Wilbur Levengood is not a man to take a setback lying down, or for that matter, even sitting down. The 65-year old lifelong resident of Caroline County is too busy – as a farmer, an entrepreneur, a Caroline County commissioner and member of the County’s volunteer fire department – to be “laid up” with injury or illness.

But accidents happen, and farm equipment can be especially hazardous. On June 12, 2020, Levengood was working alone on one of his 200 tillable acres in Goldsboro, Md., when he slipped on to equipment and ruptured his left quadricep tendon above the kneecap. He was flown by helicopter to Baltimore for surgery, which took place at Johns Hopkins Hospital on June 15, and just one day later, sent home in a cast to begin a recovery that seemed likely to sideline him from farming and many other activities for some time.

“My wife, Sherry, did some research and told me it would take months,” Levengood recalls.

Three weeks after his discharge from the hospital, his cast came off and was replaced by a brace. By the last week of August, steady improvement had enabled him to begin physical therapy at University of Maryland Shore Rehab at Denton. Eager to get back to full activity, he was already walking in a straight brace, but not yet able to get back on his tractor.

When he arrived for his first therapy appointment at UM Shore Medical Pavilion at Denton, Levengood was pleased to see a familiar face – Charlie Moore, DPT, who grew up in Denton. Moore’s mom, Catherine, is county comptroller, and his dad, Randy, formerly served as town council member and mayor of Denton. For all but two years, the 34-year old physical therapist has lived in the County and since 2012, had served as a PT with UM Shore Medical Center at Easton, UM Shore Rehab at Denton, UM Shore Home Care, Autumn Lake Nursing Home before returning to the Denton Rehab team in 2019.

“I felt more comfortable knowing that I would be seeing Charlie for my therapy,” Levengood says. “When you get local care from someone you know, you have a sense of trust, and trust is important because half of healing successfully is having a good state of mind.”

The respect is mutual. Over the course of Levengood’s therapy, which was provided twice a week at first but is now once a week, Moore says, “I was really impressed by his motivation and determination. About half way through his therapy, he had regained a little over 70 percent of full use and functionality of his injured leg, in spite of such taxing activities as lifting and carrying 50-pound bags of feed. I do have to remind him to not to over-do it – with muscle injuries, sometimes you can keep pushing through but there are times when you need to rest and give it a break to avoid strain and swelling.”

Levengood’s therapy includes a range of exercises at home as well as during the PT sessions. The goal is to achieve an even, steady gait and good stability that will enable him to move about safely, resume his full range of normal activities and avoid further injury.

Some activities have been more difficult than others; for example, Levengood found that stepping into and out of a high vehicle requires strength that he needed to work on. “My tractor step is pretty high, but getting in and out of the fire truck is much harder – I can really feel it,” he says.

Moore has recommended exercises on a specific piece of equipment, the Power Tower, to help Levengood with the high-step challenge. And at times, therapy has included hands-on massage. “Charlie realized I had a knot in the muscle. He used a massage technique to work it out, and that helped me move with less strain and stress,” Levengood says.

“Every injury and surgery is different, and every patient is different,” says Moore. “To provide physical therapy that really helps, you have to understand the patient’s overall health and strength, how well they are healing, and what their normal activities are.”

The challenge for Levengood now is to find the time to do his home exercises, and equally important, to avoid doing too much too soon. “Taking honey off the hives the other day, I just stood too long and lifted too much. I get a lot of pain in my knee cap, and it seems I might need a cortisone shot. But I just have so many things I’ve got to do – I mean, it’s time to cut soybeans. And I’m also spending time at the firehouse – the other night when I got home it was almost 10 o’clock,” he says.

Moore has told his patient that while his leg has gotten much stronger, full recovery will take a few more months. “Charlie’s done well for me – he says I’m 77 percent there but I think I’m 80 or 85 percent there,” Levengood says. “Shore Regional Health has been good to Caroline County — I was excited when we opened the medical pavilion here and I’m glad to be getting my therapy here.”

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.

Karen Hollis, RDN, LDN, CDCES has joined the UM Shore Regional Health Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology as lead diabetes educator.

Hollis, who is a registered dietitian as well as a certified diabetes care and education specialist, has long been associated with the Dorchester and Easton hospitals and the diabetes education program at both facilities. She has four decades of experience including outpatient nutrition education, clinical staff responsibilities and clinical management. From 2006 to 2018, she served as nutrition consultant for Chesapeake Woods in Cambridge, and from 2006 to 2012, she ran a successful private practice business for several local physicians in Talbot and Dorchester counties.

As lead diabetes educator, Hollis oversees and provides group and individual diabetes self-management training (DSMT) and medical nutrition therapy (MNT) for adults with pre-diabetes and diabetes. In addition, she educates patients in the use of a variety of diabetes care devices, conducts outreach and participation in community programs, and manages the monthly diabetes support group for residents of Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties that is currently conducted via Zoom.

“I am very excited to serve the Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology as lead educator,” says Hollis. “Throughout my career, I have had a passion for providing education and support to people with diabetes.”

Pre-diabetes and diabetes is a serious and growing problem population health problem in the U.S. According to the Centers for Disease Control, one in 10 Americans has the disease and approximately one in three has prediabetes. The Maryland State Department of Health’s Diabetes Action Plan reflects the seriousness of the problem in Maryland: Diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death in the state, and a total of 2.1 million Marylanders are believed to have either diabetes or pre-diabetes, incurring nearly $5 billion on medical costs annually. Caroline and Dorchester are among Maryland counties with the highest adult diabetes rates – 11 to 15 percent.

Hollis notes that without effective treatment and management – which for many patients, includes learning to how to make dietary and lifestyle changes – diabetes can be very debilitating and even deadly. “Education is imperative — not only to help those with pre-diabetes avoid progressing to Type 2, but to help those who are diagnosed with the disease to halt or at least delay the progression of complications that can be life-limiting and even life-threatening,” she says. “The staff and providers at the Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology are dedicated to providing not only treatment and care, but also the best education and support, for our community members who are battling this disease.”

Diabetes management classes are conducted each month at Shore Medical Center at Chestertown as well as at the Diabetes Center at Shore Medical Center at Easton. “We are holding in-person classes, but due to COVID-19, there is a limit of five students per class for social distancing purposes, and of course, masks are required,” says Hollis.

Each class runs for three sessions, one session per week. The Chestertown class is taught by diabetes nurse educator Chrissy Nelson, who also works with patients on an individual basis to manage their symptoms, medication and care products.

Individual diabetes support and medical nutrition therapy are provided on-site, but Hollis and Nelson also work with patients via telehealth. “I’ve seen some patients via Zoom, but many more by phone,” she says. “In some areas of our region, internet access is unreliable or not available, and many older patients are not computer savvy. So they can call from their smartphone, flip phone or landline to get the guidance they need.”

For more information about diabetes care and support offered by UM Shore Regional Health, call 410-822-1000, ext. 5757, or visit https://www.umms.org/shore/health-services/diabetes-endocrinology.

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.

Jeanie Scott  has been named director, Oncology Services at UM Shore Regional Health. Oncology Services includes the Cancer Center at UM Shore Regional Health, the Requard Radiation Center and the Clark Comprehensive Breast Center.

During her 21 years with UM Shore Regional Health, Scott has served as cancer center registrar, registry coordinator, operations coordinator, and most recently, operations manager. She earned her B.S. degree from Walden University in 2019.

As director, Scott leads a team of dedicated professionals who rank in the top 10 percent of patient satisfaction ratings, and has been instrumental in developing a host of support and awareness programs for cancer patients and their loved ones. She also will lead the Cancer Center’s Requard Radiation Center in its new partnership with University of Maryland Medical System Department of Radiation Oncology to provide state-of-the-art technology and innovative clinical trials to the patients in our community.

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.