NEWS
Meritus News
151 results
Meritus employees among group who brought man ‘back to life’
January 17, 2025
When a Falling Waters, WV, man suffered a heart attack, training kicked in for the medical professionals Scotty Bair had just planned on going to the Williamsport Red Men Tribe 84 that Wednesday night for a drawing and to get something to eat. It turned into a harrowing experience that, if not for the presence of several medial professionals that included two Meritus Medical Center clinical educators, could have ended in the Falling Waters, West Virginia, man’s death. “You don’t think about who is where you’re at and why,” Bair said, days later from his room in the Meritus Intensive Care Unit. “But I know one thing. They brought me back to life.” Theda Dofflemyer and Shannon Crilly, both registered nurses who have obtained advanced degrees that allow them to teach nursing curricula, were at the Red Men separately that night, along with an off-duty paramedic and a few other medical professionals. Bair said he doesn’t remember much from the evening, but Crilly said Bair had fallen out of his chair. “He just went down,” Dofflemyer said, adding later that she learned Bair wasn’t having any pain or shortness of breath before the incident. The nurses and medical professionals made their way to him individually and found he didn’t have a pulse. Training kicked in, and each medical professional took on a role in helping to revive Bair. “It was just a calm experience,” Crilly said. “Everyone was calm. We’ve all had experience doing this. We all knew our roles.” Dofflemyer said she asked a waitress if the club had an automated external defibrillator, or AED, which gives electric shocks to the heart to restore its normal rhythm. Moments later, the waitress returned from the kitchen carrying the device. After doing chest compressions and using the AED, they felt a pulse and Bair began to come around. All told, it was about six minutes they worked on Bair. An ambulance arrived and took him to the hospital. “It was like divine intervention that we were all there,” Crilly said. Bair, who said he was to get a pacemaker for his heart after the incident, agreed. “I can’t tell you how thankful I am that even one of them was there,” he said. “Thank goodness they were. They did a good job.” Dofflemyer was glad to hear that Bair was doing better, but said she didn’t feel special for what she did. “I don’t think I did anything that anyone else wouldn’t have done in that situation,” she said.
Dr. Maulik Interview with News Talk 103.7 FM
January 15, 2025
In case you missed it, Meritus President and CEO Maulik Joshi was on 103.7 FM's Drive at 5 with Allison Trobaugh on Tuesday, January 14, 2025. They talked about what Meritus Health has done over the past five years to better serve patients across the community. They also spoke about what's to come in the next five years. Visit https://soundcloud.com/newstalk1037fm/14-january-2025-dr-maulik-joshi-and-meritus-health to hear the interview.
Family Birthing Center at Meritus strives to ensure healthy baby, mom
January 14, 2025
The Family Birthing Center at Meritus Medical Center welcomed 1,997 babies in 2024. That’s an almost 11 percent increase from the 1,801 babies birthed at the hospital in 2023. And U.S. News & World Report recently named Meritus a High Performing hospital in Maternity Care (Uncomplicated Pregnancy) for 2024. “I think our Labor, Delivery, Recovery and Postpartum unit is special,” said Ellen Curry, clinical manager of the Family Birthing Center. “Our staff is phenomenal. I think it’s about the environment, support and respect we give our moms.” Proper support is important for moms and infants, especially in the child’s first few days of life. The World Health Organization notes that babies who are protected from injury and infection, are able to breathe normally, and are properly warm and fed are less likely to have other health issues during the first month of life. The Family Birthing Center at Meritus has been designed to provide that good start. For example, many other hospitals have two units — labor, delivery and recovery, and postpartum. At Meritus, the mother stays in one room the entire time. Her baby stays in the room with her after birth, and select family, like fathers, can stay as well. The birthing center has 20 LDRP rooms, plus 12 other rooms that can be used for consultations or performing C-sections. Additionally, Curry said 90 percent of vaginal deliveries at the hospital are attended by midwives. “That’s unique,” she said. “A midwife’s training is, compared to physicians and surgeons, as birth experts.” That’s not to say that physicians and surgeons aren’t experts in their field, she noted. “Midwives have a different approach,” Curry said, adding that physicians are at the ready should the need arise for more help. That has been especially important as more pregnant mothers coming to the hospital with certain acuities — for example, high blood pressure or diabetes. The birthing center also has expert care at the ready should the newborn need it. The Special Care Nursery, a level two neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU, can treat many conditions seen in infants in their first days of life. This eliminates the need to travel outside the area, Curry said. Caring for patients isn’t limited to inside the hospital. Because breastfeeding provides numerous benefits to both child and mother, the birthing center has lactation consultants available 24 hours a day, regardless of whether the patients are still in the hospital. And before patients even come to the hospital, a staff nurse goes into the community through different organizations to build relationships, especially with those who are coming from a disadvantaged background. “We try to meet people where they are,” Curry said. “We respect people, their cultures and backgrounds, who they are as people and what kind of care they need to make them healthy. Doing so improves the chances of having a healthy pregnancy, healthy delivery and healthy baby.”
Heather Markell named Meritus chief nursing officer
January 7, 2025
Washington County native brings 20 years of experience to position Heather Markell, MSN, RN, CEN, has been named Meritus Medical Center chief nursing officer effective Jan. 6. Markell, who served as interim CNO for the past few months, brings more than 20 years of diverse clinical and leadership experience to the role. “I am thrilled to announce Heather as our new chief nursing officer,” said Meritus Chief Operating Officer Carrie Adams, Pharm.D. “She has demonstrated her leadership through a variety of roles in the nursing division dedicated to fostering a culture of inclusion, collaboration and continuous improvement throughout the organization.” With a clinical background in emergency nursing, operations and leadership, Markell most recently held the roles of director of clinical operations for the Division of Nursing as well as director of emergency services, trauma and forensics. Markell holds a Master of Science in nursing with a focus in executive nurse leadership and holds clinical certification in emergency nursing. “I am proud to be chief nursing officer of Meritus Medical Center, a place where I’ve spent most of my career,” said Markell, a Boonsboro High School graduate. “I am committed to our nursing staff and our patients, driving innovative strategies that work toward the organization’s mission of improving the health of the community.”
Meritus sees next phase of minimum wage increase
January 6, 2025
Health system has committed to increase minimum wage to $20/hour over two years Meritus Health, Washington County’s only integrated health system and one of the region’s largest employers, took the next step in its charge to increase its minimum wage to $20. As of today, all team members are earning at least $18 per hour. The increase affects roughly 150 people and will be reflected on the Jan. 24 paycheck. The raise keeps Meritus at the forefront in the region and state for healthcare pay rates. “Every position at Meritus Health helps us achieve our mission of improving the health of the community,” said President and CEO Maulik Joshi, Dr.P.H. “Having a livable wage provides stability in the lives of our team members and allows them to provide our patients with the best care possible.” The first phase of the increases began this summer, impacting 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 of $20/hour. 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. The current rate increase is the third time in recent years that the health system has increased its base pay. 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 influenced the decision, including turnover rates, cost of living and the desire for Meritus to be a nationally ranked employer. “In our community, we are competing with other industries for workers,” Joshi said. “But unlike other industries, we simply cannot operate safely and serve our community with vacancies. We must be competitive and attract talented, dedicated individuals to our workforce.”
Fisher Ashley Seniw first baby born in 2025 at Meritus Medical Center
January 2, 2025
Meritus Medical Center warmly welcomes Fisher Ashley Seniw, the first baby born at the hospital in 2025. Fisher arrived at 4:24 a.m. on Jan. 1 to parents Alivia and Chase Seniw, of Chambersburg, Pa. Fisher weighed 7 pounds, 15 ounces and was 20.75 inches long. Meritus Medical Center’s Family Birthing Services provides expert medical care, compassionate nursing, and a family-centered environment. If your newborn needs advanced care, our Level II Special Care Nursery provides specialized care, eliminating the need to travel outside of the area. To learn more, visit www.meritushealth.com/Maternity.
You say you want a resolution? How about Go for Bold?
December 27, 2024
Do you want to commit to being healthier in 2025? Beth Fields Dowdell, DNP, CRNP, has three mechanisms to help you get there: Do, eat, believe. Dowdell, director of Community Health and Outpatient Care Management at Meritus Health, said the Go for Bold framework started five years ago is designed so anyone can become healthier versions of themselves. “Don’t make drastic changes in your life,” she said. “Make small, attainable goals. Otherwise, when you don’t reach that big goal you’ve set, you have failed and are back to square one." First, let’s explain what Go for Bold is. Started in 2020, it’s a community-wide initiative started by Healthy Washington County aimed at promoting healthy lifestyles for the residents of Washington County, with the goal of losing 1 million community pounds by 2030. So far, the community has logged more than 160,000 pounds lost. 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. Residents are able to sign up for free workout classes, walking groups and other activities to get their blood pumping. There’s also a free weight tracker that allows you to keep tabs on your progress, as well as the progress of the community. “Start something that doesn’t cost you anything,” Dowdell said, noting Hub City Nutrition has partnered with Healthy Washington County to offer free community fitness camps. The site also offers tips for healthy eating. Dowdell said not to make rash changes to your diet, but to start simply. “We have the plate method,” she said. “Half of your plate should be non-starchy vegetables. A quarter of your plate should be protein. The other quarter of your plate should be a carbohydrate.” She also recommends you think about what you drink. “It’s amazing how many drinks contain calories,” she said. “Now, that’s not necessarily bad for you, but if you’re thinking about calories, it’s something to be aware of.” The last component is believing in yourself, or rather, taking care of your own mental health. “Connect with a person who has a similar purpose as you,” Dowdell said. “You can’t go out there and do it alone. And focus on connections. The relationships we have with others are powerful.” Related to that, Dowdell stresses that you should not beat yourself up if and when you don’t live up to your expectations. “Even if you get off board, think about what you can do to get back on that wagon, owning up to what happened and getting back on board,” she said. “Otherwise, you’ll never make progress. Explore all that Go for Bold offers by checking out the Healthy Washington County website at healthywashingtoncounty.com.
Dr. Rashid Hanif to join Meritus Digestive Health Specialists
December 23, 2024
Meritus Health is pleased to announce that Rashid Hanif, M.D., will be joining Meritus Digestive Health Specialists in 2025. Dr. Hanif, formerly with Gastroenterology Associates in Robinwood Professional Center, is to join the practice just down the hall on Jan. 2. Dr. Hanif earned his medical degree from Khyber Medical College in Peshawar, Pakistan, and completed his residency at the State University of New York Health Sciences Center at Stony Brook School of Medicine in Stony Brook, NY. Additionally, Dr. Hanif completed a gastroenterology and hepatology fellowship at Cornell University Medical Center/NewYork-Presbyterian in New York City. He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine. To schedule an appointment, call 301-665-4585. To learn more about Meritus Digestive Health Specialists, visit meritushealth.com/digestivehealth.
Lend-a-Hand meal project at Meritus set for Christmas Eve deliveries
December 20, 2024
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.
Paragon of gynecologic oncology retires from Meritus
December 20, 2024
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.
Holidays have you stressed out? Here are some tips to get through
December 18, 2024
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
December 12, 2024
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.