“Esprit de corps” is a fancy
French term for plain old-fashioned
teamwork. It is a feeling of pride,
loyalty and family that permeates
the culture at CalvertHealth Medical
Center. In the words of former
board chair Henry Trentman, it is
the special sauce that makes the
community hospital, well – special.
“I see it every day when I walk around the hospital
and read the wonderful letters we get from
families,” said CalvertHealth President and CEO
Dean Teague, who announced last year he would
be stepping down at the end of February.
“The power of teamwork was never more
evident than during the COVID pandemic,” said
Teague. “It has taken a team approach to overcome
the hurdles that were placed in front of us. Without
fail, everyone asked to do a new job, skill or work
schedule said: ‘What can I do to help?… Where do
you need me?… Tell me what I can do.’ ”
He readily admits it was the toughest challenge the
health system faced during his 10-year tenure. Early on,
there was a lot of uncertainty surrounding what to expect
with this new virus but there was absolute clarity on the
organization’s focus – to provide the best care for our
community and to keep our employees safe.
Without a doubt, Teague said, it was the spirit of
solidarity that sustained his determination to meet this
challenge head-on. “I was sitting in my office, when I
thought to myself: ‘Wait a minute, you are not in this
alone. You have a great executive team. You have awesome
providers and awesome nurses and techs…We will figure
this out and we did.’ ”
Camaraderie Cultivates Collaboration
“So much has been accomplished in the last decade with the
private rooms for patients, the new cancer affiliation with
Duke Health and the expansion of mental health services but
I am most proud that we have built a united medical staff and
hospital administration,” said Dr. Wilfred Ehrmantraut, Jr.,
who served as chief of the medical staff for the past six years.
“Because of the close relationship, we have been able to
implement programs that are important for our community,”
said Dr. Ehrmantraut. “But I think it all stems from being
able to communicate positively with one another.”
He went on to add, “Everybody works together from
nursing to environmental services to food and nutrition …
there isn’t a minute that goes by that someone doesn’t stop
and talk to each other that an idea doesn’t come out that
makes it stronger for our care of the community.”
Trentman points to “team building” as Teague’s most
valuable quality as president and CEO. “Dean has been very
successful at attracting, retaining and motivating the people
who take the strategic decisions that are made and really
make them work for Calvert County.
“Having people wanting to come to work is what makes
everything tick in the end,” said Trentman, who served on the board from 2008-2018. “From day
one, when he came in and decided to
learn everyone’s name is indicative that
he puts a very high premium on human
talent and the nurturing of it.”
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Theodore
Tsangaris concurs. “He has been
an exceptional leader. I think it’s his
connection to people. He’s transparent...
he genuinely cares about them. I think
it’s remarkable that he knows the name
of almost everybody who works here.
“He gets out there… he’s visible and
approachable and yet there is a serious
side to him that reflects his military
background. Let’s get the mission done
and taken care of with quality and safety
in mind. Care for people like family. He
lives by that.”
A Laser Focus on Quality
“The safe, quality care provided by our
organization is the foundation upon
which all our values are based,” said
Teague. This was put to the test with the
advent of COVID-19. The CalvertHealth
team responded with resilience and
resolve, never losing sight of our
mission: to ensure the safety and wellbeing
of our community.
“Quality is always a top priority,”
said Dr. Tsangaris. “I cannot think
of any time I’ve seen Dean speak –
whether it’s for an interview for a new provider, discussion in our executive
team or planning a new program, when
he doesn’t mention quality. One of the
recruitment points he likes to make is
that we are consistently a top performer
within the state for many quality-based
programs and metrics.
“He truly believes if you do what
is right for the patient as reflected in
quality and safety then you are doing
what is right for this organization,” said
Dr. Tsangaris.
Growing to Meet Community Needs
Even as we continue to navigate the
unprecedented challenges caused by
the pandemic, CalvertHealth continues
to face forward and plan for the future – from partnering with Sheppard Pratt
Health to provide expanded behavioral
health services to creating a bariatric
surgery program that takes direct aim
at the widespread obesity in our county
and its toll in driving up the rates of heart
disease, stroke and diabetes locally.
Long before COVID, CHMC took
significant steps to address the
community’s growing mental health
needs – investing $6.6 million to
substantially renovate the behavioral
health unit (creating separate, secure
spaces for youth and adults).
The addition of Sheppard Pratt
Health, a noted leader in providing
mental health services, means more
behavioral health needs can be
managed locally while ensuring access to specialized services in our
community.
“Simply put, being your
community hospital means we
look out for you – from constantly
improving our quality and safety to
investing in programs and services
that are important to those we serve,”
said Teague.
In 2016, CalvertHealth announced
converting to all private patient
rooms by 2020. The massive project,
which took four years to complete,
included 43,575 square feet of new
construction and 32,910 square feet of
renovated space. “Every step we take,
every decision we make is with the community in mind,” said Teague. “Private
rooms offer numerous benefits from more
privacy and better sleep to less risk of
infection and improved outcomes.”
With the private room project nearing
completion, CHMC moved forward with
plans to expand its surgical services –
investing $2.5 million in sophisticated
technology and recruiting additional
specialists to provide more advanced
surgical options – including a new
bariatrics program – close to home.
Ensuring Access to Care
“Providing our community with the best
health care is often based on access,” said
Teague. “We’re working hard to ensure our
community has access to the right care, at
the right time, in the right place.” A large
part of that is CalvertHealth’s employed
provider network, which now has more
than 30 board-certified primary care and
specialty physicians, nurse practitioners
and physician assistants.
It was the impetus for opening urgent
care centers in Dunkirk, Prince Frederick
and Solomons – to make it easier for
residents to access these services. It was
the motivation behind launching the mobile
health center to remove barriers to access
in underserved areas. And it was the driving
force behind building a cutting-edge cancer
program so far fewer patients will have to
leave the region for outstanding care.
Caring People are the Heart
“It is the caring that defines the
fundamental core of CHMC,” said Marilyn
Montgomery, RN, who has 49 years of
service. “It is the people who work here,
who deliver the care every day … their
passion for what they do. That is what
makes this a special place.” She oversees
ordering all the supplies and equipment for
surgical services.
It is people like William Stepney from
environmental services who comes to work
every day excited to make a difference in
every life he touches. “It’s a good feeling to
help people out. It’s the best feeling in the
world.” On average, he thoroughly cleans
and disinfects the operating rooms 20-plus
times per day. “When a patient is brought
to the OR, I wave at them and smile.”
Teague summed it up this way, “Not
only are our employees loyal, they are
extremely friendly.” The 2022 Employee
Engagement Survey supports his
assessment – 93 percent of respondents
said they like the work they do and enjoy
working with their co-workers. Teamwork
among the work unit was the highest
performing item when compared to the
national average.
He concedes it will be hard to say goodbye.
“I will miss coming in and saying hello
to everybody in the morning.” For his part,
he said, “I’d like to be remembered as a
guy who cared.”
THE NEXT CHAPTER: BOARD NAMES BRADFORD NEW CEO
After a nationwide search, the CalvertHealth Board of Directors has unanimously selected Jeremy Bradford
to become the next president and CEO of the health system. He comes to us from Good Samaritan Hospital in
Illinois, a 134-bed regional referral center, where he was president. Bradford has more than 20 years of healthcare
executive leadership experience.
He said, “It is an honor and privilege to be selected as CalvertHealth’s next president and CEO. I am grateful for
the opportunity to serve the residents of Calvert County and recognize the importance of high-quality health
care in a rural setting.”
Bradford went on to add, “My wife and I fell in love with the area when we came to visit, and we are looking
forward to settling in and discovering all that Calvert has to offer.” He and his wife, Ginny, have two school-age
children. He steps into his new role on March 1.
CalvertHealth Board Chair Rev. David Showers, who led the search effort, said, “We were able to attract an outstanding group
of candidates due to CalvertHealth’s reputation. In addition to our state-of-the-art facilities, our physicians, staff, volunteers and the
desirability of our community were also key in making this opportunity attractive.”
Recognition for Quality & Safety
2022 – Received the American Heart Association’s highest honor for outstanding
stroke care, the Gold Plus Achievement Award, for 11 years in a row.
2021 – Earned a 4-star overall quality rating from the Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid, placing CalvertHealth Medical Center among the top 12 hospitals
in the state.
2020-21– Ranked by U.S. News as high performing hospital for heart failure and
COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).
2020 – Received once again a Gold Seal of Approval™, signifying “full accreditation”
from The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations
2020 – Achieved the highest performance among all Maryland hospitals for clinical
care, patient safety and patient perception based on 2019 data released by the
Hospital Services Cost Review Commission.
2019 – Attained accreditation with commendation from the American College
of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer placing us among the top community cancer
programs in the country.
2018 – Won Circle of Honor Award by the Maryland Patient Safety Center for our
Opioid Stewardship Task Force.
2017 – Garnered Health Quality Innovator Award for our collaborative approach
to reduce opioid addiction and prevent opioid-related deaths in our community.
2017 – Recognized as a leader in airway safety initiatives by American Association
of Respiratory Care.
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