WELCOME TO MERITUS HEALTH
Expert Care,
Close to Home.
Dedicated to improving the health of our community.
Ready to schedule an appointment?
Our experts are ready to support your health needs. Meritus Health offers our patients the option of virtual or in-person appointments at one of our convenient locations. We promise to treat our patients with respect and provide professional, compassionate care.
Virtual Visit
In-Person Visit
Featured Services List
MERITUS STORIES
Paragon of gynecologic oncology retires from Meritus
Dr. Neil Rosenshein started with the health system in 2000 When Victoria Giffi, M.D., was a medical student at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, part of the training was for students to spend time in the operating room with Neil Rosenshein, M.D. “He would go around the room asking students question after question after question,” recalled Dr. Giffi, who is an oncologist with Meritus Hematology & Oncology Specialists. “We were all scared of him. His questions were tough.” Finally, after being in the operating room with him for days, Dr. Rosenshein asked her a question that she answered correctly. “He looked up at me, as if he was a little surprised I’d answered correctly,” she said. “And to this day, I still remember the question and answer.” Dr. Rosenshein is retiring after nearly 25 years with Washington County Hospital and Meritus. Dr. Giffi began working with him a decade ago at Meritus and said that “he is just so supportive and approachable.” He graduated from University of Florida College of Medicine in Gainesville, Florida, in 1969. He then did his residency in gynecology and obstetrics at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, as well as a fellowship in gynecologic oncology and a fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. During Dr. Rosenshein's extensive career, he has authored books, published articles, conducted medical research and won numerous awards. Most recently, he has been the director of Meritus Gynecologic Oncology Specialists. Known nationally and locally as a champion of women's health, his passion has been to educate women outside major urban areas about ovarian, endometrial and cervical cancer. “I think the reason his patients adore him is because he listens,” Dr. Giffi said. “He also listens to his colleagues. And he has a mind like a steel trap. He remembers patients he met decades ago.” Dr. Rosenshein’s patients have been sad to hear the news of his retirement, but many, like Sarah Thomas, say they are grateful to have had him as their doctor. “He saved my life,” Thomas said. She had cancer that was at stage 1-A — the earliest form — when it was discovered. Her gynecologist referred her to Dr. Rosenshein, who saw her within a week and performed surgery to remove the growth by the next week. It was at stage 1-B when he removed it. “That was six years ago,” Thomas said. “Every year I’ve been to him since then, he’s just been a sweetie.” At her last visit, she asked to take a photo of him. He insisted she be in the picture, too. “So we ended up taking a selfie of both of us. I’ll treasure that always.” For his part, Dr. Rosenshein is humble when talking about himself. The Smithsburg resident took the opportunity of his retirement to thank all those who have supported him in his quest to advance women’s health in the tristate region. “I've been honored to be part of the health system, first at Washington County Hospital, and at Meritus Health,” he said. “It has been a rewarding experience for me to deal with such wonderful patients and superb support staff throughout the hospital.” Dr. Rosenshein’s final day at Meritus was Dec. 19.
NEWS & UPDATES
Lend-a-Hand meal project at Meritus set for Christmas Eve deliveries
Nearly 4,000 meals are expected to be delivered this year Meritus Health’s annual Lend-a-Hand meal project is set for its 23rd year on Christmas Eve. The original project was organized by emergency room physicians and staff at Washington County Hospital. That first year, 300 meals were delivered to families in need in Washington County. The project is now organized by a committee of Emergency Department physicians and providers, the Nutrition Services Department and the Meritus Health Foundation. “While Lend-a-Hand is a reminder of the challenges some in our community face, it is a testament to the devotion of our team members and our community volunteers that the project has continued for more than two decades in Washington County,” said Meritus Health Foundation Director Geordie Newman. Names of families in need of the holiday meals are gathered from social services organizations, hospital staff recommendations, the public school system and other nonprofit groups in the area. Both the Emergency Department physicians and the Meritus Health Foundation contribute money and resources to the program. The food is prepared and cooked on-site at Meritus Medical Center by Nutrition Services. Meals are assembled and delivered Christmas Eve day each year. More than 100 volunteers support the project, including meal packers and drivers. Robinwood Professional Center’s atrium is the location for assembling meals and for volunteer check-in. Volunteer drivers receive delivery routes at check-in and have help loading the number of meals they will need before heading off to deliver throughout Washington County. Meals are delivered all over Washington County. Local ambulance crews, police and fire departments offer members of their staff and buses to help deliver meals. In addition to residential deliveries, Lend-a-Hand meals are provided to local homeless shelters, transitional homes, senior apartments and other group homes in Washington County. The record number of meal deliveries was in 2019 at 4,100. This year, the program is expecting to deliver nearly 4,000.
CHECK OUT OUR
Upcoming Events
READ MORE
Meritus News
Holidays have you stressed out? Here are some tips to get through
While the holidays can bring fun, joy and merriment, they can also bring stress, depression and anxiety. What can one do to navigate the stressors brought on by year-end celebrations so folks can actually celebrate? Karley Hensley, Ph.D., LCPC, NCC, the director of outpatient services at Brook Lane Health Services, says there are several ways to help deal with stress, depending on the cause. As a general method to tackle stress and anxiety, Hensley advises patients use grounding techniques. That includes recognizing your senses and asking yourself, “What can I touch, hear, smell, taste, etc.?” “You do this to bring yourself back to a focal point, instead of allowing the thoughts in your head to ruminate,” she said. Another technique is belly breathing. This is when you take a deep breath and, as you do, you try to push your belly button out as far as you can. This allows you to fill your lungs more deeply, using your whole diaphragm to take the breath. “If you’re only breathing with your chest, sometimes that can lead to an anxiety attack,” Hensley said. But what about specific stressors? “A lot of times, we’ll hear that there is stress related to grief, that a person has lost a significant person in their life and this is the first holiday without them,” Hensley said. To help combat these feelings, Hensley says she tells patients to encourage a positive celebration of that person’s life, or suggests doing something with people who are just as impacted by the person’s passing as they are. “Do this instead of allowing yourself to sit there in that grief,” she said. What if stress comes from your financial situation? Aside from using grounding techniques, Hensley said she tells patients to look at their resources and only spend money on that which is important. She said there are alternatives to buying presents when cash is tight, such as making a craft, or relying on a charity to help put presents under the tree. “We try to get them over that hump and reflecting on what’s most important at the holidays,” she said. How about one of the most common stressors during the holidays — family gatherings? Grounding techniques help out a lot here, but Hensley also suggests setting definitive boundaries for conversations, and having a support person, such as a significant other, there to help maintain those boundaries. If a patient hears a comment that induces anxiety, Hensley suggests going outside and using belly breathing and grounding techniques until the moment has passed. “It’s about minding your boundaries and having a good support system,” she said. Did you know that Meritus Health and Brook Lane have a mental health walk-in care center? The facility on the Meritus campus off Robinwood Drive serves as a behavioral health urgent care for ages 6 and older. To learn more, visit www.meritushealth.com/mentalhealth.
U.S. News: Meritus a maternity care high-performing hospital
The hospital is also one of 118 to provide maternity services in underserved areas Meritus Medical Center is pleased to be named a High Performing hospital in Maternity Care (Uncomplicated Pregnancy) by U.S. News & World Report. The publication’s annual Best Hospitals for Maternity Care ratings also recognized Meritus as one of 118 Maternity Care Access Hospitals, which provides maternity services in areas that would otherwise lack access to such care. “This designation is a testament to the dedication of our skilled team members in our Labor, Delivery, Recovery, and Postpartum unit,” said Carrie Adams, Pharm.D., Meritus chief operating officer. “Their commitment to our patients truly reflects our mission of improving the health of our community.” U.S. News asked hospitals to provide data for certain procedures and conditions related to maternity care. Hospitals that scored well on multiple measures were recognized as High Performing. High Performing hospitals had fewer C-sections, fewer severe newborn complications than other hospitals, had a low episiotomy rate, had higher rates of breast milk feeding, and more, according to the publication. This is the second year that Meritus has been designated a Maternity Care Access Hospital. To qualify, U.S. News included hospitals that were the only ones providing maternity care in their counties, and that had fewer than 60 obstetric providers per 10,000 births. In addition, the publication included hospitals that were the only hospital within a 15-mile radius in a county with fewer than 128 obstetric providers per 10,000 births.
PROMOTING A