As a next step in our partnership with the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) with a name that:

• Reflects our roots in Charles County
• Expresses our reach into a growing community
• Celebrates being a part of a greater network

After a 2-year management agreement from 2009 to 2011, Civista Health officially became a member hospital of UMMS in July of 2011. We are proud of our partnership with UMMS and starting this summer, you will see our name visually reflect that partnership and our longstanding commitment to serving Charles County and southern Maryland.

Our partnership with UMMS has helped us recruit new physicians, expand our campus and chart a successful course to future regional growth, increasing our services and extending our outreach in the rapidly growing southern Maryland region.

Charles County is our home, and we are committed to improving quality of life for all its residents. As UM CRMC you will see us expand our services into additional physical facilities to better serve both Charles County and neighboring communities. Our new name reflects the roots of our hospital in Charles County, the growing southern Maryland region we serve and access to an expansive network of physicians and services through our partnership with the University of Maryland.

University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center is still governed by our own board and all the money our foundation raises stays in the community to benefit your local hospital.

Care that is locally rooted with a regional reach and an internationally acclaimed network of experts. These are the benefits of belonging to University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center. We are glad to be part of your community, and we are glad to have you as part of ours.

Noel A. Cervino, President & CEO

Louis P. Jenkins, Jr., Esq., Chairman of the Board

Joel Sewchand, MD, Chief of Staff

University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center

National Hospital Week has been observed since 1921, and this year, we’d like to honor the caring professionals who are there for our community every day of the year.

To all the doctors, nurses, technicians, and staff at Civista who are there for us, for our family, and for our community, Thank You!

Click here for more information about National Hospital Week.

“Charles County is our home.” says Noel Cervino, President and CEO of UM CRMC. “The hospital was originally founded by dedicated Charles County physicians who saw the need for a local hospital after the devastating tornado of 1926 that killed 16 people.” Cervino adds “We are committed as ever to expanding our services to meet the needs of the growing southern Maryland region,”

“The word ‘regional’ in our name means expanding to serve a growing community,” says Joel Sewchand, MD, Chief of the Medical Staff at UM CRMC. “We will continue to expand over the next couple of years into additional physical facilities to better serve Charles County and neighboring communities.”

With a vision for successful growth, Civista Health entered into a two-year management agreement with UMMS in October of 2009. The Board of Directors voted to finalize the affiliation effective July 1, 2011, and Civista Health became a member of the University of Maryland Medical System.

“Our new name reflects the roots of our hospital in Charles County, the growing southern Maryland region we serve and access to a greater network of physicians and services through our partnership with the University of Maryland,” says Louis P. Jenkins, Jr., Esq., Chairman of the Board for UM CRMC. “It is fitting that in 2014, we will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the beginning of the hospital with a new name and a renewed optimism for the future.”

As Civista Medical Center becomes UM CRMC, it will continue to be governed by its own board and retain its own foundation for fundraising and philanthropy. “The money we raise from our foundation events is used right here in our hospital,” says Darlene Breck, immediate past chairwoman of UM CRMC’s Foundation Board of Directors. As well, employees of the hospital remain locally directed and employed by UM Charles Regional Health.

“The goals of the University of Maryland Medical System are to provide effective healthcare in the communities our hospitals serve and to deliver access to a greater network of physicians and services including the research and medicine at the University of Maryland Medical Center,” says Bob Chrencik, president and CEO of UMMS. “Adopting the University of Maryland logo and naming strategy is a recognizable commitment of the System to the hospital and the southern Maryland region.”

ABOUT UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND CHARLES REGIONAL HEALTH:

University of Maryland Charles Regional Health is a regional, not-for-profit, integrated health system serving Charles County and the surrounding areas of southern Maryland. Its largest component is the 110-bed UM Charles Regional Medical Center.

UM CRMC was founded in 1939 as Physician’s Memorial Hospital, which opened to provide care for the citizens of Charles County, MD in response to a devastating tornado. In 2008, Civista completed expansion of the medical center, doubling the size of the facility and vastly increasing services and capacity. In July of 2011, Civista Health affiliated with the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), becoming the first expansion of UMMS into the Washington, DC area.

About University of Maryland Medical System:

The University of Maryland Medical System is a 12-hospital system with academic, community and specialty service missions reaching every part of the state and beyond. UMMS is a national and regional referral center for trauma, cancer care, neurocare, cardiac care, women’s and children’s health and physical rehabilitation. It also has one of the nation’s largest kidney transplant programs, as well as scores of other programs that improve the physical and mental health of thousands of people daily. UMMS has more than 21,500 employees, approximately 2,300 licensed beds, about 120,000 annual patient admissions and gross patient revenues of $2.8 billion. Additionally, the Medical System generates nearly $4.4 billion in economic activity in Maryland. For more information, visit www.umms.org.

This month, the American Stroke Association is spreading the word that stroke is a treatable disease if proper care is administered within the first several hours of symptom onset. To ensure that you get the right treatment in time, we at Civista wanted to share four critical warning signs that could save your life and speed recovery after a stroke—they’re pretty easy to remember if you think F.A.S.T.

F-ace drooping—Does one side of the face droop or feel numb? Ask the person to smile and watch if it appears uneven.

A-rm weakness/numbness—Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms and watch if one drifts downward.

S-peech difficulty/slurring—Is speech slurred? Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence and listen if it’s hard to understand.

T-ime to call 911—If you or someone you know shows any of these symptoms, even if they go away, call 911 immediately. And remember to note the time that the symptoms appeared.

For more great information, call 1-888-4-STROKE or visit the American Stroke Association website.

60 second F.A.S.T. Body Language PSA

30 second F.A.S.T. Wedding PSA

Every year, Civista staff participate in the March of Dimes March for Babies. 1 East Birthing Center has raised up to $3,000 and won Best Shirt Design in previous years.

This year, 1,000 people are expected at March for Babies in Southern Maryland, the March of Dimes premier walking event, which will bring together families and businesses to support the March of Dimes mission of helping moms have full-term pregnancies and babies begin healthy lives.

The McClarin’s, whose daughter Kamryn was born 12 weeks early in 2011, are serving as the Ambassador family of March for Babies in Southern Maryland. They will speak at the opening ceremonies along with 2013 March for Babies Co-Chairs Craig Renner, of The St. Charles Companies, and Tom Dennison, from Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative. Renner and Dennison understand the importance of the March of Dimes mission and are dedicated to raising awareness and the important funding to prevent premature births, birth defects and infant mortality.

Held rain or shine, March for Babies will provide a memorable and rewarding day for the whole family. The event will include a stroller-friendly walk that will start at Regency Furniture Stadium and proceed throughout St. Charles for a three or five mile route, lunch, music and door prizes. Children’s activities will include face painting, bounce house, Superheroes of Southern Maryland, Happily Ever After:  Princesses, Mary’s Go Round and a Gamin’ Bus.

March for Babies – Southern Maryland

Sunday, May 5 at 9:00 am

Regency Furniture Stadium

11765 Saint Linus Drive

Waldorf, MD

“The March of Dimes has been caring for America’s children for 75 years,” said Jennifer Abell, community director for the March of Dimes Suburban Maryland Division.  “We are encouraged to see so many people joining us at March for Babies — all committed to giving hope to the more than 9,000 babies in Maryland that will be born premature this year.”

Funds raised will support lifesaving research, education and advocacy for stronger, healthier babies. March for Babies donations also fund community grants and programs such as newborn intensive care unit (NICU) family support programs.  In 2012, the Southern Maryland March for Babies events raised $176,000 and had 875 walkers.

March for Babies is held in 900 communities nationwide and has more than seven million participants each year. Established in 1970, it has raised more than $2 billion nationwide to benefit all babies. For more information about March for Babies and to register, visit www.marchforbabies.org.

Civista will be offering blood pressure screenings, general health and wellness information, and child car seat safety checks will also be available at La Plata OB/GYN parking lot. Additionally, our Emergency Department staff will host a Teddy Bear Clinic. The mission of the Teddy Bear Clinic is to promote education and safety so that children will not be fearful of a hospital visit.

Civista was awarded the Workplace Excellence Award, as well as the Health & Wellness Trailblazer Award again this year.

These awards recognize businesses that promote professional fulfillment and personal wellness at work, at home, and in the community. All award recipients undergo a rigorous assessment process led by an independent review panel of professors, PhD professionals, and doctoral candidates in business, industrial and organizational psychology, and human resources. Winners are selected for excellence in workforce demographics, management practices, employee engagement, corporate social responsibility, diversity and inclusion, and more.

We are very proud and grateful to have received this special recognition, and remain committed to creating and maintaining a healthy workplace for all Civista employees.

Civista Health encourages community members to express their wishes regarding healthcare, and for providers and facilities to respect those wishes, whatever they may be.  Complete an advance directive and name the person who will make healthcare decisions for you if you cannot make them yourself.  For a free copy of Civista Health’s advance directive guide called “Five Wishes” please call 888-332-4847.

NHDD Speak Up Video from NHDD on Vimeo.

The Charles County colorectal cancer mortality rate is higher than the Maryland state average. Join us on Thursday, April 11th at 11:30 am for a special community education presentation on cancer of the colon.

This free event will feature a panel of experts in colorectal cancer screening, detection, and treatment. They will discuss risk factors,  screening recommendations, and the latest technologies available for treatment. Light refreshments will be provided.

FREE. Pre-registration is required. To register, contact Janice Hamby at 301.609.5702 by Friday, April 5, 2013.

Thursday, April 11, 2013 | 11:30 am | Richard R. Clark Senior Center in La Plata.

More information and registration available online at www.civista.org/foundation.htm