The phrase, “It takes a village,” describes the strategy
being used in addressing healthcare needs for all
community members in Calvert County. To help
put all the pieces together on what CalvertHealth
is doing to help our community become healthier,
we asked Director of Education & Training and
Community Wellness Mary Golway, MSN, RN,
NPD-BC, and Community Wellness Manager Erin
Farley, MSN, RN, to explain the process.
Identifying Challenges
The first step in working to build a healthy community is identifying
problems and setting priorities every 3 years to fix them.
Priority: Cancer
Incidence rate of breast cancer, prostate cancer,
melanoma, cervical cancer and colon cancer were all
higher than state and national rates, with breast
cancer showing an alarming increase.
Priority: Heart Disease and Stroke
With Calvert’s population skewing toward an aging
population, the incidence of heart disease skews
higher as well, higher than state and national rates.
Priority: Mental Health & Mental Disorders
Calvert County’s rate of hospitalizations due to
adolescent suicide, intentional self-inflicted injury and
pediatric mental health are more than two times the state rate.
The death rate from suicide is higher than state and national
figures. Further, the hospitalization rate due to pediatric mental
health is nearly three times the state average.
Priority: Exercise , Nutrition & Weight
The percentage of Calvert County adults who
are obese is higher than state and national
percentages and is rising.
Understanding Priorities and Needs
With almost 350 providers offering more than 45
specialties, CalvertHealth in FY20 served 92,828
patients through outpatient services, deliveries,
hospital stays, surgeries and emergencies.
However, according to Golway, through data
collected for the 2020 Community Health Needs
Assessment, not all members of the community
who need health care are getting it.
Gaps in information linked to medical
care and subsequent health outcomes were
found throughout the data that was compiled
in the assessment. “Delays in seeking care and
receiving care directly correspond to delays in
diagnosis, treatment and recovery,” said Golway.
In all priority areas, lack of knowledge and
understanding was identified as a key theme
and providing education programs, expanding
outreach and increasing community resources
were listed as strategies to address these gaps
in information.
“It is the responsibility of CalvertHealth’s
Community Wellness team to start the
conversation on how to bring awareness of health issues to everyone in the community,” said Farley.
“CHMC takes pride in being the catalyst to bring subject
matter experts together to discuss the health of our
community and ways we can work together to resolve some
of these disparities.”
Coming Together to Address Challenges
Once the health priorities have been identified through the
Calvert County Health Needs Assessment, CalvertHealth’s
Community Wellness hosts a roundtable with all community
members who will play a part in addressing the priorities.
“By working collaboratively to identify root causes
and establish achievable goals, the Community Health
Improvement Roundtable is able to create action plans,
monitor what we’ve accomplished year to year and then
refocus goals to ensure community health needs are being
met,” said Golway.
The roundtable included CalvertHealth Medical Center
staff, Calvert County Health Department, Calvert County
Social Services, Calvert County Public Schools, Calvert
County Office on Aging, the ARC of Southern Maryland,
Calvert Alliance Against Substance Abuse, Calvert County
United Way, Calvert County Sheriff’s Department, Calvert
Family Network and Calvert Hospice.
Out of the roundtable meeting, four subcommittees
were identified to collaborate and brainstorm in their areas
of expertise. Each subcommittee draws on their members
to plan the best ways to reach members from different
demographics:
- Cancer and Tobacco Coalition
- Diabetes Task Force
- Behavioral Health, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Task Force
- Health Ministry
“A common thread through all four priority areas and
all four subcommittees is how to address health disparities
and inequities in the community,” said Golway.
“Taking care of the health needs of all people in
our community is a big job and no one organization can
do it alone,” said CalvertHealth President and CEO
Dean Teague. “We are proud to work shoulder-to-shoulder
with amazing people who represent state and local
government, nonprofits and businesses as we help
people from every corner of Calvert County live their
healthiest lives.”