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Eastern Shore Pathways Initiative

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Educating World-Class Health Care Providers to Serve Maryland’s Eastern Shore

Invest in the Health and Well-Being of the Eastern Shore

In an ongoing effort to help alleviate the health care shortage on the Eastern Shore, the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) is committed to educating world-class health care providers. In partnership with the University of Maryland Medical System, we are working to implement an ambitious plan to meet the needs of the diverse communities that comprise the nine counties of Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

Developing Eastern Shore pathways for more clinicians and practitioners of high-quality health care in rural communities aligns with UMB’s dedication to excellence in education, research, clinical care, and service, serving as Maryland’s preeminent health and human services university. Through a collaborative approach, UMB is aligning and coordinating University and community resources and assets toward creating a talent pipeline, investments in developing that talent, and ensuring community health care stability. Raising scholarship dollars for students to attend UMB and subsequently practice on the Eastern Shore is key to our success, as is building partnerships with health care providers and community members to improve quality of life.

Thanks to UMB’s unique constellation of medicine, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, and associated health care professions, we can create an innovative and holistic approach to improved health. Programs such as the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Rural Health Equity and Access Longitudinal Elective aim to educate medical students and give them a deeper understanding of rural medicine as it relates to their career goals and aspirations. UMB will expand its impact in Eastern Shore rural communities through interdisciplinary collaborations with other schools and community partners.

A transformational $18 million gift from Lawrence Hayman (right), in honor of his lifelong friendship with UMB President Bruce Jarrell (left), will support UMB’s work on the Eastern Shore. Hayman and Jarrell grew up together in the Dorchester County/Caroline County area and are committed to improving the health and well-being of Shore communities.

Donor Highlight

“As a lifelong resident of the mid-Shore, I was determined to do something that would make a real difference and improve the lives of folks here. When you have a good health care system, I think you’re on the way to achieving that. Creating an endowment with UMB will help Shore students and help make health care on this mid-Shore area the highest quality it can be.”

Lawrence Hayman
Co-Founder and Co-Owner, H&M Bay, Inc.

A Model of Excellence: Commitment and Collaboration

The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) continues to effect real and lasting change by serving the public good of Maryland and society-at-large through education, research, clinical care, and service. Employing a unique interdisciplinary approach, our seven schools — Dentistry, Graduate Studies, Law, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Social Work — are creating national models of excellence and innovation. As a university, UMB is deeply committed to improving the quality of life of communities around the state, and our faculty, staff, and students work together with our neighbors to meet community-identified needs.

Addressing Barriers Through Unique Solutions

When seeking health care, Eastern Shore residents face numerous barriers that require multifaceted solutions. Nearly the entire Eastern Shore is designated by the federal government as a Medically Underserved Area (MUA) and as a Health Professional Shortage Area, according to the Maryland Rural Health Association. In eight Eastern Shore counties, 76 percent of citizens live in MUAs; in Caroline, Kent, Somerset, and Worcester counties, it rises to 100 percent. High infant and child mortality rates occur in Dorchester, Somerset, and Caroline counties. In addition, the Eastern Shore — like many other areas of the United States — is facing a situation in which there are fewer health care providers such as nurses, medical specialists, dentists, and mental health professionals to serve a growing and aging population.

While Maryland is one of the richest states in the country, there is a great disparity in how wealth is distributed, with the greatest wealth and access to health care centering on the Baltimore/Washington, D.C., region. Health disparities increase and access to health care decreases as Maryland’s counties become more rural.

UMB is uniquely positioned to make a difference and to address these challenges. Our ambitious plan to improve the quality of health care on the Eastern Shore addresses critical pathways where educational programs meet community needs.

An Educational Ecosystem Approach

The interlocking programs within the University of Maryland Schools of Dentistry, Graduate Studies, Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy, will foster rural health and human services leaders and a learning infrastructure that generates a community of health care practice in eastern Maryland. These programs will serve to:

Provide scholarships for students attending UMB who agree to serve on the Eastern Shore during their studies and after graduation

Create clinical rotations and professional training opportunities so UMB students spend significant time on the Shore as part of their professional and graduate learning careers

Engage health providers on the Eastern Shore who will support educational opportunities and mentorship for students attracted to pursuing a career in health care

6 circles with the different commitments and collaboration with in the Rural Heath system including: Eastern Shore Rural MD Scholars Program (RMD) for Medical Students, University of Maryland Nursing Program on the Eastern Shore (UM-NPES), Creating More Residencies on the Eastern Shore for Dental Students, Pharmapreneurships as a Pathway to Meaningful Change, and many more

Collaborations

The interlocking programs within the University of Maryland Schools of Dentistry, Graduate Studies, Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy will foster rural health and human services leaders and a learning infrastructure that generates a community of health care practice in eastern Maryland.

We invite you to learn more

To learn more about opportunities to help advance these critical initiatives for decades to come, please contact Greg Bowden at gbowden@umaryland.edu or download a copy of our Eastern Shore Pathways Case Study 

Contact

Office of Philanthropy

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14th Floor
Baltimore, MD 21201

410-706-8495

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