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Go for Bold is a community effort to lose 1 million pounds by 2030, and more than just individual community members have joined the effort. More than 90 corporate and organization partners have also encouraged their employees to become part of the program. “One of the things we tell people who participate in Go for Bold is to believe in themselves, and one way to do that is by connecting with a person who has a similar purpose as you,” said Beth Fields Dowdell, DNP, CRNP, director of Community Health and Outpatient Care Management at Meritus Health. “By engaging corporate and organization partners, we build in that group participation, which can lead to successful outcomes.” The Go for Bold initiative was started by Healthy Washington County, a coalition of public and private organizations, including Meritus, with a mission to strengthen the health and wellness of our community and residents. The initiative was sparked after a Community Health Needs Assessment found Washington County residents had high rates of chronic illness, such as diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure, among others. To reach the 1 million pounds lost goal by 2030, the program encourages activity, healthy diet and accountability. So far, more than 169,600 pounds have been lost, according to the program’s online weight tracker. By visiting healthywashingtoncounty.com/goforbold, users will find tools to help them lose weight. Those tools tend to focus around activity, diet and mental health — or do, eat, believe. Groups and businesses that have been part of the initiative since the start are touting their success. “The Washington County Commission on Aging, Inc. is proud to share our staff’s remarkable commitment to the Go for Bold Initiative from its inception, which has led to a collective weight loss of 1,127 pounds as a team,” said Amy Olack, CEO of the WCCOA, one of the partner organizations. Olack attributed WCCOA’s success with the program to a work culture that encourages health habits and overall well-being. Staff has free, after-hours access to an on-site gym, outdoor fitness equipment, walking paths and a reflexology path. “Our Wellness Committee plays a vital role in fostering a culture of health by encouraging team members to engage in regular exercise, adopt healthier eating habits, and participate in wellness challenges throughout the year,” Olack said. “The committee also provides helpful reminders to stay hydrated and take walking breaks, reinforcing the importance of consistent, small steps toward better health.” Washington County Public Schools is another partner organization, which has lost a total of 1,641 pounds since it joined the program. “As WCPS is one of the largest employers in Washington County, we feel we could and can continue to reach a good number of people to participate and strengthen the health and wellness of the Washington County community and residents,” said Kathleen Boyer, coordinator of human resources: employee benefits. The school system incentivizes employees monthly to participate in Go for Bold, Boyer said. The number of participants is growing. “In November 2024, we won an award at the Go for Bold celebration for being one of the organizational partners with the most improvement in our efforts to Go for Bold,” Boyer said. “That, to me, shows we have gained more employee participation, communicated the initiative better, and worked towards our goal of being a healthier workplace and community.” Olack said that while everyone’s health journey is unique, it’s important to support each other with encouragement and positivity. “Our shared commitment has strengthened our team and improved our overall health, empowering us to serve our community with greater energy and focus,” she said. To learn more about becoming a partner organization in Go for Bold, visit healthywashingtoncounty.com/goforbold, then scroll down to and click on “Partner Resources.”
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HAGERSTOWN, Md. — Meritus Health is proud to announce its practices and providers came in first place in numerous categories for the Verstandig Media’s Best of the Tristate 2025 awards. Meritus Medical Center was named Best Hospital in the annual voting competition, which is highly regarded throughout Maryland, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. It’s the fifth year in a row the hospital has earned the title. In addition to the hospital, Meritus physicians and practices were also winners for the following categories: • Best Plastic Surgeon: Salvatore DiMercurio, M.D.• Best Cardiology Office: Meritus Hagerstown Heart• Best Urgent Care: Meritus Urgent Care The health system’s providers and practices were named finalists for Best Cardiologist, Best General Surgeon, Best Physical Therapist, Best Nurse, Best Outpatient Surgery Center, Best Physical Rehabilitation Center, Best Physical Therapy and best Orthopedic Clinic. Also, Brook Lane Health Services, an affiliate of Meritus Health, was a finalist for Best Mental Health Services. “We are proud to receive these awards and finalist nominations because the votes come from our community and team members,” said Maulik Joshi, Dr.P.H., Meritus president and CEO. “Our mission is to improve the health of the community, and we continue to grow to meet that challenge by bringing expert care close to home.” To meet the growing need for mental health services, the health system worked with Brook Lane in 2023 to open the Meritus Mental Health Walk-in facility. Located at the Orange Entrance to the Robinwood Professional Center, the office is there for anyone age 6 and older who needs a mental healthcare provider. The health system, Washington County’s only integrated health system and one of the region’s largest employers, is also in the process of raising its minimum wage to $20 per hour by 2027. So far, pay has been increased to at least $18 per hour for all employees. “Every day, we put the patient at the center of all we do,” Joshi said. “It is gratifying to know that the tristate community recognizes our effort, and they should know that we will continue doing it.” ### Meritus Health, Western Maryland’s largest health care provider, is located at the crossroads of Western Maryland, Southern Pennsylvania and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. The mission of Meritus Health is to improve the health of the region by providing the best healthcare, health services and medical education. As an anchor organization for the community, Meritus has 4,000 employees and serves more than 200,000 residents of the tristate region through Meritus Medical Center, Brook Lane Health Services, Meritus Medical Group, Meritus Home Health, Meritus Equipped for Life, and the Meritus School of Osteopathic Medicine. More information can be found at www.MeritusHealth.com or visit our Facebook page or LinkedIn page.
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New program joins Meritus Family Medicine Residency Program HAGERSTOWN, Md. — Meritus Health’s new Psychiatry Residency Program has matched with its first class of five doctors. They’ll be joining the six doctors who matched with the existing Meritus Family Medicine Residency program. “We are excited to welcome our first class of Psychiatry residents,” said Heather Theibert, D.O., program director for the Meritus Psychiatry Residency. “There is an obvious need for mental health professionals in this region and nationally. We are proud to be educating the next generation of psychiatrists to help meet this need with a focus on training psychiatrists who will stay and serve the Washington County area.” Each year, on the heels of graduation, medical students nationwide eagerly await announcement for where they “matched,” meaning where they will spend their next several years in residency. Residency programs serve as structured apprenticeships leading to board certification in a particular specialty. A resident is a physician who is enrolled in this apprenticeship or residency and is overseen by board-certified faculty physicians. The highly selective process results in five medical school graduates being matched with the psychiatry program at Meritus, along with six being matched with the family medicine program. The psychiatry residency is a four-year program for a total of 20 residents once the program is filled out. The family medicine program is a three-year program for a total of 18 residents. “It is a joy to welcome another class of promising doctors into the Meritus Family Medicine Residency Program,” said Stacy Ross, M.D., program director. “The highly skilled faculty physicians and colleagues here are eager to help guide them over the next three years. And these physicians will be working in our family medicine practice, meaning patients get to participate in their educational journey, too.” The Meritus Psychiatry Residency Program of class of 2029 includes graduates from Maryland, Florida and Iowa: · Crist Cuffee, D.O., Ankeny, Iowa; Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine · Claudia Jensen, D.O., Tampa, Fla.; Liberty College of Osteopathic Medicine · Ramya Kolagani, M.D., Ellicott City, Md.; Penn State University College of Medicine · Judy Lau, M.D., Germantown, Md.; Saint Louis University School of Medicine · Oluwaseun Oyewo, M.D., Silver Spring, Md.; University of Medicine and Health Sciences, St. Kitts The Meritus Family Medicine Residency Program class of 2028 includes graduates from Maryland, Virginia, Ohio and Nigeria: · Eyimofe Fakoyede, M.D., Lagos, Nigeria; Medical University of Plovdiv Faculty of Medicine · Luke Horning, D.O., McLean, Va.; West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine · Madeleine Miller, D.O., Cleveland, Ohio; Campbell University Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine · Sofia Paniagua, D.O., Gaithersburg, Md.; New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine · Idongesit Usoroh, M.D., Eket, Nigeria; All Saints University School of Medicine, Dominica · Doopashika Welikala, D.O., Gaithersburg, Md.; Kansas City University College of Osteopathic Medicine Meritus Health plans to launch more residency programs in the coming years as it prepares to welcome the inaugural class of students to the Meritus School of Osteopathic Medicine this summer. The school, the first to open in Maryland in more than 100 years, is meant to help close the gap in the number of physician openings regionally and nationwide. To learn more about the Psychiatry and Family Medicine residency programs, visit www.meritushealth.com/residency. To learn more about the Meritus School of Osteopathic Medicine, visit msom.org. ### Meritus Health, Western Maryland’s largest health care provider, is located at the crossroads of Western Maryland, Southern Pennsylvania and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. The mission of Meritus Health is to improve the health of the region by providing the best healthcare, health services and medical education. As an anchor organization for the community, Meritus has 4,000 employees and serves more than 200,000 residents of the tristate region through Meritus Medical Center, Brook Lane Health Services, Meritus Medical Group, Meritus Home Health, Meritus Equipped for Life, and the Meritus School of Osteopathic Medicine. More information can be found at www.MeritusHealth.com or visit our Facebook page or LinkedIn page.
Dr. Eric Maiorino now seeing patients in Hagerstown HAGERSTOWN, Md. — Breast cancer is a traumatic experience for patients, often leaving them questioning who they are because of scars after treatment. Eric Maiorino, M.D., the new surgeon at Meritus Cosmetic & Plastic Surgery, said he’s there to help those patients get back some semblance of their identity. “It’s a difficult time for patients. They’re always very afraid of looking deformed or not themselves,” Maiorino said. “My goal is to help them be able to pick up the pieces.” Maiorino grew up in Queens, N.Y., about 15 blocks away from where his practice partner, Salvatore DiMercurio, M.D., grew up. They even went to the same elementary and middle schools, albeit years apart. After earning his medical degree in 2012 from Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, Maiorino did his residency in general surgery at Temple University Hospital, which, among other things, focused on underserved populations. In 2018, Maiorino began a plastic surgery fellowship at the University of Texas in Houston at Hermann Memorial Hospital. “It was my first rodeo,” he joked, saying he’d never been to a rodeo before living in Texas. He also trained at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, part of the University of Texas. There he focused on reconstructive surgery for people dealing with a variety of cancers. “Plastic surgery is so broad,” he said, noting he gets to work with physicians in everything from cardiology to gastroenterology. “When you think of it, you think it’s just face lifts and breast enhancements. Plastic surgery touches so much more than that.” Eventually, Maiorino moved back to the East Coast and set up a practice in Washington, D.C. He was voted Top Doc the past three years by Washingtonian magazine. He became aware of Meritus Health thanks to its commitment to expanding medical education and training the next generation of doctors. The health system has residency programs in family medicine and psychiatry and is planning to add surgery in the near future. It also is set to open the Meritus School of Osteopathic Medicine, the first medical school to open in Maryland in 100 years, this summer. “I was a high school science teacher before I went to medical school, so this interested me,” he said. At Meritus Cosmetic & Plastic Surgery, Maiorino said he hopes to expand services for breast cancer patients, allowing them to avoid traveling out of the area. And he is looking forward to helping grow Meritus’ educational offerings. “I’m excited to help in making this more of an academic center,” he said. To learn more about Meritus Cosmetic & Plastic Surgery or to make an appointment, visit www.meritushealth.com/plastics or call 301-714-4460 in Hagerstown or 717-261-1620 in Chambersburg. ### Meritus Health, Western Maryland’s largest health care provider, is located at the crossroads of Western Maryland, Southern Pennsylvania and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. The mission of Meritus Health is to improve the health of the region by providing the best healthcare, health services and medical education. As an anchor organization for the community, Meritus has 4,000 employees and serves more than 200,000 residents of the tristate region through Meritus Medical Center, Brook Lane Health Services, Meritus Medical Group, Meritus Home Health, Meritus Equipped for Life, and the Meritus School of Osteopathic Medicine. More information can be found at www.MeritusHealth.com or visit our Facebook page or LinkedIn page.
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