UM Shore Regional Health’s Chestertown Rural Health Initiative Launches Mobile Wellness Team

CHESTERTOWN, MD – University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Chestertown has welcomed four individuals to the hospital’s new Mobile Wellness Team, a key component of the innovative models of care introduced by University of Maryland Shore Regional Health to serve the health care needs of Kent and northern Queen Anne’s county residents.

The Mobile Wellness Team will expand access to care similar to the Mobile Integrated Community Health Program in neighboring counties. Its members will conduct outreach visits to trusted community sites, including firehouses, places of worship, residential care facilities, community organizations and other social centers and also will serve patients and families in their home settings. “Along with our new Health Educator, Jeanette Jeffrey, this team is taking health care out into the community, meeting patients where they are with information, guidance and support to help them manage their health conditions outside the walls of the hospital and achieve a better quality of life,” said Dennis Welsh, Vice President, Rural Health CareTransformation and Executive Director, UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown.

Mobile Wellness Team staff includes:

• Heather Grove, Nurse Coordinator, a registered nurse with several years experience in the field of public health. Grove spent the last six years as a Community Health Nurse for the Caroline County Health Department, where she participated in a variety of initiatives, including the Cigarette Restitution Fund Program, the Babies Born Healthy Program, Sexual Risk Avoidance Education, the 1422 Chronic Disease Grant, Pregnancy and Tobacco Cessation Help and the Community Transformation Grant. Previously, Grove served as a nurse at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton, primarily caring for oncology and palliative care patients. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Wilmington University.
• Kaitlin Falls, LCSW, a Social Worker with a master’s degree in Social Work from Salisbury University, where she also earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Fells’ social work experience includes internships at The Judy Center at Sudlersville Elementary School, the Talbot County Department of Social Services, and the Emergency Department of Bryn Mawr Hospital in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.
• Two Community Health Advocates, Serenity Kelly and Amanda Webster. Kelly most recently worked for the Kent County Health Department where she served as Coordinator of Special Programs supporting the management of local COVID-19 vaccination clinics to accomplish efficient and equitable distribution of the vaccine. She began her health care career as a firefighter and paramedic at Baltimore-Washington International Airport, and later served as Chief of Emergency Medical Services for Kent County. Her educational credentials include associate’s degrees in General Studies and Emergency Services/Paramedic from Anne Arundel Community College, and a bachelor’s degree in Emergency Health Services from University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Webster joined the team after serving in customer service/patient access and medical records positions at Christiana Care in Newark, Delaware. Prior to working for Christiana, she served as Surgical Center Coordinator for the Cataract and Laser Center, also in Newark; as Front Office Supervisor at Health Care for Children in Elkton, and as medical assistant for J.P. Gadea, MD, in Newark. As a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Webster also worked in home health care agencies in Newark and Chesapeake City. She received her Clinical Assistant training at Cecil Community College and her CNA from Governor Bacon Health Center in Delaware City, Delaware.

“We are so excited to have attracted such well-qualified team members to make our Mobile Wellness initiatives successful,” said Lara Wilson, director, Rural Health Care Transformation for UM Shore Regional Health at Chestertown. “We also are grateful for the support we received from the Rural Maryland Council — a generous grant in the amount of $125,000 dedicated to Mobile Wellness. Our application for this grant was supported by Maryland State Senator Steve Hershey and Maryland State Delegate Jay Jacobs, and also by Kent County Health Officer William Webb. We thank them and all our community partners who will be working with us to help make the Mobile Wellness Team a major health care asset for the residents of our region.”

CUTLINES:

Shown left to right are Chestertown Mobile Wellness Team members Kaitlin Fells, Serenity Kelly, Amanda Webster and Heather Grove. (Mobile Wellness Team.jpg)

Dennis Welsh, Vice President, Rural Health Care Transformation and Executive Director, UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown (Dennis Welsh 01.jpg)

Lara Wilson, Director, Rural Health Care Transformation (Wilson, Lara.jpg)