(l-r) Tisha Thompson, regional director, emergency services; Michael Carlson, MD; Sue Speakman and Walter Atha, MD, regional director, emergency medicine.
Michael Carlson, MD, an Emergency Department physician at University of Maryland Shore Medical Center (UM SMC) at Chestertown, was recently honored as an “Everyday Hero.” The award was presented by former UM Chester River Health Foundation board member Sue Speakman, who nominated Dr. Carlson due to the exceptional care he provided to her husband during a recent visit to the Emergency Department.
The Everyday Hero program is an opportunity for patients to honor and thank team members for excellent care through a donation to UM Chester River Health Foundation, the fundraising arm of UM SMC at Chestertown. UM SMC at Chestertown is part of the University of Maryland Shore Regional Health (UM SRH), which is a member organization of the University of Maryland Medical System.
“Any team member can be a hero,” said Maryann Ruehrmund, executive director and chief development officer, UM Chester River Health Foundation. “Everyday heroes could include environmental services team members who take extra care while cleaning a room, emergency department physicians who save lives, or an exceptionally compassionate volunteer who transports a patient by wheelchair.”
Patients and their families may make a donation and pay tribute to a team member or an entire department. Everyday Hero displays and donation envelopes are located throughout the hospital. Honorees are presented with an “Everyday Hero” lapel pin and hand-written notes of appreciation from the donor as well as their manager.
About UM Chester River Health Foundation
The Chester River Health Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit Maryland corporation and the fiduciary responsible for soliciting, holding and disbursing charitable gifts that support excellence in patient care services exclusively at UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown. It is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. Contributions fund the purchase of new and replacement medical equipment and technology, capital projects and scholarships for advanced health care education. The Foundation offers a complete array of philanthropy programs, from soliciting annual gifts through assistance with estate and legacy gift planning.
About University of Maryland Shore Regional Health
A member organization of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), University of Maryland Shore Regional Health (UM SRH) is the principal provider of comprehensive health care services for more than 170,000 residents of five counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore: Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot. UM SRH consists of approximately 2,000 team members, including more than 400 health care providers on the Medical Staff, who work with community partners to advance the values that are foundational to our mission: Compassion, Discovery, Excellence, Diversity and Integrity. For more information, visit https://www.umms.org/shore.
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.
