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Brook Lane to affiliate with Meritus, enhance care for region, state
Move supports a growing community need for mental health services Two long-standing local health providers will join together in July, as Brook Lane and Meritus Health will affiliate, vowing to expand access to mental health services across the region and state. The definitive agreement comes after months of formal due diligence by both organizations and their respective boards. “As we consider the best opportunities to support the total health of our community, while the demand for mental health support and services continues to increase, welcoming Brook Lane to our organization presents an opportunity for our two strong organizations to enhance access to services and provide patients with more coordinated care,” said Maulik Joshi, Dr.P.H., President and CEO of Meritus Health. Joshi said Meritus Health and Brook Lane have a long tradition of partnering in the community. In September 2023, the health providers worked together to open a mental health urgent care on the Meritus Health Campus off Robinwood Drive in Hagerstown. “We looked at the need in our community and across our state and found a way to share resources in order to quickly support that need,” Joshi said. “We understand the strength in working together and look forward to the next chapter in providing mental health services and education to our community.” Over the past several months, Joshi said he and Brook Lane CEO Jeffery D. O’Neal, MBA, LCPC, FACHE have been considering how they can use the strengths of their respective organizations to better fill current and future mental health needs across the region and the state. By combining resources, O’Neal and Joshi outlined an expanded model for mental health that would extend access levels of care and position the organization as one of the largest and most accessible in the nation. Once combined, the community would have access to integrated clinical offerings with a total of 80 inpatient beds; a psychiatry residency program, a high acuity residential crisis program, day treatment programs for children, adolescents and adults, substance abuse treatment services, mental health urgent care, mental health telehealth visits, a Type III and two Type I school programs, school-based therapists, interventional psychiatry programs, an employee assistance program servicing 12 organizations, and much more. Together, there would be 25 providers, 105 licensed therapists, 115 dedicated nursing staff and 20 teachers, all dedicated to supporting mental health services. This model, with combined resources, doesn’t just put together clinical excellence, but aligns cultural and community values as well. "Meritus and Brook Lane share community-centric values and a vision for making our neighbors healthier," O’Neal said. "Affiliating with Meritus provides our organization with the support it needs to grow and expand, while maintaining our tradition of providing compassionate mental and behavioral health services.” The affiliation will not reduce jobs, according to both leaders, but Brook Lane team members will be moved to the more competitive Meritus compensation scale. Over time, the organizations will consider together the best opportunities for expanding mental health services. “We know this partnership will improve access to care in our community,” Joshi said. “We look forward to our next steps, as together we plan and envision how to best enhance services and education.” 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. With over 3,000 employees, 500 medical staff members and 250 volunteers, Meritus Health serves over 200,000 residents of the tristate region. Meritus Medical Center has 327 beds and Meritus Medical group has over 160 providers. More information can be found at www.MeritusHealth.com or visit our Facebook page or LinkedIn page.
NEWS & UPDATES
Meritus Health location at Valley Mall makes healthcare convenient
Sports medicine, physical therapy, urgent care and pediatrics after-hours clinic to be housed in Halfway shopping mecca Ensuring that our community can access healthcare services is paramount to Meritus’ mission of improving the health of the community. That’s why the opening of Meritus Health’s new multispecialty medical practice at Valley Mall is a plus not only for patients, but for the mall, too. “Meritus is always trying to bring great care closer and closer to the people who need it,” said David M. Lehr, chief strategy officer of Meritus Health. “Expanding our footprint to another major location will improve convenience for our patients. This addition advances our objective to bring high-quality healthcare services directly into communities where people live and work." PREIT, a leading owner and operator of community-centric retail properties, has seen the evolution of malls, where out-of-the-box thinking has brought different tenants that serve customers’ needs. Meritus will be the third major healthcare facility incorporated into one of PREIT’s properties. "We are thrilled to welcome Meritus Health as our newest tenant at Valley Mall," said Julie Rohm, PREIT regional manager. "Our focus on delivering innovative and thoughtful destinations to meet modern consumer demands includes providing services that meet their daily needs. In a market that is evolving at the pace Hagerstown is, we are pleased to enhance the one-stop-shop experience we provide with the addition of high-quality healthcare options." On July 1, Meritus Health plans to open its physical therapy and sports medicine practices, an urgent care and relocate its after-hours pediatrics clinic in the former Sears store. Plans are in the works to add a family medicine practice in 2025. The opening will officially launch Meritus Sports Medicine. It is a practice for athletes of all ages to seek preventive care including sports physicals, injury care, concussion management, and joint/soft tissue therapy. Meritus Health is the sports-medicine provider of choice for the Flying Boxcars professional baseball team and also partners with Washington County Public Schools to provide professional athletic trainers in the county’s high schools. And for those weekend warriors, youth athletes, or any person committed to improving their physical well-being, Valley Mall provides a strategic geographic location at the crossroads of Interstates 81 and 70. The Meritus office will join a diverse set of tenants at the mall, which includes several sit-down dining establishments including Black Rock Bar & Grill, Mission BBQ, Red Robin and Primanti Bros to name a few; family entertainment venues, Regal Cinemas and Tilt; alongside traditional and value retail offerings including H&M, DICK’s Sporting Goods, Victoria’s Secret, aerie, Bath & Body Works and more. To learn more about Meritus Sports Medicine, go to www.meritushealth.com/sportsmedicine.
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Meritus Health celebrates new outpatient surgery center
C.P. Choudari Surgical Center to help improve the health of the community Meritus Health is opening a new outpatient surgery center to better meet patient needs and continue its mission of improving the health of the community. The C.P. Choudari Surgical Center will reduce wait times, provide faster diagnosis and improve outcomes for patients needing various surgical services. “We remain committed to evaluating the needs of our growing community,” said Dave Lehr, Meritus Health chief strategy officer. “We know that in our community, many must wait too long for important preventative screenings and diagnostic procedures. Opening the C.P. Choudari Surgical Center will help us reduce the time patients are waiting for these important procedures.” The new center, which celebrated its ribbon-cutting June 26, is in Suite 247 of the Robinwood Professional Center, 11110 Medical Campus Drive. It’s named for Dr. C.P. Choudari, who has been paramount in opening the facility. Choudari will be one of the physicians to perform medical procedures in the facility beginning in early August. “Meritus has invested in this surgical center to provide patients a more affordable, convenient and personalized alternative to the hospital for their endoscopic procedures and surgeries, all while delivering high quality care,” said Dr. C.P. Choudari, through whose donation the center was made possible. “This center will be more intimate than the hospital, and give patients a greater sense of personalized care and contact with their care team. “To me, this is a dream come true,” Dr. Choudari said. “Actually, dreams do not come true, dreams are made true.” A provider referral is needed for procedures at the center, but to learn more about what is offered, visit www.meritushealth.com/choudarisurgicalcenter.
Are you in pain? Neurosurgery might be the answer for you
When you hear the term “neurosurgery,” you might think about a doctor operating on your brain, or conditions such as tumors, aneurysms or stroke. While those are a part of it, one of the chief parts of neurosurgery is reducing and managing chronic pain. “Pain is a big problem in the community,” said Gentian Toshkezi, M.D., F.A.A.N.S, F.C.N.S, who is part of Meritus Neurosurgery with Chikezie Eseonu, M.D., F.A.A.N.S. “The treatment of pain and improving the patient’s quality of life is one of our main tasks.” Meritus opened its specialty practice, Meritus Neurosurgery, in 2023 to serve a growing community need. The health system wanted to provide the specialty surgical services needed so community members don't have to travel out of the area for the care they need. Formally, neurosurgery is a specialized branch of medicine dedicated to resolving complex issues in the brain and spine. But that can also include everything from back pain to carpal tunnel syndrome to pain or numbness in the hands and feet. Such conditions can be treated by neurosurgeons, either with surgery or other methods, Dr. Toshkezi said. For example, you might get treated for spinal-related pain in your lower back by a physical therapist, but the pain is not going away. A referring physician could send you to the neurosurgeon for treatment. “When degenerative spine disease progresses, it can cause compression of the spinal cord, and that requires decompression,” he said. Sometimes pain is caused by trauma such as a vehicle crash. Other times it can be from repetition such as sitting at a desk and using a keyboard. Sometimes the pain can be caused by genetics. Whatever the condition, Dr. Toshkezi said neurosurgeons come up with an approach and strategy to treat the pain and improve quality of life. The first step is to talk to your primary care physician, who would perform certain tests, Dr. Toshkezi said. “If they are positive, we are here,” he said. “Not every headache or back pain requires neurosurgical intervention. But don’t ignore it.” For those seeking a consultation with the Meritus Neurosurgery team, a referral is necessary. To learn more about the extensive range of neurosurgery services offered, visit the official website at MeritusHealth.com/Neurosurgery.
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