brushing and flossing, and education on the importance of eating healthy foods in good oral hygiene.

“Strong partnerships with the area’s local school systems are critical to the impact our School-Based Health Centers have on the wellness of all students,” said Choptank Community Health CEO Sara Rich. “We are thankful for the commitment of each school and county for recognizing the importance of this program in helping to provide access to health care for all.”

Choptank Community Health operates 12 medical school-based health centers, located in each Caroline County Public School and in Talbot County Public School’s Easton Elementary, Easton Middle, and Easton High Schools.

“School-Based Health Centers improve attendance by limiting the amount of time students and staff miss from school and work by providing the care they need, and then allowing them to return to school as appropriate,” says Bartz. “It’s a great service to our students, their parents, our schools, and ultimately our entire communities.”

Each medical health center is staffed by licensed advanced practice clinicians, including Certified Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants, and function like a typical doctor’s office. Choptank Health is offering telehealth and curbside visits at the schools for COVID testing, with quarantining protocols and separate well-child spaces on premise.

According to the School-Based Health Alliance, school-based health care is a powerful tool for achieving health equity among children and adolescents who unjustly experience disparities in outcomes simply because of their race, ethnicity, or family income.

The Alliance says school-based health care is also a commonsense idea gaining currency across the country as it places critically needed services like medical, behavioral, dental, and vision care directly in schools so that all young people, no matter their zip code, have equal opportunity to learn and grow. More about the Alliance is at sbh4all.org.

Choptank Community Health System’s mission is to provide access to exceptional, comprehensive, and integrated health care for all. Choptank Health’s vision is to improve the health and well-being of people in the communities served by providing outstanding care experiences while being an exceptional place to work and make a difference.

Parents and guardians can enroll their students in Choptank Community Health’s School-Based Health Centers by calling their school’s health staff or Health Center, with more at choptankhealth.org.

Talbot Hospice to Host William Paul Young, Author of “The Shack”

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Talbot Hospice will welcome William Paul Young to the Avalon Theater on October 28th for a discussion about his #1 bestseller, “The Shack” and how it relates to grief, healing, forgiveness and spirituality.

“We are proud to welcome William Paul Young to Easton and hope that our friends and neighbors will join us for this free community event,” said Chris Chekouras, Talbot Hospice Executive Director. “’The Shack’ is a wonderful starting point for introspection and engaging conversations about how we process grief, shame and forgiveness.”

Talbot Hospice will welcome William Paul Young, author of the #1 Bestseller, The Shack, to the Avalon Theater on October 28th.

“The Shack” tells the story of Mack, a father struggling with the tragic loss of his daughter on a family trip to the Pacific Northwest. Four years after her horrific death, Mack receives a letter, supposedly from God, inviting him to spend a weekend in the shack where his daughter was violently murdered. Mack accepts and then has a life-changing experience that allows him to understand and cope with his grief and shame.

“The Shack,” as described by the author, is a metaphor for the “house we build out of our own pain” as well as “the places you get stuck, you get hurt, you get damaged … the thing where shame or hurt is centered.”

“The Shack” was originally written as a Christmas gift for Young’s six children, but was later published in 2007 at the urging of Young’s friends and colleagues. It went on to become a #1 New York Times and #1 USA Today Bestseller and, to date, it has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide. In 2017 it was adapted into a feature film starring Academy Award Winner, Octavia Spencer, and Grammy Award Winner, Tim McGraw.

This free, community event is open to the public, however, registration required. Attendees should note that the Avalon Theater requires proof of vaccination and a photo ID for admission.

To register, please visit www.talbothospice.org/events.

About Talbot Hospice

Talbot Hospice provides compassionate care, comfort and support for patients and their families and caregivers wherever they call home. Talbot Hospice serves patients facing life-limiting illnesses through hospice and palliative care, as well as its pathways and bereavement programs. Services are available to patients and caregivers regardless of ability to pay. Learn more at www.talbothospice.org.

Talbot Goes Purple Announces Interactive Online Resource Link Tool

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Talbot Goes Purple this week launched an interactive online tool that connects people with local substance use disorder resources.

Talbot Goes Purple (TGP) is an awareness and educational prevention program that empowers our youth and our community to ‘Go Purple’ as a sign of taking a stand against substance abuse. The initiative focuses on keeping kids from using drugs in the first place, through evidence-based prevention strategies and outreach activities.

Now in its fifth year, TGP recognized a need for an easy way for people, especially parents, to navigate finding help for someone with substance use disorder. The online tool uses a series of questions to provide a list of available substance use treatment providers that offer assessments for adults and adolescents, which is the first step in getting help.

“Since before we started Talbot Goes Purple, I’ve had people call me or come into my office, wondering where to go for help with a friend or loved one struggling with substance use disorder,” said Talbot County Sheriff Joe Gamble, who founded TGP. “We realized there wasn’t an easy way to find available resources online, so we set out to create one, and came up with this interactive tool.”

Long-time TGP supporter Shore United Bank stepped up with a sponsorship that made the tool’s development possible. They’ve also agreed to insert small information cards about the tool into customer envelopes at all four Talbot County branches.

“We’ve been partnering with our communities for the last five years to help raise awareness about the dangers of substance use disorder,” said Debra Rich, chief marketing &project officer with Shore United Bank. “The Interactive Resource Tool provides treatment information for yourself or someone you know who may be struggling with a substance use disorder.

“The tool walks you through a series of questions and provides resource links to help you or someone you know. As a community bank, it is important that we remain active in helping our communities with the different kinds of struggles that we could all potentially face.”

The tool is available online at www.TalbotGoesPurple.org and includes information on the different types of treatment, family support groups, tobacco and vaping cessation resources, and more. The tool is completely anonymous, does not ask for any personal information and is easy to use.

For more information about TGP, visit www.talbotgoespurple.org. Find TGP on Facebook @TalbotGoesPurple or email talbotgoespurple@gmail.com.

Talbot Goes Purple is in partnership with Talbot County Public Schools, Saints Peter and Paul School and Mid-Shore Community Foundation. Generous support for the project this year includes: APG Media, Easton Utilities, Spring & Associates, Forever Midshore 96,7 WCEI-FM and 94.3 WINX-FM (official media partner), Shore United Bank, Qlarant, VFW Post 5118, Attraction Magazine, Church of the Holy Trinity, Chesapeake Classic Car Club, Dragonfly Boutique and Shore Home and Garden.

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.

Prostate Cancer Awareness Month Highlights Importance of Screening

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Dr. John Foley, Medical Director, Shore Medical Group – Urology

In observation of September as Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, the Cancer Program at UM Shore Regional Health and Shore Medical Group – Urology team members are sharing information about prostate cancer. According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime, about six cases in 10 are diagnosed in men aged 65 or older, and it is rare before age 40.

In particular, African-American men have higher risk, as they are more likely to develop prostate cancer at a younger age and may present with a more severe stage of prostate cancer disease.

“Maryland’s Eastern Shore has a higher percentage of older adults than many of the western shore counties, so we want to get the word out about the importance of prostate cancer screenings for men who are at higher risk,” said Dr. John Foley, Medical Director, UM Shore Medical Group – Urology. “As in the case of many other types of cancer, early detection of prostate saves lives.”

While prostate cancer can be present without any particular symptoms, signs that indicate prompt medical attention include difficulties with urination (increase frequency, interrupted flow, pain/burning, etc.), painful ejaculation, blood in the urine or semen, and pain in the back, hips or pelvis. These symptoms may indicate prostate cancer or some other health problem that warrants diagnosis and treatment, such as non-cancerous prostate enlargement.

“Due to COVID-19, for the second year in a row we are unable to provide the free prostate cancer screenings we have offered in the past,” says Nina Weisenborn, Clinical Research Nurse at the Cancer Center. “But screenings are still available by appointment at UM Shore Medical Group – Urology offices in Chestertown and Easton, and we encourage any man who is 55 or older, or who has a family history of prostate cancer, to talk with his health care provider about whether a prostate cancer screening is appropriate in his case.”

In addition to Dr. Foley, UM Shore Medical Group – Urology providers based in Easton are R. Duane Cespedes, MD; Andrew Riggin, MD, and Christopher Runz, DO. Christopher Parry, DO is located in the SMG-Urology office in Chestertown. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 410-820-0560.

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 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 University of Maryland, Baltimore professional schools (Nursing, Pharmacy, Social Work and Dentistry) in Baltimore. As one of the largest private employers in the State, the health system’s more than 29,500 employees and 4,000 affiliated physicians provide primary and specialty care in more than 150 locations, including 13 hospitals and 9 University of Maryland Urgent Care centers. The UMMS flagship academic campus, the University of Maryland Medical Center in downtown Baltimore, 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.

UM SRH Sleep Disorders Centers Receive Program Accreditation from AASM

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The University of Maryland Shore Regional Health Sleep Disorders Center at UM Shore Medical Center in Easton recently received program reaccreditation from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM). Both the Sleep Disorders Center at UM Shore Medical Center at Dorchester and at UM Shore Medical Pavilion at Queenstown also received program reaccreditation, in December 2020. All three programs have been reaccredited for five years.

As the national accrediting body for sleep disorders centers, the AASM is dedicated to setting standards and promoting excellence in sleep medicine health care, education and research. To receive accreditation for a five-year period, a sleep center must meet or exceed all standards for professional health care as designated by the AASM.  These standards address core areas such as personnel, facility and equipment, policies and procedures, data acquisition, patient care, and quality assurance.  Additionally, the sleep center’s goals must be clearly stated and include plans for positively affecting the quality of medical care in the community it serves.

Photo: The University of Maryland Shore Regional Sleep Disorders Centers’ team recently celebrated the reaccreditation of Sleep Disorders Centers at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton, at UM Shore Medical Center at Dorchester and UM Shore Medical Pavilion at Queenstown. Lyndsey Feather, Manager, Cardiopulmonary Services; Stephen Eisemann, Director, Cardiopulmonary Services; M. Walid Kamsheh, MD, Medical Director, Regional Sleep Disorders Center; Douglas Rousseau, Lead Technologist; Kimberly Breeding, Sleep Lab Administrator; Irene Hansen, Polysomnographic Technologist; and Lori Bratten, Sleep Lab Assistant.

UM Shore Regional Health’s sleep medicine program includes two in-lab locations (one in Easton and one in Queenstown) and two home sleep testing setup centers, one in Chestertown and one in the new UM Shore Regional Health at Cambridge opening in September 2021. Serving as an important resource for patients and medical providers in the five-county region served by UM Shore Regional Health, the sleep centers provide high-quality care for patients suffering from sleep disorders.

“This achievement is a testament to the dedication and patient-focused work of our entire team,” said M. Walid Kamsheh, MD, Medical Director of the UM SRH Regional Sleep Disorders Center. “This is a true team effort at every level, including sleep lab office staff, technical staff, managers and the staff and providers in UM Shore Medical Group practices in Neurology and Sleep Medicine and Pulmonary Care offices. Accreditation of our Sleep Center locations lets patients know that these are state-of-the-art facilities operating in accordance with the highest standards.”

In addition to Dr. Kamsheh, pulmonologist Peyman Otmishi, MD specializes in sleep disorders, including insomnia, narcolepsy, restless leg syndrome, sleep apnea, sleepwalking and snoring. They are supported by other physicians and advanced practice providers in Pulmonology and Neurology and Sleep Medicine, as well as sleep center technologists and support staff.

Sleep disorders and deprivation are more than just annoying – they’re known to contribute to many serious health problems, including obesity, depression, and even heart attacks and strokes. Approximately 1,500 patients receive testing and/or treatment for sleep disorders each year at UM SRH Regional Sleep Disorders Center locations in Cambridge, Chestertown, Easton and Queenstown.

To learn more, talk to your primary care physician about a referral or call UM Shore Medical Group-Neurology and Sleep Medicine at 410-770-5250, or visit www.umshoreregional.org and search for sleep.

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 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 University of Maryland, Baltimore professional schools (Nursing, Pharmacy, Social Work and Dentistry) in Baltimore. As one of the largest private employers in the State, the health system’s more than 29,500 employees and 4,000 affiliated physicians provide primary and specialty care in more than 150 locations, including 13 hospitals and 9 University of Maryland Urgent Care centers. The UMMS flagship academic campus, the University of Maryland Medical Center in downtown Baltimore, 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.

Md. School Board OKs Mask Mandate for Public Schools

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Public school students across Maryland must wear masks inside schools.

The Maryland State Board of Education gave overwhelming approval to an emergency regulation requiring masks during a special Thursday afternoon meeting.

The decision comes less than a week before many K-12 students return to school and as COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, positivity rates, and transmission rates have been climbing in Maryland, largely due to the delta variant.

Board members said it is important for students to be in school and requiring masks will ensure fewer students miss days due to illness.

Clarence C. Crawford, president of the state school board, said in-person instruction is better for students than the virtual instruction used for much of the past school year.

The emergency regulation now goes to a legislative committee for review and approval. Emergency regulations expire 180 days after being filed with the committee.

State School Superintendent Mohammed Choudhury’s memo to the state school board, including the text of the proposed regulation, is below.

MdSchoolsMaskRegulation

Md. School Board to Vote Today on Requiring Masks; Franchot, State Senators Back Statewide Mandate

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The Maryland State Board of Education will hold a meeting this afternoon to determine if students will be required to wear masks during the 2021-2022 academic year as the delta variant continues to drive the state’s COVID-19 case and hospitalization rates higher.

​​“I believe that having an in-school mask mandate is going to help us to meet our goal of having students stay in classrooms and minimize the disruption that will be caused by quarantines,” said Rachel McCusker, the teacher representative of the Maryland State Board of Education, at the end of a marathon meeting held Tuesday.

The board voted unanimously to meet at 3 p.m. today to discuss the matter further.

Maryland State Superintendent of Schools Mohammed Choudury said that he was looking to see if he had legal backing to deny school systems’ COVID-19 plans if they follow all of the State Department of Education and Department of Health recommendations except for universal masking.

“I have been very clear, all school systems should start the school year with masking,” Choudury said early during the eight-hour meeting Tuesday.

Thus far, each jurisdiction has been tasked with deciding its own school reopening plan, which must be approved by Choudury.

To assuage public concern, Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) on Monday tweeted a map created by the Department of Legislative Services detailing masking and vaccine mandates by school district.

According to the map, which was last updated Tuesday, 14 of Maryland’s 24 jurisdictions plan to require students to wear masks. On Wednesday night, Cecil County Superintendent of Schools Jeff Lawson announced that the school district would require masks for students and staff at the beginning of the school year.

State senators sent a letter Wednesday to the Maryland State Board of Education, imploring board members to issue an emergency regulation requiring a universal masking mandate for students and teachers across the state.

“Continuous in-person instruction this school year is critical, and we must protect students’ ability to learn with other children in school buildings statewide throughout the year,” Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) said in a statement. “We urge the State Board of Education to promulgate a temporary emergency regulation mandating that all children, faculty, and staff wear masks in every Maryland elementary and secondary school and congregate setting with children in any county with a substantial or high rate of COVID-19 transmission, as determined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”

Should the board decide to issue the masking requirement for students and staff across the state, the emergency regulation would need to be approved by the General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive and Legislative Review (AELR). The committee is led by Sen. Sarah K. Elfreth (D-Anne Arundel) and Del. Samuel I. Rosenberg (D-Baltimore City).

Because of its emergency status, the masking mandate would only be in effect for 180 days before its expiration.

With Cecil County now requiring masks, only four of Maryland’s 24 school systems have chosen to keep masking optional. Several of those jurisdictions have some of the state’s highest rates of COVID-19 transmission. And three of the four — Dorchester, Somerset, Worcester — are on the Eastern Shore.

Maryland Comptroller Peter V.R. Franchot (D), a candidate for governor in 2022, issued a statement Thursday morning saying he also favored a mask mandate for public schools.

“Like so many Marylanders, I’m greatly concerned about the surge of COVID-19 cases in our state and across the country,” he said in the statement. “This surge comes as families are preparing to send their kids back to school — with great uncertainty on how the Delta variant will impact the health and welfare of students, teachers and staff. The COVID infection rate among children is the highest it’s ever been.

“That’s why I support a statewide mask mandate for schools, mandatory vaccinations for school employees, and daily testing for school employees who have religious or health exemptions,” Franchot said. “Additionally, I call on the state to work with local governments and school systems to ensure that all eligible children, educators and staff have convenient access to vaccines. School systems must also provide parents with the flexibility to decide the mode of learning that’s best for their children, whether it’s in-person, hybrid or virtual.

“Our collective fight against this pandemic that has killed nearly 10,000 Marylanders and infected more than 489,000 of our friends and neighbors is far from over. When it comes to the health and welfare of our children, we can’t take enough precautions to ensure that they are able to safely learn,” he said. “What’s more, these necessary health precautions aren’t just for our students, but also for our educators and staff. They and their loved ones deserve the certainty of knowing they won’t be jeopardizing their health to do the job they love.”

Baltimore County Executive John A. Olszewski Jr. (D) declared a state of emergency there Tuesday morning in an effort to help the county request and procure aid and resources from the state and federal government.

Per a Tuesday news release from Olszewski’s office, the Baltimore County Council will hold a voting session next week to determine if the county should remain under the state of emergency beyond August.

“While we’ve made undeniable progress in our fight against this deadly virus, the rapid emergence of the Delta variant has made it clear that we need access to every tool in our toolbox to be able to respond to it,” Olszewski said in a statement. “We remain committed to doing whatever is necessary to keep our residents as safe as possible and to ensure that when our children go back to school next week they can remain where they belong: inside the classroom.”

“We want to keep our kids in class and keep our schools open,” Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman (D) said in support of County Superintendent George Arlotto’s decision to mandate that students and teachers mask up. “That’s the reason that we have the mask requirement.”

Robert Mosier, chief communications officer for Anne Arundel County Public Schools, said discussions regarding vaccine requirements for teachers are underway. Pittman issued a vaccine mandate for county employees earlier this month.

According to Anne Arundel Health Officer Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman, the county has 55 patients hospitalized for COVID-19 at Anne Arundel Medical Center and University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center. He also reported that six people died of COVID-19-related causes in Anne Arundel County in the past week — “the most deaths we’ve had in three months.”

Asked what it would take for him to institute a county-wide mask mandate, Pittman said that he would need to reinstate a local state of emergency, but he doesn’t have enough support from the County Council to do so.

“We don’t have the authorization,” Pittman said. “We had it under the governor’s emergency order and we had it under the county’s emergency declaration … but that we no longer have.”

Pittman said that, to reinstate the county’s state of emergency, five of seven Anne Arundel County councilmembers would have to support it. He said that three county council members “have opposed every mandate that we’ve put into effect.”

“So we don’t believe that we have the votes on the council to do that,” he said.

By Hannah Gaskill and Bruce DePuyt

Most Mid-Shore Students Must Mask Inside Schools

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Most Mid-Shore public school students will be required to wear masks inside when classes begin for the coming school year.

Four of the region’s five school systems have largely adopted guidance from the Centers for Disease Control that recommends universal indoor masking, regardless of vaccination status, for anyone age 2 and older who enters a school.

Dorchester County Public Schools has not issued a mask requirement for students, but is encouraging unvaccinated students and staff to wear masks inside school buildings.

A federal mandate requires masks on all bus transportation nationwide, so all students will be required to wear masks while riding a school bus.

CDC guidance for schools includes:

  • Students benefit from in-person learning, and safely returning to in-person instruction in the fall 2021 is a priority.
  • Vaccination is the leading public health prevention strategy to end the COVID-19 pandemic. Promoting vaccination can help schools safely return to in-person learning as well as extracurricular activities and sports.
  • Due to the circulating and highly contagious Delta variant, CDC recommends universal indoor masking by all students (age 2 and older), staff, teachers, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status.
  • In addition to universal indoor masking, CDC recommends schools maintain at least 3 feet of physical distance between students within classrooms to reduce transmission risk. When it is not possible to maintain a physical distance of at least 3 feet, such as when schools cannot fully re-open while maintaining these distances, it is especially important to layer multiple other prevention strategies, such as screening testing.
  • Screening testing, ventilation, handwashing and respiratory etiquette, staying home when sick and getting tested, contact tracing in combination with quarantine and isolation, and cleaning and disinfection are also important layers of prevention to keep schools safe.
  • Students, teachers, and staff should stay home when they have signs of any infectious illness and be referred to their healthcare provider for testing and care.
  • Many schools serve children under the age of 12 who are not eligible for vaccination at this time. Therefore, this guidance emphasizes implementing layered prevention strategies (e.g., using multiple prevention strategies together consistently) to protect students, teachers, staff, visitors, and other members of their households and support in-person learning.
  • Localities should monitor community transmission, vaccination coverage, screening testing, and occurrence of outbreaks to guide decisions on the level of layered prevention strategies (e.g., physical distancing, screening testing).

The CDC’s Covid Data Tracker shows that community transmission levels currently are high in all 5 Mid-Shore counties, for Maryland as a whole, and across the United States.

Talbot County:

The county’s level of community transmission has been high since Aug. 6.

In an Aug. 17 statement, Superintendent Kelly Griffith said school districts had “received updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Maryland Department of Health (MDH), and the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE)” and recommendations from the Talbot County health officer in developing its layered prevention strategies.

Those strategies, effective immediately, are:

  • Requiring universal indoor masking for individuals age 2 years and older, including students/children, teachers, staff and visitors, regardless of vaccination status.
  • Promoting vaccination among teachers, staff and students.
  • Maintaining physical distancing of three feet to the extent possible without excluding students from in-person learning.
  • Offering rapid COVID-19 testing in schools if needed.
  • Maintaining adequate ventilation of all buildings to support air quality
  • Following health department guidance regarding contact tracing, isolation and quarantine for staff or students who are sick, have COVID-19 symptoms, are exposed to someone with COVID-19 or test positive for COVID-19 according to the Talbot County Health Department Quarantine Policy .

“While this is not the way we hoped to be starting the school year, we will continue to monitor the situation on a weekly basis and will make revisions accordingly,” Griffith wrote. “The good news is that we have 88% of our staff and almost 50% of our 12 -17 year-olds vaccinated so we remain encouraged and hopeful about a healthy and productive school year.”

Kent County:

Kent County Public Schools will require face coverings for all students, staff, and visitors inside school buildings and the central office.

“The masking requirement for vaccinated and unvaccinated students and staff will preserve our ability to continue in-person instruction and help to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our schools,” Superintendent Karen M. Couch wrote in a statement.

Other key mitigation strategies include:

  • Promote frequent hand washing and hygiene.
  • Enhanced cleaning protocols.
  • Social distancing of 3 ft. whenever possible.
  • Self-screening for COVID-19.
  • Contact tracing and quarantining.

Couch said the school system “encourages all eligible persons to get fully vaccinated to protect yourself and those around you.”

Dorchester County:

Dorchester County Public Schools recommends unvaccinated students and staff to wear masks inside school facilities.

In an Aug. 3 statement, Superintendent W. David Bromwell and Dorchester County Health Officer Roger Harrell said:

“Masking continues to be the most talked about subject as we enter the 2021-2022 school year. Dorchester County has become a High-Rate transmission county in Maryland, almost overnight.

“DCPS will do everything possible to keep our students and staff safe while attending school. It is possible that an individual DCPS school will be required to ‘Mask Up’ if infection rates and COVID transmissions are increasing within a building.”

The school system and the health department had reviewed the latest guidance from the CDC and the federal education department, and the county’s COVID-19 statistics, according to the statement. As a result, Dorchester schools will encourage the following:

  • Follow Federal mandate of masking on all bus transportation throughout the county
  • Unvaccinated students and staff to wear masks in all facilities
  • Those who are eligible to receive a vaccination
  • Ask staff and families to pre-screen for symptoms of illness daily
  • Hand washing throughout the day, especially before and after meals
  • Individual materials of instruction (no sharing of supplies)
  • When possible, always use social distancing of a minimum of 3 feet within DCPS buildings
  • Implement a high level of cleaning, especially high touch areas in schools and busses

County schools also will continue to provide the following:

  • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), including hand sanitizer to students and staff
  • Ongoing professional development to staff, families, and students involving COVID 19 and its variants
  • MERV rated filters throughout DCPS HVAC systems
  • COVID screening for students and staff whenever possible
  • Multiple vaccination opportunities for staff and eligible students leading up to the 2021-2022 school year

Caroline County:

“Masks are now required for all individuals inside Caroline County Public Schools buildings, regardless of vaccination status, when students are present,” Caroline County Public Schools said in an Aug. 17 post on its website.

“We are laser focused on our primary goal of keeping the school doors open five full days a week for in-person learning for all students,” Interim Superintendent Derek Simmons told the school board in an Aug. 17 special meeting.

“Given the current circumstances, we have a much better chance of meeting that goal if everyone is wearing a mask while indoors.”

According to the post, the decision was based on several important factors:

  • Children 11 and younger are not yet eligible for the vaccine, and significant numbers of students 12 and older remain unvaccinated.
  • The Delta variant spreads more easily than previous variants, and can be spread by vaccinated individuals. Throughout the summer, the number of young people contracting the virus has increased.
  • According to CDC’s data tracker, Caroline County has been in the substantial or high range for community transmission since early August.
  • Based on CDC contact tracing guidance, if an unmasked student tests positive, nearby students must quarantine, even if they were wearing masks. However, if both the positive case and the contacts are masked, the contacts may stay in school.
  • The CDC, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Caroline County Health Department all recommend a mask requirement for student and staff safety, and as a way to enable schools to remain open.
  • The Draft Reopening Plan Survey comments indicated that while some respondents wanted masks to remain a choice, a majority felt strongly that masks should be required.

Board President Jim Newcomb urged older students, “If you are comfortable with being vaccinated, be a leader in your school and get the vaccine. This is the only way under these conditions to get your life and your friends’ lives as close to normal as possible.”

Queen Anne’s County:

“Approved face coverings must be worn in all QACPS buildings,” the school system said in an Aug. 23 post on its website.

In a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), the school system said not requiring masks would result in a larger number of students being quarantined and absent from school if an unmasked student tests positive for COVID-19.

“If a student were to choose not to wear a face covering and tests positive for COVID-19, the unvaccinated students around that child (masked or unmasked) are then required to be quarantined.

“However, if all students have face coverings and at least socially distant in the classroom, only the child testing positive would miss school days.

“There may be other settings such as the bus or the cafeteria where social distancing cannot be maintained.

“Our best chance at keeping classrooms and schools safe and open is to require everyone to wear face coverings and maintain social distancing whenever possible.”

Quarantining

Diagrams from Caroline and Queen Anne’s county schools highlight the effectiveness of masks in limiting the number of students who must quarantine if a student tests positive for COVID-19.

With 3-foot spacing and all students wearing masks, only the student testing positive for COVID-19 would have to quarantine in three classroom seating diagrams, according to Caroline schools.

Without masks, 6 to 8 other students sitting near the student who tested positive also would have to quarantine and miss school. Those students would be considered close contacts at high risk of getting COVID-19.

A diagram from Queen Anne’s schools notes the differences between old and current quarantine guidelines.

The previous guidelines would have required mass student quarantine if one student tested positive.

Under the current guidelines, with everyone masked and remaining three feet apart, the student who tested positive would have to quarantine. Those within close proximity would only have to quarantine if they had symptoms.

Shore Behavioral Health Begins Transition of Inpatient Care to UM SMC

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Plans for the transfer of University of Maryland Shore Behavioral Health’s Inpatient Care Unit from UM Shore Medical Center at Dorchester to UM Shore Medical Center at Easton have begun.

“As our newly renovated and secured, 12-bed unit on the third floor of the Easton hospital is being readied for occupancy, we are making plans for the transition period, August 25 through September 9,” said Laurence Pezor, MD, Medical Director, UM Shore Behavioral Health. “We have notified our community partners and referral sources that as of August 25, we will discontinue involuntary psychiatric admissions at the Dorchester hospital, and as of September 1, we will discontinue voluntary psychiatric admissions. Both types of admission will resume on September 9 at UM Shore Medical Center in Easton.”

Patients needing assessment for behavioral health issues may still present at any UM Shore Regional Health Emergency Department for evaluation by the Behavioral Health Response Team (BHRT). This team is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to provide mental health and substance abuse evaluations and referrals for adults and children in need. Patients needing inpatient behavioral health care during the transition will be referred to other community providers.

In addition to inpatient care and rapid assessments for behavioral health issues in emergency care settings, UM Shore Behavioral Health provides a Mental Health Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP). When the new UM Shore Regional Health at Cambridge opens in late September 2021, the Mental Health IOP will relocate to this new facility along with a separate suite of three designated behavioral health beds adjacent to the Emergency Department for patients needing assessment, observation and/or care prior to admission for inpatient care.

”Our team of providers, nurses, therapists, licensed clinical social workers, certified addiction counselors and other support staff is committed to delivering compassionate, community based care to those in need of behavioral health services,” said Dr. Pezor. “We are looking forward to moving into our new space in the Easton hospital and continuing our tradition of evidence-based practice and our integrated, collaborative approach to supporting patients in their recovery journey.”

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 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 University of Maryland, Baltimore professional schools (Nursing, Pharmacy, Social Work and Dentistry) in Baltimore. As one of the largest private employers in the State, the health system’s more than 29,500 employees and 4,000 affiliated physicians provide primary and specialty care in more than 150 locations, including 13 hospitals and 9 University of Maryland Urgent Care centers. The UMMS flagship academic campus, the University of Maryland Medical Center in downtown Baltimore, 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.

Sunset Yoga Returns to Navy Point this Fall

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Beginning on Oct. 5, and continuing on Tuesdays throughout the month, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum will once again host a series of mixed level sunset yoga classes on its waterfront campus in St. Michaels, Md.

In the recurring event, held from 5:30 – 6:30pm, Jenn Swaine, owner and certified yoga instructor at Eastern Shore Yoga, will lead participants through a mixed level flow sunset yoga class on CBMM’s Navy Point. Participants are required to bring their own mats, props, and water. Rain dates are set for the following day each week.

The cost to participate is $20 for a single session in either month, or $70 for the full series, with a 20% discount offered to CBMM members and registration required to cbmm.org/yoga.

CBMM members play a critical role in supporting CBMM’s rich legacy of educational programs, fascinating and ever-changing exhibitions, and maintenance of the largest collection of Chesapeake watercraft in the world, including access to exclusive discounts, perks, and programming. To learn more about becoming a CBMM member, visit cbmm.org/membership.