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Meritus nurses honored for their actions during Nurses Week
Meritus recently held its annual Nursing Awards as part of its Nurses Week celebration. Here is a list of the 2024 awards and winners: Amy Henesy - Daisy Educator Recipient Haley Loeser - Daisy Leader Danielle Miller - Preceptor of the Year Lily Bevis - Rookie Nurse of the Year Hannah Brunner - Clinical Inquiry Nurse of the Year Dr. Erick Kawegere - Physician Champion of Nursing Kylie Ayers - Excellence in Clinical Nursing - Community Health Tammy Ware - Excellence in Clinical Nursing - Clinical Support Samantha Kershner - Excellence in Clinical Nursing - Med Surge Tiffany Noel - Excellence in Clinical Nursing - Outpatient Areas Shelby Campbell - Excellence in Clinical Nursing - Surgical Services Congratulations to this year’s recipients!
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Meritus celebrates groundbreaking of student housing complex
Meritus Commons to provide 340 housing units for future medical students Community leaders and supporters were joined by elected officials and community members Thursday evening to celebrate a groundbreaking ceremony for the student housing complex for the proposed Meritus School of Osteopathic Medicine. The complex, Meritus Commons, will include 340 one- and two-bedroom student apartments, a club house, commons area and dog park. The first 90 units will be completed in time for the proposed medical school’s first class to move in before the fall 2025 semester. The complex is just a quarter mile from the school’s flagship building, the D.M. Bowman Academic Hall, adjacent to the Meritus Medical Center campus, and will be accessible by a walking trail. “As we discussed our vision for the school, it was so clear that we wanted to provide a full campus experience for our students. It is essential that the students live here in Washington County,” said Dr. Paula Gregory, Dean of the proposed medical school. “By planting firm roots in our community, our hope and vision is that students will stay and practice medicine here and will love this community as much as we do.” Dave Lehr, Chief Operating Officer for the proposed medical school, told attendees the celebration was truly a celebration of Meritus’ investment in the community’s future, where there are ample physicians to provide essential services, one where the economy is bolstered and thriving, and one where higher education is accessible and poignant. “This is a critically important part of developing a world-class medical school in our community,” he said. “We aim to attract the best medical students in the country to our program. Part of attending medical school is living on campus, becoming part of the community and having access to all of the support that’s needed to thrive through such an arduous program.” Proposed Meritus School of Osteopathic Medicine The school’s flagship academic medical building, D.M. Bowman Academic Hall, remains on schedule for construction completion at the end of this year. The 200,000-square-foot, five-story building will house a state-of-the-art simulation center, simulation labs and a conference center that can host more than 600 people. Economic impact An independent economic impact study performed by Tripp Umbach shows the proposed Meritus School of Osteopathic Medicine will bring considerable benefits to the region. Capital impacts from 2023-2026 are estimated at $268 million dollars, with 1,595 jobs created and estimated tax revenue of $6.2 million dollars. Once the school welcomes its first class, an estimated $500 million of economic impact is expected between 2025 and 2030, with more than $120 million per year to the Maryland GDP every year beyond 2030. “We know that health, education and the economy are all connected. Improving the economy of our region also enhances the health and wellness of our neighbors,” said Maulik Joshi, Meritus Health President and CEO. “We are thrilled to have a project that will improve and enhance so many important factors related to the quality of life in Washington County.” More information on the proposed Meritus School of Osteopathic Medical can be found at MSOM.org.
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Meritus CEO: We can’t afford not to invest in our dedicated workforce
Hospital, health system commits to increase minimum wage to $20/hour over next two years Meritus Health, Washington County’s only integrated health system and one of the region’s largest employers, has committed to increase its minimum wage to $20 per hour in a multi-phased approach over the next two years. In 2023, the health system increased its minimum wage from $15 per hour to $17. This most recent investment will place Meritus a leader in the region and state for healthcare pay rates. “This is the third time in three years that we have committed to increasing our organization’s minimum wage,” said President and CEO Maulik Joshi, Dr. P.H. “Our workforce is our community, and a livable wage is so important. We simply can’t afford not to invest in our dedicated workforce.” The first phase of the increases will begin July 1, 2024, and impact 500 frontline team members, including Medical Assistants, Certified Nursing Assistants, Phlebotomists and Emergency Department Technicians. By January 2027, all positions will have moved to the increased pay scale. As part of the investment in its workforce, Meritus is also providing a performance-based bonus structure and incentives to long-standing team members as they achieve years of service milestones. Joshi emphasized the health system’s goal to encourage local community members to begin a career with the health system versus a temporary job. Meritus offers employees opportunities for tuition reimbursement and educational opportunities. Joshi said many can enter the health system in a minimum wage, entry-level role, take advantage of educational benefits and earn advanced degrees and achieve higher-level career milestones and goals. Whether an employee supports the frontlines of healthcare delivery or serves in a support department, Joshi said working at Meritus means they are all healthcare workers. “Every single position in our organizations helps us live our mission of improving the health of the community,” Joshi said. “We can’t provide the best care without long-serving, dedicated team members. We are thrilled to offer this commitment to them.” In 2021, Meritus increased its minimum wage to $15 an hour, four years ahead of state-mandated increases. That hike impacted 1,100 employees at an investment of $2.8 million. In 2023, the health system invested an additional $3 million to increase minimum wage to $17. Joshi said many factors, including turnover rates, cost of living and a desire of Meritus to be a nationally ranked employer influenced the decision. “The cost of living continues to rise and as a result, many hospitals and healthcare systems are struggling with vacancy rates, losing entry-level workers to other industries with higher starting rates. Unlike other industries, we cannot safely operate with vacancies,” he said. “I’m honored to work with some of our community’s most talented and dedicated workers. Ensuring that we are supporting them and providing them with a livable wage is so important. They make excellent care possible in this community, and investing in them is paramount to us caring for our community.”
Meritus Urology honored by U.S. News & World Report
Patients who receive surgical care at Meritus Urology are getting top-ranked services, according to U.S. News & World Report. Antietam UroSurgical Center, which is Meritus Urology’s outpatient surgery, earned a “High Performing” rating from the pro-consumer media company. It was one of only 705 same-day surgical centers to earn this rating out of nearly 5,000 centers that U.S. News evaluated. “We are privileged and honored to be receiving this award,” said Kevin Hackett, M.D., with Meritus Urology. “It underscores the commitment and dedication we have to our patients and our goal of improving the health of the community. We’re all after the same thing: to provide high quality care and attention to every patient we see.” Procedures typically take less than an hour, with just another hour required in recovery. Care can include everything from an enlarged prostate to kidney stone removal. The practice also treats bladder, kidney, prostate and testicular cancers. Services are available for men and women, children and adults. “Our Best Ambulatory Surgery Centers project is the latest manifestation of U.S. News’s focus on ‘data journalism’ — using in-depth, unbiased analyses of objective data to help people make important decisions,” said Mark W. White, vice president of U.S. News & World Report. To learn more about Meritus Urology, visit www.MeritusHealth.com/Urology or call 301-733-0022.
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