2022 Report to the Community

Stories of our work in the community

Throughout Maryland and the Washington, D.C., region, MedStar Health works with communities to increase healthcare access and provide education. Our goal is to improve the health and well-being of all residents as we serve our patients, those who care for them, and our communities.

• 

  Working with parents to ensure children in underserved communities receive essential vaccinations.

  Pictured above: Eboni Hawkins and her daughter with a member of the community pediatrics team after a visit to the Kids Mobile Medical Clinic.

  
  When the COVID-19 vaccine first became available for adults in late 2020, Ebony Hawkins did not plan on getting vaccinated. The 43-year-old Washington, D.C., resident had serious concerns about the vaccine’s safety, effectiveness, and long-term implications. “I just didn’t know if I could trust it,” says Hawkins. “I had a lot of questions that I needed answers to before I would even think about getting vaccinated.”

  After discussing her concerns with her primary care doctors at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and with medical practitioners at the MedStar Health Kids Mobile Medical Clinic, Hawkins decided to protect herself and those around her by getting vaccinated. And when the vaccine for children under age 12 became available, she also got her 7-year-old daughter vaccinated.

  “Once I was more educated about it, I felt more confident that this was safe for everyone in my family,” says the mother of three.

  Knowing many families in the Washington, D.C., area share the same hesitancy about receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, the community pediatrics team at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital enlisted the help of Hawkins and other parents to reach families who were skeptical, too.

  Read More
• 

  Exploring the connection between food and health in Washington, D.C.

  Pictured above: A patient receives a boxed meal from Hungry Harvest, which contains three nonperishable meals—breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

  
  When a 23-year-old patient at MedStar Washington Hospital Center began experiencing serious health issues caused by lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease, it never occurred to her that the food she ate could be part of the problem.

  “She was a young woman who ate what people her age usually eat—things like chips and Cheetos—and those foods were not helping her,” says Kisha Copeland, community health advocate at the hospital. “But everything changed for her once she got access to healthier foods.”

  Considering the patient’s medical needs, dietary concerns and ability to access healthy food in her neighborhood, Copeland connected her with Hungry Harvest, one of several programs that partner with MedStar Health to help address food insecurity in the community.

  In three months, the patient successfully lost weight, experienced fewer lupus flare-ups, and required fewer hospital visits.

  “It didn’t take long for her to see just how much her diet impacts her health,” Copeland says.

  Read More
• 

  Forging partnerships to deliver critically needed medical supplies to Ukraine.

  Pictured above: Behind the scenes as MedStar Health associates prepare medical supplies and equipment to be shipped to Ukraine.

  
  When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Janet Thomason knew she had to act fast.

  As director of national procurement for Project C.U.R.E., the world’s largest distributor of donated medical supplies and equipment, Thomason’s organization would soon be flooded with requests to aid the millions of people impacted by the war. Her job was to find partners who could help fill the requests quickly and efficiently.

  MedStar Health stepped forward to help.

  In its first partnership with Project C.U.R.E., MedStar Health committed to donating $2 million in medical equipment and supplies to the war-torn nation.

  “Everyone on the MedStar Health team was completely invested in this project, and they all had ideas on how they could support our efforts,” Thomason says. “They came to us with a lengthy list of supplies they could provide and were tremendously generous.”

  The devastation experienced by communities in Ukraine put their hospitals under immense pressure. According to Project C.U.R.E., an estimated 12 million people in Ukraine and 4 million refugees in neighboring countries needed, or will need, aid.

  “As the conflict increased, we wanted to help in any way we could,” said Patrick McGovern, assistant vice president, Supply Chain Operations, MedStar Health. “We looked for ways to take our surplus resources and use them to help others globally.”

  MedStar Health sent three rounds of shipments in 2022, each time filling up to four 53-foot trailers with the most critically needed medical items, including hospital beds, surgical instruments, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and other supplies.

  Read More
• 

  Helping patients prevent accidental drug overdoses caused by Fentanyl.

  Pictured above: Jerry Gross, a peer recovery coach at MedStar Health Harbor Hospital, meets with a patient.

  
  When Jerry Gross was battling an addiction to crack cocaine, he never doubted that the drugs his dealer supplied him contained anything other than cocaine.

  Now, 21 years clean and sober, Gross says things are very different today for those with drug addictions.

  “There used to be an honor code on the street,” says Gross, who now serves as a peer recovery coach at MedStar Harbor Hospital. “But these days, dealers are putting so many other substances into drugs, and people who use them have no idea what’s going into their bodies.”

  One such substance is Fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid similar to morphine but up to 100 times more potent.¹ According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, it takes very little Fentanyl to produce a high. Drug dealers have begun mixing it with heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine, and other drugs.² And what’s worse, those who use these drugs are often unaware that Fentanyl has been added because it typically cannot be detected.

  This has made Fentanyl a leading contributor to fatal drug overdoses in Maryland. According to the Maryland Department of Health, 82% of cocaine-related deaths in 2018 occurred in combination with Fentanyl—a number that rose to 90% in 2020.³

  To help community members suffering from drug addiction prevent fatal drug overdoses, MedStar Health hospitals became the first in the state to offer patients free test kits to detect Fentanyl.

  All patients who arrive at MedStar Health emergency departments are screened for substance use disorders as part of the patient intake process. Any patient with a positive screen for high-risk behavior speaks with a peer recovery coach, who conducts a brief intervention and refers the patient to treatment, if appropriate.

  Peer Recovery Coach Gross adds that if a patient is not immediately receptive to drug treatment options, he will mention the availability of Fentanyl test kits to help the patient practice safer habits.

  Read More
• 

  Increasing access to healthy food to address food insecurity and chronic illness.

  Pictured above: Angela Roberson, lead dietitian for Food Rx, discusses the benefits of access to healthy and nutritious foods for patients living with chronic conditions such as diabetes.

  
  It wasn’t long ago when Roger Nicholson would reach for a bag of chips or a package of corn curls when he wanted a quick snack. Now, he prefers to snack on bananas or toast with sugar-free jelly.

  The 61-year-old living with diabetes has made significant lifestyle and diet changes, thanks to a MedStar Health program that helps patients with chronic illnesses or those who cannot access nutritious foods to improve their health.

  Nicholson learned about the MedStar Health program, Food Rx, during a recent hospital stay at MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital. After discovering that Nicholson struggled with managing his diabetes and accessing healthy foods, the hospital Collaborative Care Team referred him to Food Rx.

  “They asked me a few questions about my situation, and I told them I was going through a bit of a tough time,” says the Baltimore resident. “They took time to listen to me and understand my circumstances so they could help me.”

  Read More
• 

  Making ‘farm to table’ a reality, while supporting local producers.

  Pictured above: Harlan Hess, of Hess Farms in Waynesboro, PA, in his field of vegetable crops.

  
  When farmer Harlan Hess picks a vegetable, it takes less than an hour and 45 minutes to be packed and ready for shipment to local markets, restaurants and organizations like MedStar Health hospitals.

  It is the very definition of “farm to table.”

  Hess runs Hess Farms, a second-generation, family owned farm in Waynesboro, PA, just north of the Mason-Dixon line. His farm was one of several that partnered with MedStar Health for Buy Local Week (July 22-31), a statewide initiative that encourages Marylanders to eat, drink, and enjoy local farm products.

  During Buy Local Week, MedStar Health kitchens and cafés across our system offered fresh, healthy meals using Hess Farms apples, cucumbers, eggplants, and tomatoes. Signs were placed in cafés identifying the meals made with locally sourced foods, the ingredients used, and the farms that produced them. Diners also had the opportunity to purchase fruits and vegetables at a small farmer’s market inside the hospital cafés. Recipe cards were available for associates and visitors to make the recipes at home with the ingredients.

  “We have a responsibility to support the health and well-being of our patients and associates,” says Diana Brande, a registered dietitian at MedStar Health. “We also have a responsibility to support the health of our local farmers and producers.”

  In addition to Hess Farms, MedStar Health sourced ingredients from Shlagel Farms in Waldorf (zucchini, yellow squash, pepper, and tomatoes) and Godfrey’s Farm in Sudlersville (corn and blueberries).

  Initiatives like Buy Local Week are essential to the success of local producers like Hess Farms, which depends on local retailers and organizations for about 90% of their business.

  Read More
• 

  Saving lives by detecting and treating lung cancer in its earliest stages.

  Pictured above: are Dr. Ankit Madan meets with a patient.

  
  A new program at MedStar Georgetown Cancer Institute at MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center aims to reduce lung cancer deaths in the community by screening high-risk patients before they start showing symptoms.

  The screening, launched in 2021, is offered to patients who fit the high-risk profile for lung cancer—those between the ages of 50 and 80 who are current smokers or have quit within the last 15 years. Patients must also have a history of smoking one pack per day for 30 years or two packs a day for 15 years.

  Longtime smoker Yulonda Williams is among the patients the program hopes to help.

  The 50-year-old phlebotomist has been a smoker for 27 years. She says she has been able to stop smoking for months at a time using various methods including wearing a nicotine patch and using a nicotine inhaler. She quit cold turkey once and went five years before picking up the habit again. She says that quitting for good is a goal she still struggles to achieve.

  “I have all the tools to quit, but it’s not easy,” says the Baltimore resident. “And the older I get, the harder it is to change my habits.”

  She says that she will likely get the screening, which is a low-dose CT scan, so she can take the measures necessary to treat any potential findings.

  “If I got the scan, and they found something concerning, I would give up cigarettes in a heartbeat,” she says. “But I want to stop smoking now, so it doesn’t come to that.”

  Read More
• 

  Taking a patient-centered, holistic approach to caring for our aging population.

  Pictured above: Charles Hawley and Audrey Randall-Harley discuss their experience during a visit to the Center for Successful Aging at MedStar Montgomery Medical Center.

  
  “Are you still able to do the things you enjoy?”
  “Do you have plans for advanced care?
  “What are your long-term goals?”

  Before visiting the Center for Successful Aging (CSA) at MedStar Montgomery Medical Center, 81-year-old Charles Hawley had never been asked such important questions about his well-being and plans for the future.

  “I was blown away by the level of personal attention and care I received from the very first visit,” says the retired U.S. Air Force Intelligence Officer. “I knew from that moment that this is the kind of care I should be receiving, especially at my age.”

  Helping older patients like Hawley get the specialized care they need to manage their physical, mental and emotional health is the goal of the CSA, says Rezanne Khalil, MD, medical director.

  “Today’s older adults face very unique health challenges,” she says. “We’ve created a space where our patients, their families and caregivers can benefit from a holistic approach to care.”

  Patients are provided a specialized care team—including a geriatrician, pharmacist, physical therapist, and social worker—that partners with the patients’ primary care physician, specialists, caregivers and family. This approach helps ensure patients receive more coordinated care.

  “All of my husband’s care providers communicate with each other and work together as one united team,” says Audrey Randall-Hawley, Mr. Hawley’s wife and caregiver. “That’s something we never had before.”

  Read More
• 

  Ensuring a safe, healthy experience for a global championship sporting even.

  Pictured above: Lacrosse teammates celebrate during the World Women’s Lacrosse Championship in Baltimore.

  
  When the world’s best female lacrosse players gathered in Baltimore in 2022 for a series of summer-long championship games, the athletes had more to compete with than just their opponents.

  The COVID-19 Omicron variant was still prevalent, prompting organizers of many large events to significantly step-up health protocols to ensure guest safety.

  USA Lacrosse, the host of the World Lacrosse Women’s World Championship and Women’s World Festival, turned to MedStar Health to provide the medical care necessary to give athletes, coaches, officials and spectators a safe and healthy experience.

  “When you have a global event like this, you want to feel confident that everything is taken care of,” says Marc Riccio, USA Lacrosse president and CEO. “We knew we could rely on the expertise of MedStar Health to handle an event of this magnitude.”

  The games brought more than 500 youth, high school, college, and adult lacrosse players from 30 countries to Baltimore. The games marked only the third time that the World Lacrosse Women’s World Championship was held in the U.S. and the first-ever event in Baltimore.

  MedStar Health spent 15 months planning for the large-scale event. A group of multidisciplinary healthcare providers, including athletic trainers, physical therapists, and physicians were called upon to support the events, which took place at Towson University and Goucher College in Baltimore County.

  Read More