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June 16, 2025

Cambridge Spy

Nonpartisan and Education-based News for Cambridge

Health Health Notes

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.

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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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For All Seasons’ “Give With Your Heart” Campaign Shares Mental Health Stories

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Heather Jones-Meredith, a parent, owner of Salon Sophia Tate, and a For All Seasons client.

For All Seasons’ “Give With Your Heart Campaign” raised funds to continue its critical work to meet the increased mental health needs of the Eastern Shore. This virtual campaign underscored the importance of mental health and community connection. During the campaign, the agency shared meaningful stories through video interviews shared by its clients, community members, and board members.

One video highlighted a former client and local business owner of Salon Sophia Tate. Heather Jones-Meredith recalled the significant challenges associated with her teenage son’s anxiety and the way that therapy changed his life. Jones-Meredith and her husband decided to bring their son to For All Seasons because their own parental tactics were not working. Part of the treatment their son received at For All Seasons involved the practice of journaling and over time, this led to his interest in composing music.

She recalls, “He started writing music, so I thought, well, that’s pretty therapeutic.”

“For All Seasons helped him identify some of those underlying issues and helped him work through them creatively. Sometimes it takes someone outside of your family unit and outside of your home structure to help guide you,” she adds.

Jones-Meredith’s son’s healing journey brought him to record songs. To date, he has four LPs and his music is on Spotify and iTunes. He has gotten some scholarships to college and is now on his way to some type of music career.

For Jones-Meredith, the work of For All Seasons is tremendously important to our community. She adds, “I would love for the community to know how resourceful For All Seasons is . . . and how to just utilize some of the tools that they’re giving to our community.”

“Without, For All Seasons, I’m not quite sure that we would be the parents we are. I don’t know that I would be the wife that I am. I don’t know that I would be the leader of my business that I am today. My hope for our community is that more people take away that stigma of a mental health illness. Let’s unpack it and let’s be better people, better community members, better friends.”

Michael T. Flaherty, Ph.D., of Tilghman, a For All Seasons Board Member and a Clinical Psychologist.

Another interview shared during the campaign was with Michael T. Flaherty, Ph.D., of Tilghman, a For All Seasons Board Member and a Clinical Psychologist, who became aware after moving here of the mental health needs of the Mid-Shore, including domestic abuse, alcohol and substance use, depression, and anxiety.

“This community has got so many things that are needed,” Flaherty shares.

To meet the increased need for trained mental health professionals, For All Seasons is expanding its training programs for its own staff and other mental health professionals. Flaherty states, “It is committed to training the workers so that their quality is assured when people come in the door,” states Flaherty.

“For All Seasons is taking on the burden, but also the responsibility that comes with that burden. You can’t ask for more than that. For All Seasons is definitely on the path for the future. It knows the challenge and it knows what it has to do to meet that challenge and be accountable to this community. And that’s in the end what mental health is all about – community health.”

Sponsors of the “Give with Your Heart” campaign include Presenting Sponsors ($10,000+): Bluepoint Hospitality/Paul & Joanne Prager and Warren L. Allen Family Fund; Healing Sponsors ($2,500): Shore United Bank/Wye Financial Partners; Hope Sponsors ($1,000): Easton Utilities, Ewing, Dietz, Fountain, & Kaludis, P.A., Tom and Cathy Hill, Marasun Roofing, Provident State Bank, Rise Up Coffee Roasters, St. John Foundation, Inc., What’s Up? Media, Willow Construction, Help Sponsors ($500), Julyan Management Group, LLC, Orion Safety Products, Zuleika M. Ghodsi MD PC of Delmarva Laser Eye Center; Comfort Sponsors ($250): BPO Elks Easton Lodge No. 1622, Channel Marker, Tim & Sally Kagan, Karen Davis, State Farm Insurance, Kevertin Pet Resort, Piazza Italian Market, Schauber Van Schaik and ERIE Insurance, Schuman’s Cleaning Service, Inc., Seaford Presbyterian Church, and Sump & Associates; Care Sponsors ($100): Country Telephone & Communications, Crackerjacks, Inc., Graul’s Market St. Michaels, Higgins & Spencer, Inc., Hill Report, Ltd., Lizzy Dee, Steward Writing & Communications, LLC, and The Orthopedic Center.

Visit GiveWithYourHeart.org. Individuals can still help the agency meet its final fundraising goal and watch all of the “Give With Your Heart” campaign videos, including the culminating community music video.

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 410-822-1018 or visit forallseasonsinc.org.

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Eleanor and Ethel Leh Women’s Center Installs New Mammography Machine

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A new, state-of-the-art Senographe Pristina 3D mammography machine with tomosynthesis is the most recent addition to the Eleanor and Ethel Leh Women’s Center at UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown. Designed by women, for women, this new equipment offers a more comfortable mammogram experience, with adjustments made for better positioning and compression, and improved image quality. Proper positioning and better image quality reduce the need for repeat scans.

The Leh Women’s Center team sees nearly 500 patients a month for screening and diagnostic mammograms. This past January, the hospital decided to upgrade the Leh Women’s Center’s nine-year-old machine. The new Senographe Pristina was installed in early April and went online with its first patients undergoing mammography on April 12.

“We are excited about the upgrade of our mammography machine,” said Dennis Welsh, Vice President, Rural Health Transformation, and Executive Director, UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown. “We are up-and-running with a brand-new unit, operated by the same highly skilled, compassionate and experienced staff you have trusted all along.”

UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown’s leadership and Leh Women’s Center mammography team members held a pink ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the addition of the new machine.

“We are offering patients an exam that is more comfortable and accurate, and the patient can be confident in their results,” said Penny Olivi, Director, Radiology Services, UM Shore Regional Health. “I am excited we can offer this new, state-of-the-art machine to our Leh Women’s Center patients and our Kent County community.”

Photo: From left, Lara Wilson, Director, Rural Health Care Transformation at UM Shore Medical Center Chestertown; mammography technologists Jordan Boone, RT(R)(M), and Abby Spence, RT(R)(M); Lead Mammography Technologist Connie Branham, RT(R)(M), CN-BI; mammography technologist Susan Herr, RT(R)(M); Penny Olivi, MBA, RT, CRA, FAHRA, Director, Imaging Services, UM Shore Regional Health; and Dennis Welsh, Vice President, Rural Health Transformation, and Executive Director, UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown.

Screening mammograms are a necessary preventive measure in maintaining breast health. A mammogram screening is appropriate for all who are considered high risk due to family history of breast cancer or other factors, and any patient over age 40. Using an X-ray to take pictures of the breast, the screening is used to detect the presence of breast cancer, even in those patients who have no sign or symptom of the disease. Getting a routine breast exam and annual screening mammogram can help detect cancer early, improving the chance it can be treated successfully.

Leh Women’s Center Lead Mammography TechnologistConnie Branham, RT (R) (M), CN-BI said it was early detection that caught her own breast cancer in 2020.

“The Leh Women’s Center has paved the way in cutting-edge mammography technology on the Eastern Shore,” Branham said. “My cancer was found early thanks to mammography. Early detection is key. I am also fortunate in that my entire breast cancer team is all within Shore Regional Health.”

Branham said she and her entire team have advanced certification in mammography. Branham also has additional certification in Breast Imaging Patient Navigation from the National Consortium of Breast Centers.

In 2013, the Leh Women’s Center at UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown was the first UM Shore Regional Health facility to begin offering 3D mammography technology to patients. Today, all UM Shore Regional Health diagnostic centers have 3D mammography technology.

To schedule a mammogram at the Eleanor and Ethel Leh Women’s Center in Chestertown, patients should contact their primary care physician or women’s health physician for a screening mammogram order and then call Central Scheduling at 443-225-7474 to schedule an appointment. UM SRH customer service representatives are trained to assist patients in finding the best location to fit their medical imaging needs, so they can take care of all of their imaging orders, close to home, in as few visits as possible.

Information regarding our other Diagnostic and Imaging locations is also available by visiting umshoreregional.org.

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 Tilghman Health Center to Expand Hours

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From left: Choptank Health’s Ciera Nichols, MA, Choptank Health CEO Sara Rich, and Gregory Dukes, CRNP at the Tilghman Health Center.

Choptank Community Health System’s Tilghman Health Center is expanding to weekly hours to provide more accessibility to primary medical services for Bay Hundred area children and adults.

The Tilghman Health Center serves as an extension to Choptank Health’s Bay Hundred Health Center in St. Michaels, with Gregory Dukes, CRNP serving as the provider. The Center previously had been open every other Tuesday during select hours. New hours begin May 10 and are every Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

“These extended hours allow our practitioners more time to take care of our patients in Tilghman Island,” said Choptank Health CEO Sara Rich. “Making healthcare more accessible for people across Maryland’s Eastern Shore is at the heart of everything Choptank Health does. It’s why we’re here.”

The Tilghman Health Center’s separate office spaces are conveniently located at Tilghman Elementary School, with patients ages five and up being seen. Choptank Health’s Bay Hundred office patients and new adult and pediatric primary care medical patients are now being accepted, with appointments made by calling 410-754-0200.

Choptank Community Health System provides medical, dental, and School-Based health 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 laboratory services, with more at www.choptankhealth.org.

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Clara Rankin, Esquire, Appointed to UM Chester River Health Foundation Board

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Clara Rankin

Chester River Health Foundation (CRHF) recently appointed Chestertown resident Clara A. Rankin, Esq., to its Board of Directors for a three-year term. Chester River Health Foundation raises funds to enhance excellence in health care at University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Chestertown.

Rankin, a retired attorney and teacher, has lived part-time in the Chestertown area with her husband and children since 1999. They became full-time residents in 2021.

“I am an advocate for our community, for the people in it and for quality treatment for all. As a retired litigator, parent, court-appointed guardian and disabled person, I have wide-ranging exposure to medical health systems, which will benefit my work with the Foundation,” said Rankin. “I am honored to bring my world-view and small-town pride to the Foundation, and to assist in its most worthy goals and services.”

“Clara has a wealth of knowledge in both law and health care,” said Richard Barker, chair, CRHF. “We are grateful that she is sharing her time and talents for the benefit of community health care.”

In addition to Barker, Rankin joins other members of the CRHF Board: Sandra Bjork, Esq., Vice Chair; Jack Edson, Secretary; Libby Woolever, Assistant Secretary; Sue Edson, Hospital Auxiliary President; JoAnne Hahey, CFO, UM Shore Regional Health and FoundationTreasurer; Ken Kozel, President and CEO, UM Shore Regional Health and FoundationPresident; Carol Hilty Droge; Michael Faust; Kristen Owen; and Sigrid Whaley.

For more information about the Foundation’s efforts, please contact Maryann Ruehrmund, Executive Director, 410-810-5660 or visit the Foundation’s web site at www.umcrhf.org.

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 10 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 Community Health System Awarded Joint Commission Accreditation

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Choptank Community Health System has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for primary care medical home, ambulatory health care, and behavioral health care and human services accreditation by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards. The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal is a symbol of quality that reflects a healthcare organization’s commitment to providing safe and quality patient care.

A medical home is a partnership approach between patients, clinicians, medical staff, and families in providing comprehensive primary care. A medical home extends beyond clinical practice to include specialty care, educational services, family support, and more.

This year also marks the first time Choptank Health’s behavioral health services were part of the Joint Commission’s accreditation process. Choptank Health began providing behavioral health services in 2020, with services offered to Choptank Health’s medical and dental patients.

Choptank Health recently underwent a rigorous, unannounced onsite review, with a team of Joint Commission reviewers evaluating compliance with primary care medical home, ambulatory health care, and behavioral health care standards.

The Joint Commission’s standards are developed in consultation with healthcare experts and providers, measurement experts, and patients. They are informed by scientific literature and expert consensus to help healthcare organizations measure, assess, and improve performance. The surveyors also conducted onsite observations and interviews.

“As a healthcare accreditor, The Joint Commission works with healthcare organizations across settings to help improve patient safety and quality of care through our expert resources and tools, innovative solutions, and rigorous standards,” says Deborah Ryan, MS, RN, interim executive vice president, Accreditation and Certification Operations, The Joint Commission. “We commend Choptank Health for its commitment to advance safety and quality for all patients.”

“I have always been incredibly proud of the work of each Choptank Health team member,” said Choptank Health CEO Sara Rich in a recent memo to staff. “It was no surprise to hear the surveyors unanimously compliment our team’s passion for our mission and the care you take with your patients.

“They were impressed with our team members’ knowledge, enthusiasm, and professionalism,” Rich continued. “It’s clear each Choptank Health team member is committed to providing safe, quality care to our patients.”

Choptank Community Health System provides medical, dental, and School-Based health 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 laboratory services, with new medical patients now being accepted. More is at www.choptankhealth.org. More information about The Joint Commission is at www.jointcommission.org.

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