Choptank Community Health System

CCHS CEO Annual Report Message

“Serving Our Communities’ Diversity”

Choptank Community Health System, Inc. (CCHS) continues to grow and mature as an integral part of the health care service delivery network on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.  For the year ended December 31, 2007 CCHS staff saw more than 24,000 individuals generating in excess of 92,000 patient/client visits in the year.  This report outlines our success throughout 2007 in achieving our mission of the provision of quality health care for all.

As a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), CCHS receives significant annual grant funds from the Federal government to help support its mission of providing quality health care for all.  While the total direct Health Resources Services Administration HRSA funding was slightly over $3 million in 2007, that represents slightly less than 30% of our annual operating budget of over $10 million. Our Federal funding supports services to our uninsured populations and provides additional enabling services for all patients.  As an FQHC, CCHS is expected to offer services to all in need and to do all it can to tailor the services to meet the specific community’s needs.  As CCHS has continued to mature in its delivery of services, we believe we live the spirit of maintaining appropriate services for our diverse community. Our array of services is established within each community, based on that specific community’s need.

Each of the CCHS primary care offices and each of our community-based programs adapt their services to the particular needs of the immediate community surrounding the office/program.  The array of services is developed, used and amended over time based on the evolving community.  The diversity of the community directly impacts the diversity of services for that community.

One example of the diversity of programs and services throughout the CCHS network is our services to the area migrant population. CCHS staff extends our direct care services to this population at the numerous migrant camps located throughout the Mid-Shore. Outreach services link the migrant populations to both CCHS office-based health care services and to the full range of health care services available through other non-CCHS provider organizations.  The CCHS team going to the camps typically include a mid-level provider of health care, a clinical support person and an interpreter.

Office-based services encompass the full range of services typically found in a primary care office setting. Services are provided by a health care team comprised of any number of primary care specialists (pediatricians, family practitioners, internists, GYN as well as nurse practitioners and physician assistants).  One of our offices focuses exclusively on women’s health.  To aid in the support of our diverse populations, office staff includes interpreters, outreach staff and referral specialists.

Our School-Based Health Center (SBHC) program is designed to offer a range of age appropriate health care services directly within public schools.  Our network of centers within the Caroline County Public Schools (CCPS) successfully provides the range of primary care services due to the strong collaboration with the school staff. CCHS contracts directly with CCPS for clinical support from school nurses.

The CCHS diverse network of services includes a growing dental service program. CCHS has expanded its original Federalsburg Dental Center to a second site – the Cambridge Pediatric Dental Center.  In addition to these two active offices, CCHS has a strong network of dental services linked to our School-Based programs in Caroline County as well as a range of preventive dental services in both the Dorchester and Talbot County Public Schools.  In addition to these dental programs, CCHS has established a hospital-based pediatric dental surgery program at Dorchester General Hospital in Cambridge.  A partnership with Shore Health, the Eastern Shore Area Health Education Center and other area providers helped create and sustain this program.

Diversity is key to network development.  Matching the diversity of our patients and their health care needs with the diversity in programs, in office settings, in types of providers are all critical to a successful program.  As you read this report, you will see our diversity at work.

Thank you for your support.

J. Wayne Howard
Chief Executive Officer

The year ended December 31, 2007 was another successful year for Choptank Community Health System (CCHS).  The theme of this year’s annual report is diversity of services and programs aligned with a very diverse area population.  It is a natural process for the CCHS Board of Directors to support policy and program development focused on assuring appropriate services.  Our Board is comprised of individuals from the mid-Shore area who, as a group, mirror our diverse population.  The 2007 CCHS Board of Directors is diverse in its ethnicity and in specific program representation – School-Based and Migrant Health.  More than half of the Board members are direct users of services at a CCHS Medical Center.

One symbol of our organizational commitment to diversity is our corporate logo.  Please note that our logo is surrounded with our one line mission statement of “Quality Health Care for All” – written in both English and Spanish.  We indeed are a community-based network of a variety of primary health care services established in culturally sensitive settings for all area residents.

Our Board is committed to the continued growth of the CCHS network of programs and aware that we are responsible to work towards expanding our reach as our area population continues to evolve.  Our need to maintain a strategic direction that focuses on diversity will continue.

I am honored to serve our community through my leadership position as the CCHS Board of Directors’ President.  I know that all members of our Board share in this pleasure of service.  We are committed to continuing to strive towards providing quality health care for all.

Thank you for your support.

Samuel Brisco, Jr.
CCHS Board of Directors President