- News & Press ReleasesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogTori Bayless, CEO of Luminis Health, has been elected to the Board of Trustees for the American Hospital Association (AHA). Luminis Health was formed in 2019 when Anne Arundel Medical Center and Doctors Community Medical Center came together to provide even greater access to high quality, specialized care to the communities served. The AHA Board of Trustees is the highest policymaking body of the AHA and has ultimate authority for the governance and management of its directions and finances. Bayless will serve a three-year term beginning January 1, 2023. “I am truly honored to join the Board of Trustees of the American Hospital Association, an organization that has advocated for hospitals and health systems nationwide for more than 120 years,” says Tori Bayless. “AHA and Luminis Health both have similar missions of enhancing the health and the communities we serve. Together, we can improve the health of Marylanders and residents throughout this country.” Bayless has been an AHA commissioner on the board of The Joint Commission (TJC) since 2020 and serves on various TJC committees. She served as a delegate on AHA Regional Policy Board 3 from 2015-2017, and will be its chair starting in January of 2023. “We are incredibly proud of Tori’s appointment to the American Hospital Association’s Board of Trustees,” says Leisa Russell, chair of the Luminis Health Board of Trustees. “Tori brings a breadth of knowledge and passion that will benefit the AHA, its members, and ultimately every community in the United States.” Luminis Health is proud of its long-standing partnership with the American Hospital Association, including being recognized by the AHA with two NOVA awards for innovations in community partnerships to improve community health. In addition, Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center was the recipient of the AHA 2019 Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Award. “Luminis Health shares AHA’s commitment to advance justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI),” says Bayless. “Through the AHA’s Health Equity Roadmap and our own Vision 2030 – Living Healthier Together, we will work every day to confront racism, advance health equity, remove barriers of health, and meet the needs of our communities.” Bayless received her Bachelor of Science from Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, and her Master of Health Services Administration (MHSA) from the University of Michigan School of Public Health.
- Patient Stories, Heart CareGeneral Page Tier 3BlogBill Bowen, 58, of Pasadena, MD, was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation three years ago. Atrial fibrillation, commonly referred to as “A-Fib,” is a type of abnormal heartbeat or arrhythmia. This arrhythmia is a common heart condition that, if left untreated, can cause heart dysfunction and stroke. Treatment for A-Fib can include medication or electrical shocks to restore normal heart rhythm. In Bill’s case, those treatments worked for a while, but his symptoms returned. He needed something better. His cardiologist recommended Murtaza Dawood, MD, an experienced cardiac surgeon at Luminis Health to treat his atrial fibrillation. “Mr. Bowen’s case is not uncommon. Typically patients will try medical management first, but the durability of those interventions are limited in a subset of patients. Mr. Bowen was an ideal candidate for a hybrid approach to cure his atrial fibrillation,” Dr. Dawood says. The hybrid approach merges minimally invasive catheter ablation with minimally invasive surgical ablation to treat atrial fibrillation. Bill arrived at Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center for surgery in the summer of 2022. “From the moment I went to Dr. Dawood’s office to the day I was discharged, everyone went above and beyond. They were kind, helpful and professional,” Bill says. “Every person I interacted with, from the food delivery staff to the cleaners, was friendly and personable. I ran into my nutritionist and she gave me her office number if I needed anything. You don’t see that type of service anymore.” Bill is back home and hopes to return to his job in industrial maintenance soon. He says he and his wife are “beach people” and they hope to visit someplace tropical, perhaps Costa Rica, in the future. Authors Murtaza Dawood, MD, is an experienced cardiothoracic surgeon who specializes in performing operations to correct valve diseases and arrhythmia. To make an appointment with Dr. Dawood, please call 443-481-1358.
- News & Press ReleasesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogAnne Arundel Medical Center is participating in two high priority, national Coronavirus (COVID-19) studies: Infection Prevention: for people who have had a high exposure to COVID-19, but are not yet infected. Early Treatment: people who have a documented COVID-19 infection and some symptoms of COVID-19, but are not sick enough to be in the hospital. Since there are no recommended treatments for either situation, the purpose of the study is to determine if infused antibodies collected from a recovered COVID-19 patient (convalescent plasma) can either prevent a COVID-19 infection or prevent the disease from getting worse in those who have it. What is convalescent plasma? Plasma is the liquid portion of the blood. It contains antibodies that fight infections. People exposed to COVID-19 may benefit from receiving antibodies against COVID-19 virus from the plasma of those who have recovered from COVID-19. Getting plasma with antibodies may help your body develop its own antibodies, which protects you from a COVID-19 infection. What is the safety of receiving a plasma donation? Convalescent plasma undergoes careful testing to ensure its safety and has proven useful for other infectious diseases in the past. Thousands of hospitalized COVID-19 patients have safely received the plasma. How do I know if I qualify for the Infection Prevention Study? You may qualify if you: Are 18 years of age or older. Have been in *close contact with an infected person within the past four days. Do not have symptoms of COVID-19. Can travel to a nearby facility for evaluation. Are currently COVID-19 negative. (You will receive a COVID-19 test to confirm.) *Close contact with someone who has COVID-19 means you: Live in the same household. Have had direct physical contact (hugging, kissing). Are a health care worker and had an exposure without wearing recommended PPE. Provide care for someone with COVID-19 without recommended PPE. How do I know if I qualify for the Early Treatment Study? You may qualify if you: Are 18 years of age or older. Have had a positive COVID-19 test within the past six days. Are still having at least one COVID-19 symptom at enrollment. Are sick, but do not need hospitalization. Can travel to a nearby facility for enrollment and transfusion. What is involved in receiving the plasma infusion? You will receive one plasma infusion and then have five to seven follow-up visits over 90 days. All visits are at an outpatient office. There is a narrow window to enroll based upon the date of your exposure (96 hours from the last exposure days) or first symptom/positive test (6 days). I’m interested in participating. Who do I contact? If you’re interested in participating, please email [email protected] and a member of our team will contact you. Modest compensation for your time is available for those who qualify to participate. If you had COVID-19 and would like to donate plasma to future COVID-19 patients to help in their recovery, learn more about what you need to know to qualify.
- News & Press Releases, Infectious DiseaseGeneral Page Tier 3BlogEnvironmental Services (EVS) Supervisor Belawn McGowan is one of more than 100 members of Anne Arundel Medical Center’s (AAMC) EVS team who keeps the health system safe to care for patients. The team uses a ‘secret weapon’ of sorts to achieve this every day: Tru-D SmartUVC, a germ-killing robot. Out of 300 hospitals in the U.S., AAMC ranked number one for usage of the Tru-D room disinfection robot. AAMC received the first place spot for completing the most sterilization cycles in May with only one robot. Tru-D uses Ultraviolet (UV) rays to disinfect patient rooms, the Emergency Department and the Intensive Care Unit at AAMC. It ensures patient safety by reducing the risk of health care-associated infections. “When you enter a hospital you expect everything to be clean, neat and tidy,” Belawn said. “We are the frontline team who ensures this is done right. We use the Tru-D robot as an extra tool to make sure everything is cleaned well in the hospital.” How it works At AAMC, Tru-D goes by a different name. Staff call the robot “CRIS,” which stands for Clean Rooms Improved Safety. The cleaning process is twofold: once the EVS team cleans and disinfects a room, CRIS disinfects the room a final time. The robot uses UV light to kill bacteria, spores and viruses. The cleaning process takes between 15 minutes to an hour depending on the size of the room. This added layer of disinfection helps the EVS team ensure a safe patient environment during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. “CRIS helps us do our jobs efficiently,” Belawn explained. “There are spores and other germs that can stay on surfaces for long periods of time. There are also cracks and crevices that we can’t get to. We use CRIS to make sure surfaces are germ-free and hard-to-reach areas are sanitized.” No one can be in the room when CRIS is in operation. The robot’s UV rays can be harmful to humans. CRIS sends a text or audio message to a member of the EVS team when the disinfection cycle is done. Belawn said the EVS team’s goal is to make sure that patients feel safe every time they enter the hospital for care. “Achieving this ranking was a team effort,” she said. “We keep CRIS running to make sure everything is clean and sanitized at AAMC at all times.”
- Orthopedics, Infectious DiseaseGeneral Page Tier 3BlogI was concerned about going to a doctor since I’m in a high-risk group for COVID-19, but the pain in my shoulder was intense, movement was limited and my symptoms kept getting worse. In 2016, I had surgery on my left hand to repair an artery. After the surgery, my activities were restricted for several months to allow complete healing of the artery. It was during this time that some of my muscles atrophied and my left shoulder froze. However, after several months of rehabilitation, I was able to return to the gym and exercise. Once gyms closed because of COVID-19, I really lost the ability to continue exercising and started to experience problems with my left shoulder again. I contacted my physician at AAMG Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Specialists. My physician explained the safety protocols they had put in place to keep patients safe and I made an appointment. Once I got to the office, I called the receptionist to let her know that I had arrived. She told me to wait in the lobby where I could safely distance while keeping comfortable. When the doctor was ready for me, the receptionist called and instructed me to go directly to the appropriate waiting area without needing to otherwise sign in. Next, a nurse took my temperature. No one else was in the waiting room. A staff member directed me to an exam room where I met the doctor. The whole experience was professional, efficient and safe. I’m so happy that I did not postpone my visit. My shoulder would have continued to deteriorate and the pain would have gotten worse. Now I am improving my flexibility. The pain in my shoulder is subsiding. I will no longer hesitate to return for follow-up appointments knowing that AAMC has established protocols to keep patients safe. Author Tony R. is a resident of Millersville, Maryland.
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