Message from the CEO

This time of year is always a special one for the Medical Center, when we celebrate National Hospital Week and National Nurses' Week. This year, we have even more to celebrate during May—the beginning of construction on our new hospital building. It marks Phase IV of the Medical Center's strategic facilities plan. Our dynamic C2X Employee Loyalty Team has organized an event to mark the groundbreaking of the new building, which will expand our Shock Trauma, Critical Care and Emergency Medicine capacity. You can read about the building on the cover of this issue of UMMC Connections and learn more when you come to the "Under the Big Top" event May 13.

The Phase IV expansion project will affect every department in the Medical Center because it greatly increases our capacity to meet the growing needs of the community and region. We know this will involve staff accommodations and some disruption of traffic as construction progresses. But it will be worth it to have a facility that takes us into the future and ensures that UMMC will remain a strong resource to the people of Maryland and beyond.

This issue also features examples of the giving nature of UMMC employees, from the success of the Haiti relief effort to the special section on nurses and their colleagues who volunteer to help those in need, both locally and abroad. The caring spirit you bring to your work here and in the community is yet another example of the commitment, talent and passion we are so fortunate to have here at UMMC.

Jeffrey A. Rivest
President & Chief Executive Officer

Marcia L. Cooley, PhD, RN

The May employee of the month, Marcia L. Cooley, PhD, RN, is the temporary supervisor in the Medical Center's Psychiatric Admitting and Referral Center (PARC). Cooley holds a master's degree and a doctorate in nursing and studied family therapy for three years at Georgetown University. She teaches courses to nursing students, has contributed to nursing textbooks and has developed psychiatric emergency service programs for four Maryland counties.

But no matter how involved she is in the academic side of her profession, Cooley has never forgotten the importance of hands-on nursing. In recent years that has meant balancing her teaching duties with work in the hospital's Psychiatric Emergency Services Department.

"I think it's very hard to teach well if you don't know what's going on at the very front lines of health care," Cooley says. "You really have to constantly inform yourself and keep current so that you can be a good teacher."

The Psychiatric Emergency Services Department provides 24/7 care for 20 to 25 patients each day.

"We're seeing the most acute patients we have ever seen in psychiatry," Cooley says. "We get patients from our own emergency rooms and from outside hospitals. We're known as being able to manage very complicated cases."

A day in the department is filled with "lots of urgent requests and lots of unpredictability," Cooley continues. "Everybody who is coming to us is having difficulty with emotions. You have to be willing to put yourself in the midst of it, to understand it, and to find a way to stay calm yourself." The people who require the department's services "benefit from having somebody who is going to be very patient with them, who's going through the journey with them."

The most satisfying part of the job, Cooley says, is working together with other members of the team and supporting each other in reaching solutions for patients that maintain the hospital's mission of providing high-quality care.

"Marcia is completely dedicated to our patients in Psychiatry," says Connie Noll, MA, RN-C, the department's nurse manager. "She is well-respected and highly regarded by her peers and the multidisciplinary team. She has the ability to direct the management of aggressive patients, difficult persons and challenging situations. She nurtures others with compassion, clinical expertise and competence and has led efforts to create specific Psych Emergency Services competencies. She has a calm presence which contributes to smooth operations in an intense working environment."

Cooley has shown that same competence in her temporary assignment in PARC. "Marcia has provided structure, written guidelines and day-to-day operational direction. Her ability to analyze systems and provide expertise from the wealth of her clinical and academic background is unparalleled," Noll continues.

Currently Cooley works full time at the Medical Center and teaches one day a week at the University of Maryland School of Nursing. As a break from this full schedule, she and her husband Vince enjoy sailing and spending time at Rehoboth Beach. They have four grown children and three grandchildren.

In recognition of her contributions, Cooley will receive a $100 check and a certificate of appreciation from Jeffrey A. Rivest, president and chief executive officer of the Medical Center.

Peggy Schaum, LCSW-C

As the mother of a chronically ill son, Peggy Schaum, LCSW-C, worked closely with a social worker who helped the family get the resources required to cope with her son's illness. Inspired by that assistance, Schaum returned to school after 20 years as a stay-at-home mom and earned a master's degree in social work from the University of Maryland School of Social Work. Today, as a clinical social worker in the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU), Schaum supports patients and their families going through their own medical crises.

Schaum's designation as June's employee of the month honors her work on behalf of those patients and families.

Schaum is one of 35 social workers in the Department of Social Work. They cover all areas of the hospital, providing psychosocial assessments that help identify how patients are going to cope with illness and treatment.

"We identify environmental barriers such as homelessness, financial issues, lack of family support, transportation and housing referrals -- any kind of issues that may interfere with positive medical outcomes or a safe discharge. Social workers provide supportive counseling around adjustment to illness and end of life issues," says Rebecca Latham, LCSW-C, associate director of social work.

Schaum came to the Medical Center 10 years ago, and worked in Shock Trauma, the ER, Neurology and Medicine/Infectious Disease (including AIDS/HIV care) before moving to the MICU four years ago.

"I was looking for a different kind of experience," Schaum says. "In the Medical ICU there's more opportunity for family work, since many patients are not in a condition to make their own medical decisions. We deal with a lot of end-of-life and bereavement issues."

During the course of a week, Schaum usually sees 25 patients and/or their families.

Schaum admits that it can be difficult to work with families who are in denial about a patient's illness or who do not want to accept a diagnosis.

"You do not want them to give up hope, but you want them to be realistic," she says. She also provides emotional support for physicians and other staff members who have to deliver devastating news to a patient and/or family members.

"Peggy has an incredible ability to remain calm and flexible in some very chaotic and difficult family situations," says Latham. "She has a positive influence on patients and families by helping them to alleviate their distress. She works incredibly well with the interdisciplinary team and is supportive of them. Peggy plays a significant role with the Palliative Care Team, and is the go-to person for psychosocial issues for palliative care patients."

Schaum understands, on a very personal level, how much help families need during these times.

"It's very satisfying, being able to be present with families, supporting them and offering any services we can provide for them," she says.

Schaum enjoys spending time with her husband of 36 years, George, her son and daughter, and two grandchildren. Disney World is an annual destination for them. The family participates in the annual National Kidney Foundation walk, which will be held May 16 in Annapolis.

In recognition of her contributions, Schaum will receive a $100 check and a certificate of appreciation from Jeffrey A. Rivest, Medical Center president and chief executive officer.

Kidney Transplant Turns Business Acquaintances Into "Family"

"A kidney cannot tell a person's ethnicity or skin color," says Tony Brady, left, with Ken Kuiper, who donated his kidney to Brady. When Ken Kuiper found out that a business acquaintance was on dialysis and needed a new kidney, he took action. He contacted Fernando "Tony" Brady, and found out they shared the same blood type — O positive. Kuiper, who is from Florida, then sent a blood sample to UMMC, where Brady, who is from New York, had decided to have his transplant. The nurse who called Kuiper with the results of his blood test said that if she did not know better, she'd think that Kuiper and Brady were brothers, because there was such a strong match. The transplant took place last winter, and the two men and their families have indeed become very close through this experience. Brady and Kuiper made a pact to "pay it forward" by educating others about kidney transplantation. Read more at www.umm.edu/transplant/ken_kuiper.htm

Recognizing that sustaining a healthy environment is essential to maintaining both personal and public health, the University of Maryland Medical Center has committed itself to promoting healthy patients and communities locally and globally by safeguarding the environment.

Those who miss Tuckey's fruits and vegetables, Max's Empanadas and other locally produced food can rejoice: The University Farmers' Market reopens for its second year at 10:30 am on Tuesday, May 11 in University Plaza Park, across from the Medical Center's main entrance. The Farmers' Market is a partnership between the University of Maryland Medical Center and the University of Maryland, Baltimore. It will be held every Tuesday from May through mid-November from 10:30 am until 2:30 pm, and will feature 16 local vendors selling a variety of locally grown produce, artisan cheeses, eggs, poultry, seafood, meat, baked goods and ice cream.

For more information on vendors and links to their websites, go to the Green Team page of the Medical Center's website, www.umm.edu/green.

To celebrate Earth Day on April 22, the Facilities Department and the UMMC Green Team hosted a day of educational events and displays, as well as a "scrub swap" (left) and an office-supply swap to encourage re-use and exchange of items that otherwise might be thrown away.

Welcome
Rodney Bellamy is the new employee relations manager in the Department of Human Resources (HR). He brings almost 24 years of experience, including eight years with two major health care systems in Detroit, Mich. He has also contributed to fostering positive employee relations for government employers as well, serving for more than eight years as a conflictresolution mediator and arbitrator. He will be a strategic contributor in building value-added relationships between Medical Center leadership and employees.

Tara Reed Carlson, MS, RN, is the new business development manager for the Shock Trauma Center. Since 1993, she has worked for Merck & Co., where she received awards for leadership and teamwork in her work with academic medical centers. She already is familiar to many staff at Shock Trauma, where she began her nursing career in the 1980s as a student nurse from the University of Maryland School of Nursing. As a staff nurse here, she specialized in spinal cord and brain injury. In her new role with Shock Trauma, she will identify strategies to expand existing programs and establish new services that will expand or open new markets. In addition, Carlson will direct the development of the Shock Trauma Center website and all prevention activities.

Albert Johnson, MBA, is the new director of materials management for UMMC. His areas of responsibility include the Peri- Operative Distribution Center (PDC) and Med/Surg Distribution Center (MDC), as well as the University of Maryland Medical System Corporate Materials Management Operations team. He brings more than 25 years of supply-chain experience in the military and in academic medical centers, having been a decorated member of the US Air Force. He worked most recently at UCLA Health System, where he was responsible for materials management at two centers.

Promoted
Erika Maynor, RT(T), CMD, MPA, is the new director of radiation oncology for the University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center. She joined UMMC in 2001 as the assistant chief radiation therapist and demonstrated outstanding commitment to patient care, quality, operational excellence, education and innovation. In her new role, she will continue to work with UMGCC employees and staff members to continuously improve services to all of cancer patients and families.

Greg Raymond, MBA, BSN, RN, has been promoted to director of nursing for neurocare and behavioral health services. He currently serves as the clinical nurse manager for the Surgical Intensive Care Unit and has previously held positions as a staff nurse at Johns Hopkins Hospital and Frederick Memorial Hospital, working in the areas of acute inpatient surgery, same-day surgery, endoscopic procedural area, postanesthesia care and critical intensive care. In his new role, he will partner closely with the clinical chiefs for neurosurgery, neurology and psychiatry.

Kristin Seidl, PhD, RN, has been promoted to director of outcomes for nursing and patient care. She has served as a clinical practice coordinator in the Division of Safety and Quality at UMMC, winning numerous awards, publishing multiple papers and presenting at many national conferences on topics related to oncology nursing, evidence-based nursing practice and quality and safety. In her new role, she will provide leadership for high-quality clinical programs, safety and patient care initiatives, and exemplary outcomes in Patient Care Services. She will also be responsible for the management of a nursing outcomes database and work related to maintaining designation for UMMC as a Magnet institution.

Honored
Kevin Sheth, MD, a UMMC stroke specialist in neurology and critical care, received an American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Foundation Clinical Research Training Fellowship. This career development award was given at the AAN annual meeting in April. Sheth is also an assistant professor of neurology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.