Local Donations Benefit MedStar St. Mary’s
Cole Western, owner of the Ledo Pizza in Leonardtown, Md., presented the check to hospital Vice President, Nursing MaryLou Watson (center); CCIS Patient Navigator Cathy Fenwick; and CCIS Director Joan Popielski.
MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital received two donations from local businesses to bolster programs vital to the continuing improvement of health services provided by the hospital.
MedStar’s Cancer Care & Infusion Services (CCIS) received a $2,500 donation from the Ledo Pizza corporate office in Annapolis, Md., and from Dominion Power received $9,000 to implement an electronic medical record for Get Connected to Health patients and $3,239 to install new computers onboard the Dr. J. Patrick Jarboe Mobile Health Center.
Ledo Pizza organized a campaign to promote awareness of various cancers and supporting charities in the month of October culminating in more than $10,000 worth of donations to local organizations, including MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital. Area Ledo Pizza franchises throughout Southern Maryland participated in the effort.
Get Connected to Health provides low cost, primary adult health care to those who need it most. Aboard the unit, care providers offer flu shots, laboratory testing, pregnancy and blood sugar tests, and much more to patients right in their own neighborhood.
“We are pleased to award this grant to MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital,” said Hunter Applewhite, president of the Dominion Foundation. “The hospital’s Get Connected to Health mobile medical program brings health care to those most in need. We have no doubt about the positive results an electronic medical record capability will produce, and we feel privileged to partner with them.”
Electronic health records provide immediate access to patient records and education materials; direct information entry by provider, eliminating transcription errors; standardization of documentation; facilitated identification and documentation of chronic conditions; improved immunization management; customizable clinical documentation templates; and a regularly updated drug database which indicates potentially dangerous drug interactions.
“MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital knows the many patient safety benefits that come from an electronic medical record,” said MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital Vice President Joan Gelrud. “With a new centralized electronic record, our providers will have immediate access to patient records complete with unlimited access to the latest literature and opportunities to provide the highest quality clinical care.”
