- Women's Health, Pediatrics, Patient StoriesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogKristen DeBoy Caminiti has a photo she loves. Actually it’s more than that. “It’s my favorite picture, ever,” she insists. In the photo, taken by her husband, Matt Caminiti, Kristen cradles her son just seconds after his birth. She has her cheek against his, their eyes are closed and Kristen looks wrapped in grace. It’s a beautiful photo. Yet for many mothers it might not seem that unusual. That’s because when a healthy baby is delivered vaginally, he or she is usually put right on the mother’s chest. Early skin-to-skin contact is good for both mom and baby, and, as an added benefit, it makes for a great picture. But for generations now, immediate skin-to-skin contact hasn’t been an option for women giving birth by cesarean section. In a traditional C-section, after the baby arrives, he or she is briefly held up for mom to see, then whisked off by the neonatal team while the obstetrician finishes surgery. It can take close to half an hour before mother and child are reunited. Kristen and Matt know the routine well. Their first two boys arrived this way. While they still remember the births fondly, Kristen says she never got the birth experience she’d dreamed about. “You know, I’d always imagined that moment of my baby being born and being put on my chest and getting to hold and kiss and love him,” Kristen says. Then, a couple of weeks into her third pregnancy, a friend posted a video that caught Kristen’s attention. It was about family-centered cesarean techniques catching on in Britain. The techniques were relatively easy, and the goals simple— including letting mom see the birth and getting the baby onto mom’s chest as soon as possible. After viewing the video, Kristen was elated. “I thought, ‘Wow, this is cool.’ I decided I’d do everything I could to make it happen for me.” AAMC adapts AAMC is committed to patient- and family-centered care. So when Kristen asked her OB-GYN, Marcus Penn, MD, whether he’d be open to a family-centered cesarean, the answer was yes. While the techniques had never been tried before at the hospital, that didn’t bother Dr. Penn. “I knew it would be different than the norm, but I didn’t think it would be that hard to do,” says Dr. Penn. “So I met with the hospital’s clinical team, and we started setting it up.” Kristen was an ideal test case. Since she was having a scheduled cesarean, there was plenty of time to plan. Also, she’d done her research. If all went well, Kristen had this wish list: She wanted her head lifted and the drape lowered so she could see the birth. She wanted the baby placed immediately on her chest. She hoped her husband might be able to cut the umbilical cord. That was it. Of course, this list meant changes to cesarean routines that hospitals and doctors have honed to perfection over the decades. EKG leads would have to be on Kristen’s side instead of her chest and the pulse oximeter on a toe instead of a finger. She’d need the IV in her non-dominant hand so she could hold her baby, and everyone needed to be careful not to break the sterile operating field. Because it would be a first for all involved, the Caminitis and hospital staff crafted a written birth plan together. “It was super-positive,” Kristen says. “Everybody was on board.” Still, there were concerns. Anesthesiologist John McAllister, MD, says he fully supported the effort but wanted to be sure caregivers could still do their jobs and that the mother was aware plans might have to change. “Our primary goal is always patient safety,” he says. Success story On Oct. 1, 2014, Kristen’s son Connor was born. The birth went exactly as planned. “When Dr. Penn pulled Connor’s head out, it was so amazing,” Kristen remembers. “He had dark hair!” After delivery, the baby was passed straight to Kristen. Matt was at her side. “It was magical,” she says. And Connor stayed there, on Kristen’s chest, for the rest of surgery. “It was so great to be able to share the experience of meeting our baby together rather than me going with the baby to a separate room,” says Matt. “They were sewing me up and there were all those people there, and yet it was the most peaceful experience I’ve ever had. It was just me and my baby and my husband. That is all that mattered.” First change in years Betsey Snow, RN, the senior director of Women and Children’s Services for AAMC, says the birth represents the first big change to cesarean procedures in years. The last big change, she says, “was in the 80s, when dads were finally allowed in the operating room.” Besides the advantages of early skin-to-skin contact, Betsey says a family-centered C-section may be particularly helpful to women who’d hoped for a vaginal delivery but couldn’t have one. “A lot of women feel like they failed because they couldn’t have a vaginal delivery,” says Betsey. “This is a way to give them another option.” Having your baby at AAMC If you meet the following criteria, you will have a family-centered c-section: 1) Medically necessary, scheduled C-section AND 2) Healthy mother and baby. Your first step in the process is having a conversation and agreement with your doctor. We want to ensure your experience is the best for you and your family. Please know our very first priority is safety for you and your baby. C-section deliveries can be life-saving procedures when medically necessary; they carry a higher risk of negative outcomes for mothers and babies when not medically indicated. AAMC still recommends vaginal delivery as the standard. The Caminitis’ story was featured on NPR’s Morning Edition. Click here to read the story and listen to the broadcast. Expecting? Get ready for your big day with birth and parenting classes at AAMCevents.0
- General Page - Tier 1Your exciting and fulfilling journey starts here. The programs offered by the Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center (LHAAMC) Foundation provides individuals, families, businesses, foundations, community groups and organizations the opportunity to demonstrate their appreciation for quality health care and the critical resource that is LHAAMC. Every gift shows that you are committed to providing the tools, training and resources needed to care for all people throughout their lifetimes. Every gift shows that you want to have the best doctors, nurses and healthcare support professionals here in our community, in our hospital. Every gift demonstrates that you want to ensure superior healthcare for your family, friends, co-workers and neighbors. Our staff is available to match your charitable objectives with the right program, steer you to a volunteer position that is meaningful to you, and help you investigate the many opportunities for donation. We appreciate every gift and manner of giving and welcome the support of each and every donor. Thank you for your willingness to contribute and care. Contact a member of our staff today to learn how you can help by calling 443-481-4747. Our physical address is: 2000 Medical Parkway, Belcher Pavilion, Suite 604, Annapolis, MD 21401., Fish For A CureFish For A Cure (F4AC) is a fishing and fundraising competition among friends that benefits cancer patients and their families in our community. F4AC has raised more than $6.5 million to support the Cancer Survivorship Program at Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center’s Geaton and JoAnn DeCesaris Cancer Institute. Join us as we celebrate continued commitment to making a splash in cancer care for our community. For more information on how to register your boat, donate to a boat, or become a sponsor, visit www.fishforacure.org., Giving, Societies and Programs, Denim & DiamondsAfter six years, we’re thrilled to reunite with our friends, community partners, sponsors, and donors to raise vital funds for pediatric mental health needs in our community. The 2025 Denim & Diamonds Bash was held on Saturday, April 26, 2025, on LHAAMC’s south campus and featured a night of fun and dancing under the stars with fabulous cuisine, gourmet food trucks, and a great band. The success of the Bash is dependent on strong community and corporate support. Now running on a two-year cadence, the Denim & Diamonds Bash will be back in 2027. Stay tuned for more information on our 2026 Denim & Diamonds event, which will have a different format providing more education around the importance of mental health resources with just as much excitement., Every giftThe programs offered by the LHAAMC Foundation provide individuals, families, businesses, foundations, community groups and organizations the opportunity to demonstrate their appreciation for quality health care and the critical resource that is LHAAMC.Every gift shows that you are committed to providing the tools, training and resources needed to care for all people throughout their lifetimes., News and Publications , We are located at 2000 Medical Parkway, Belcher Pavilion, Suite 604, Annapolis, MD 21401. Our office hours are 8:30 am – 5 pm. Email or call us 443-481-4747.0
- Cancer Care, Infectious DiseaseGeneral Page Tier 3BlogWe are living in a time of great uncertainty due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The pandemic has forced us to stay home, change our behaviors and in many cases, cancel our plans. But one activity you shouldn’t postpone or cancel is getting a mammogram. A mammogram is a low-dose X-ray that allows doctors to look for changes in breast tissue. It is the best tool doctors have for early detection of breast cancer. If you are scheduled to get a mammogram this year, here are some important things to remember. Early detection is key With the exception of skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the U.S. According to the American Cancer Society, it is the second leading cause of cancer death in women. In the U.S., one in eight women will develop breast cancer at some point in their life. Mammograms don’t prevent breast cancer. But they can save your life by detecting cancer early, typically before a lump can be felt and when it is the easiest to treat. This is why our survival rates are so high. The five-year survival rate for all breast cancer cases is 90 percent. But, when breast cancer is found early and hasn’t spread beyond the breast, the five-year survival rate is 99 percent. There are two types of mammograms, screening mammograms and diagnostic mammograms. Radiologists use screening mammograms to look for signs of breast cancer in women without symptoms or other issues. Diagnostic mammograms scan a woman’s breast if she has symptoms, such as a lump, or if a screening mammogram detects a change. When should you begin getting mammograms? Women who are 25 and older should have a formal risk assessment for breast cancer, according to the Society for Breast Imaging (SBI) and the American College of Radiology (ACR) guidelines. This involves a meeting with your primary care doctor or other provider. They will look at your risk based on family history of breast and ovarian cancers. Women whose mother or sister had breast or ovarian cancer have the highest risk. However, you want to look out for any family patterns of cancer. The SBI and ACR recommend that women with an average risk of breast cancer begin getting yearly mammograms at 40. Women who are higher risk should begin getting mammograms based on their provider’s recommendations, plus annual supplemental imaging. Cancers grow at different rates and a “normal” mammogram one year is no guarantee that things won’t change in a year. That’s why it’s important to stick to an annual schedule. If you notice any changes in the way your breasts look and feel, call your doctor immediately. Your provider can show you how to do a breast self-exam if you have questions. Mammograms and COVID-19 We understand these are unprecedented times and there are many unknowns. However, we also know that it is safer than ever to come to our outpatient offices for your mammogram. We want to assure you that we have safety measures in place to protect our patients and our staff from exposure to the virus. Our safety guidelines include: Extensive cleaning throughout the day of our equipment and office space. Temperature screenings for both patients and staff as well as screenings for other COVID-19 risk factors. Spacing out appointments so there aren’t too many patients in waiting rooms at one time. This also gives us more time to focus on individual patients. We can also have patients wait in their cars until it is time to come inside. Requiring all of our providers and staff to wear masks. We are happy to provide patients with a mask if they don’t have one. As we welcome patients back into our office safely, we also want to remind you to please stay home if you are sick. If you think you have symptoms of COVID-19, here’s what to do. If it’s time for you to come in for your mammogram, please don’t let fear keep you from getting this life-saving screening. Cancer won’t wait until the pandemic ends. And you shouldn’t, either. We are here and ready to take care of you and your breast health. Wen Liang, DO, FACOS, is a breast surgeon with the Rebecca Fortney Breast Center. She can be reached at 443-481-5300. Amy Sarina, MD, is a radiologist with Annapolis Radiology Associates. She can be reached at 410-266-2770.0
- Community, Pediatrics, Infectious DiseaseGeneral Page Tier 3BlogIt’s reasonable for your child to feel anxious, stressed or sad about what’s happening around them. Their daily routine is being interrupted and it might be difficult for your child to understand what they’re seeing online, on TV or hearing from those around them. Times like this call for having open, supportive discussions that can help them understand, digest and cope. Ask open-ended questions and listen carefully. Start by letting them know you’re willing to talk about the issue and find out what’s on their mind. Allow your child to talk freely in a safe, non-judgmental environment. Remember, don’t underestimate their concerns or worries. Acknowledge their feelings and let them know it’s normal to feel scared. Show that you’re listening by giving them your full attention. Remind them that they can talk to you any time they need to. Tell them the truth in a way they can understand. Share with your child information that is truthful and appropriate for their age. Let your child know that some information online isn’t accurate and some stories are only based on rumors. If there are questions to which you don’t know the answer, try researching the answer together from reliable sources, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization (WHO). Show them how they can best protect themselves and their friends. One of the best ways to keep your child safe is by encouraging them to wash their hands regularly. Try using this WHO guide to clean hands or dance while lathering upto make learning fun. Remain calm and give them reassurance. Children will react to what you say and how you say it, whether you’re having a conversation directly with them or others. When a child sees certain images on TV or online, it can sometimes feel like the crisis is all around us at all times. This can make it hard for your child to distinguish between images on screen and their own reality. You can help your child cope with the stress by carving out time for them to play and relax. Keep regular routines and adhere to schedules as much as possible. Let them know that there are many people working hard to keep everyone safe. Help them look for the good. Let your child know there are scientists, doctors, health workers and many others who are working tirelessly to keep everyone safe. Let them know you’re there for them. Don’t leave your child in a state of worry. Try to watch their body language by measuring their tone of voice and watching their breathing. Remind your child that you’re there for them and available whenever they have concerns. Author Jennifer Evans is a mental health clinician with Anne Arundel Medical Center’s (AAMC) Psychiatric Day Hospital.0
- Infectious DiseaseGeneral Page Tier 3BlogIn honor of Nurses Week and Hospital Week, Victoria Bayless, CEO of Luminis Health, expresses her appreciation for our health care heroes during these uncertain times. In the world of health care, May is typically a major month for celebration. It is the moment each year when we honor our nursing staff during Nurses Week and follow with an even larger gathering to honor all staff members during Hospital Week. But this is not a typical year, and no one knows that better than you. Like health care workers across the nation, we are witnessing how every facet of our lives has been dramatically altered by this virus. We know that communities need us now more than ever. While this is a point of pride, it also is a heavy responsibility. You answer the call every day to help patients and support their families, all the more challenging because no one knows when the ferocious hold of this pandemic will subside. So it hardly feels like a time to celebrate. This May will stand out like no other in the chronicle of modern health care. As you each take your rightful place in this historic moment, there is no greater time to acknowledge the extraordinary commitment of each of you – for your unselfish duty to your profession, your compassion for those who are suffering, and your unparalleled commitment to one another. And you do all this while bearing concerns about your families and your own well-being. In past years this month would prompt a “theme” to play out across each of our campuses. If we had a “theme” this year, it would be a short, simple, two words. You would hear it when you go into every patient room, from every corner of every ICU, every nursing station, supply room or underground hallway – and we would say it over and over again. Thank you. Thank you for showing up each day. Thank you for wearing the protective gear that sometimes feels cumbersome or worrisome to your patients. Thank you for working with uncertainty, for not knowing if or how you can help the next patient, for accepting that despite all your remarkable skills and best training, no one has seen what you are seeing now. Thank you for demonstrating care and concern not just for our patients, but for each other. We see you and all that you are doing. You’re doing a good job. Take a look for yourselves. Whether you are doctor, nurse, therapist, pharmacist, dietitian, aide, housekeeper or volunteer, we know that your compassion for our patients – and the extraordinary acts of courage and compassion you show for each other – is what will see us through these coming days. As the famed American author, poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou wrote, “We need joy as we need air. We need love as we need water. We need each other as we need the earth we share.” You are what brings joy to this month of May. Thank you, Tori Bayless, Chief Executive Officer, Luminis Health0
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