Celebrating a Milestone for the Sandra R. Berman Pavilion

I am thrilled to announce a significant milestone in the construction of the Sandra R. Berman Pavilion! Thanks to our dedicated teams, the project is progressing on budget and on schedule. We are now about 50 days away from completing construction, with building occupancy expected in early 2025. 

This state-of-the-art facility will house the Sandra and Malcolm Berman Cancer Institute, consolidating all cancer care services under one roof. The new pavilion will improve patients’ experience, with multiple consultation rooms for meetings with clinicians and support staff and infusion options ranging from private rooms to open bays. The design also supports enhanced collaboration among our multidisciplinary oncology team. We recognize that the need for cancer care is only increasing with an aging population and look forward to being able to provide the compassionate, expert care we are known for in the comfort of a more modern, thoughtfully designed facility. 

I encourage you to take a moment to watch this rendered virtual tour video to see what’s to come with the Berman Pavilion. 

Highlighting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in Our Construction Projects 

In previous blog posts I have discussed our DEI work in several spaces – such as with our employee resource groups and the various events they host, our educational opportunities, and our health equity efforts in Baltimore City. However, I haven’t yet shared the great work our construction team has done in the DEI realm. Led by Russ Sadler, Senior Director of Planning, Construction, and Energy, the team has integrated Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) Program participants as part of our major construction projects over the past several years. The Maryland MBE Program is regarded as a national model for minority inclusion and ensures socially and economically disadvantaged small business owners are included in the state’s procurement and contracting opportunities.  

Of our total construction spend for the Sandra & Malcolm Berman Cancer Institute, Sandra R. Berman Pavilion, and the Berman Garage projects, 37.89% has been allocated to MBEs. Additionally, the Louis and Phyllis Friedman Building project concluded with 30% MBE participation. 

This work is another example of how we embed diversity, equity, and inclusion into our culture, making it a core part of everything we do. Thank you to all our staff and leaders who support this important priority.

Have You Used the GBMC Pharmacy?

The new Louis and Phyllis Friedman Building, which opened to the public late last year, was designed with a strong focus on enhancing the patient and staff experience. One of the building's key components is the GBMC Pharmacy, aimed at providing the convenience of filling prescriptions while already on campus. 

The GBMC Pharmacy was designed to offer a seamless experience with the patient’s needs in mind. After an appointment or hospital discharge, patients can easily stop by to pick up prescriptions, eliminating additional trips to other pharmacy locations and saving time and effort. 

Our fabulous pharmacy team is committed to providing personalized service and is always ready to assist with any questions or concerns about medications. In addition to answering common questions, our clinical pharmacists are well-versed in complex disease states and are an important part of a care team that is dedicated to treating the entire patient. 

Some additional offerings include: 

• Specialty and over-the-counter medications to meet various needs – from common to complex. 
• Centralized patient records through Epic and payment through MyChart. 
• Text notifications for updates on prescription status. 
• Curbside pickup as an added convenience for medication pickup. 
• Financial advocacy to help with out-of-pocket costs. 
• Meds to Beds Program, which allows prescriptions to be delivered directly to patients’ rooms before discharge. 

Providing Pharmacy Services for Staff 

I want to take a moment to highlight the advantages our GBMC Pharmacy offers for staff. Employees working at or near the Main Hospital campus can have prescriptions filled and picked up at work, simplifying their routine and reducing extra stops on the way home. Any employee who has an appointment or meeting at the main campus can pick up prescriptions as their schedule permits. 

Additionally, employees on the GBMC medical insurance plan are eligible for a lower co-pay on 90-day retail refills at the pharmacy compared to other in-network pharmacies. 

Employees interested in transferring prescriptions to the GBMC Pharmacy can make the change in MyChart or talk to their doctor about updating their preferred pharmacy during their next appointment. 

Making Healthcare Easier 

The GBMC Pharmacy is part of GBMC’s commitment to providing the care we would want for our own loved ones. This service ensures that every patient and staff member has access to essential medications with ease and convenience. 

The GBMC Pharmacy is open Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., on the Main Level (3rd floor) of the Main Hospital, near The Corner Shop and ZIME eatery. 

Special thanks to Yuliya Klopouh, PharmD, Vice President of Pharmacy Services, and her team for bringing this wonderful service to the campus. 

GBMC looks forward to serving patients and staff at the GBMC Pharmacy for years to come!

Thank You
I am grateful to all staff for their teamwork and support as we navigated issues related to today's CrowdStrike software update defect. GBMC is not alone in the challenge, as it is impacting industries worldwide. Thanks to our staff's diligence, we were able to suspend downtime procedures and transition back to normal documentation procedures by early afternoon.

A Remarkable Example of Advanced Primary Care in Brazil

This week, I had the distinct privilege of traveling to Sao Paulo, Brazil, at the invitation of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) to participate in a two-day meeting and the Latin American Forum on Quality and Safety in Health Care. The event was held at the impressive Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, a stunning state-of-the-art facility seamlessly connected to its educational center and medical school. 

Albert Einstein Hospital is renowned as one of the finest healthcare institutions in Brazil. Despite its privileged status, the hospital embraces a responsibility to serve the underprivileged. Their commitment mirrors our own mission at GBMC HealthCare to provide health, healing, and hope to all people. 

During my visit, I was moved by the hospital's dedication to serving the impoverished communities surrounding them. In the neighborhood of Paraisopolis, one of Sao Paulo's largest and poorest favelas, the hospital provides advanced primary care – free of charge. The primary care location is integrated with a mental health facility, ensuring that patients with mental health needs receive immediate, comprehensive support. This collaboration is a partnership with the city, funded by a blend of federal, state, and private resources. It is similar in concept to our collaborative care contract with Sheppard Pratt, which enables us to address both medical and psychiatric needs and link primary care patients to mental health services when necessary. 

One of the most inspiring aspects of the set-up in Paraisopolis was the joy among the staff. Every individual I encountered had a radiant smile, and it was clear that they felt genuine satisfaction from serving their community. 

While GBMC may not match the size or resources of Albert Einstein Hospital, we share a common dedication to health equity and comprehensive care. Both institutions have pledged not to let our positions of privilege hinder our service to the underrepresented and underprivileged. 

At GBMC, we have made significant strides in this direction. Our advanced primary care model is designed to build patient-provider relationships, manage chronic diseases, and integrate behavioral health services, and we have expanded these services to underserved communities in Baltimore City. However, as I saw in Sao Paulo, there is always more we can do. We owe it to the people of Baltimore to continually improve access to healthcare and ensure that no one is left behind. 

Let's continue to push the boundaries of what is possible, ensuring that every patient receives the care, compassion, and respect they deserve. 

Happy Fourth of July!

I hope you enjoy a fun and safe holiday with your loved ones. This holiday is a time to celebrate our nation’s independence, a value that is deeply rooted in the freedom and rights of every individual. As I think of gathering for barbecues, fireworks, and time with family and friends, I'm inclined to also reflect on the broader meaning of independence and freedom in our lives. 

Just as we cherish the freedoms that come with life in America, we should also recognize the fundamental right of all to healthcare. Access to quality healthcare is essential to living a free and fulfilling life. Ensuring that everyone in our community can access the healthcare they need to lead healthy lives is baked into all we do at GBMC, with primary care and health equity at the heart of our mission. We are driven to remove barriers to people receiving quality healthcare and to empower them to live their best lives. 

Our nation's independence was achieved through unity and a shared commitment to the common good. Similarly, our efforts in healthcare require a collective dedication to the well-being of our community. By working together, we can create a healthcare system that provides top-quality care for all, regardless of their background or circumstances. As I have written recently, I see our state and nation slowly but surely moving toward transformation that encourages high-value care, access to care, and health equity. 

As we celebrate this Fourth of July, let's reaffirm our commitment to advancing healthcare for all and ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to enjoy the freedoms that good health brings. Wishing you all a happy, healthy, and safe Fourth of July! 

Celebrating the Legacy and Retirement of Distinguished Physicians at GBMC

This summer, we’ve had the bittersweet opportunity to celebrate three long-serving and influential physicians at GBMC HealthCare as they head into retirement: Dr. H. Alexander Munitz, Dr. Robert Palermo, and Dr. Frank Rotolo. Their decades of service and pioneering contributions have profoundly shaped our health system – earning each of them recognition as GBMC HealthCare Physician Titans of Care during our 50th anniversary celebrations in 2015. We are fortunate that these incredible physicians spent their careers with us. 

Dr. H. Alexander Munitz, MD 

Dr. H. Alexander Munitz retired this June after 38 years at GBMC. As Chair of the Department of Radiology from 1992 to 2020, Dr. Munitz's visionary leadership advanced our radiology services into the 21st century. Under his guidance, GBMC became a trailblazer in adopting spiral CT technology and performing advanced radiologic studies, such as virtual colonoscopy and CT coronary arteriography. His efforts also attracted top interventional radiologists, establishing one of the region’s premier interventional radiology departments. Among Dr. Munitz's notable achievements is the creation of the Sandra and Malcolm Berman Comprehensive Breast Care Center, a groundbreaking collaboration between surgery and radiology. This center was the first of its kind in a community hospital in the Baltimore metropolitan area and became a national leader in percutaneous breast biopsy. Dr. Munitz’s dedication to advancing biopsy needle technology further highlights his innovative spirit.

Dr. Robert Palermo, MD 

Dr. Robert Palermo, Chair of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, joined GBMC 42 years ago in 1982 and has served as the Chair of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Director since 1990. Dr. Palermo's expertise has elevated our pathology services, paving the way for significant strides in areas such as chemistry, surgical pathology, laboratory informatics, and immunology. Our laboratory is known for its high reliability and adherence to regulatory standards – which is a direct reflection of Dr. Palermo’s leadership. Dr. Palermo has been a vital member of numerous committees, including the GBMC Cancer Committee and the Precision Medicine Task Force. His leadership in the Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee and the Breast Program Leadership Committee has been pivotal in enhancing patient care and safety. Additionally, his involvement with the GBMC HealthCare Epic Advisory Council and the Infection Prevention Committee has driven significant improvements in our systems and processes. 

Dr. Frank Rotolo, MD 

Dr. Frank Rotolo, Division Head of General Surgery and iconic surgeon for the Baltimore community, is retiring after 34 years at GBMC. Starting his journey with us in 1989, Dr. Rotolo has been instrumental in advancing general surgery, including the introduction of laparoscopic and robotic surgery and the implementation of sentinel lymph node biopsies for breast cancer and melanoma detection. Dr. Rotolo has played a crucial role in elevating GBMC's surgical and cancer quality programs. He was instrumental in GBMC’s membership in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program and served as the cancer liaison physician for the Commission on Cancer, as well as the Maryland State Chair for Cancer Liaison Physicians. 

Thank you, Alex, Bob, and Frank, for your remarkable contributions to GBMC and to the healthcare industry as a whole. We wish you all the best in your retirement!

Celebrating Success: GBMC's 36th Annual Father’s Day 5K and 1-Mile Fun Walk

On Sunday, June 16, we hosted our 36th Annual Father’s Day 5K and 1-Mile Fun Walk. I am thrilled to share that this year’s event was our most successful yet, raising over $145,000 for our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Thank you to everyone who participated, donated, and supported this event. We have a tremendously generous community!  

Whether you walked, ran, or donated, your support has impacted GBMC’s tiniest patients, their families, and the dedicated staff who treat them like family. Contributions from the event directly support advanced education for our staff and enhance the experience for families navigating through challenging times. 

I always look forward to participating in the event, not just because I enjoy running (slowly), but also because it is heartwarming to see our NICU families as well as our staff and community come together in such a meaningful way. I’m always humbled by the showing of support every year. 

I’m grateful to Morgan Varley, Director of Annual Funding, and Alissa Smith, Community Relations and Events Manager, for all their work to make this event so successful! 

Save the date for the 37th annual Father’s Day 5K and 1-Mile Fun Walk on Sunday, June 15, 2025! 

Employee Resource Group (ERG)-Led Events 

There has been no shortage of successful events for GBMC HealthCare lately! In addition to our Father’s Day 5K, two of our ERGs hosted highly engaging events this week. 

The Greater Pride ERG once again led a team at the Baltimore Pride Parade on Saturday, June 15 and participated in Pride in the Park on Sunday, June 16, providing education and information to the community.

  

On Monday, June 17, the GBMC Black Alliance ERG invited all GBMC HealthCare staff to join the GBMC Juneteenth Jubilee, a celebration to commemorate our country's second independence day and the emancipation of enslaved people in the US. Staff enjoyed live music, dance, delicious food, and speakers.

Thank you to the members of our ERGs who coordinated these efforts and to everyone who participated! 

Congratulations to our Internal Medicine Residency Program Graduates! 

Although GBMC is largely known as a community hospital, it is also a teaching hospital. I’m proud of our phenomenal Internal Medicine Residency Program, which offers excellent medical education and treatment in addition to the type of patient care experience we would want for our own loved ones.

It is an honor when providers choose to obtain their foundational training with us, and I’d like to take a moment to recognize the following recent graduates of our Internal Medicine Residency Program. I wish them the best as they continue to grow in the next phases of their medical careers.

Our Graduating 3rd year resident who have completed their residencies and are now ready for independent practice are:

• Maimoona Ali, MD: Hospitalist – CHI Health Good Samaritan (Kearny, Nebraska)
• Ibtisam Ashraf, MD: Hospitalist – Chippenham Hospital (Richmond, Virginia)
• Neha Bapat, MD: Endocrinology Fellowship – University of Wisconsin (Madison, Wisconsin)
• Alaa Diab, MD: Academic Hospitalist, Assistant Professor – Wayne State University (Detroit, Michigan)
• Akshay Duddu, MD: PGY-4 Chief Medical Resident – Greater Baltimore Medical Center
• Mohammad Haroon Hassan, MD: Hospitalist – Chippenham Hospital (Richmond, Virginia)
• Hamza Atta Khan, MD: Nocturnist – Sinai Hospital (Baltimore, Maryland)
• Amsha Ilyas, MD: Hospitalist – Raleigh General Hospital (Beckley, West Virginia)
• Azfar Niazi, MD: Hospitalist – Greater Baltimore Medical Center
• Gina Patel, MD: Critical Care Fellowship – George Washington University (Washington, DC)
• Jayashrei Sairam, MD: PGY-4 Chief Medical Resident – Greater Baltimore Medical Center
• Mir Ali Asghar Shah, MD: Hospitalist – Chippenham Hospital (Richmond, Virginia)
• Eric Thuo, MD: Infectious Disease/Immunology R38 Grant – Washington University in St. Louis- (St. Louis, Missouri)
• Fazl Wazeen, MD: Hospitalist – Chippenham Hospital (Richmond, Virginia) 

Our 1st year Preliminary residents who will go on to complete specialized training are:

• Darwish Alabyad, MD: Diagnostic Radiology – George Washington University Hospital (Washington, DC) 
• Catherine Bienert, MD: Diagnostic Radiology – Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore, Maryland)
• Katerina Havlik, DO: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation – Sinai Hospital (Baltimore, Maryland) 

Finally, our 2 chief residents who are graduating are:

• Ayesha Khan, MD: Hospitalist – Greater Baltimore Medical Center
• Beryl Otieno, MD: Academic Hospitalist, Academic Professor – Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center

Congratulations to all and thank you to our Internal Medicine Residency Program leaders–Elisabeth Carr, MD, Program Director, and Melvin Blanchard, MD, Chair of Medicine–for ensuring our residents have rich and positive experiences that set the stage for their future successes. 

Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) Follow-Up: Addressing the Substance Use Crisis

In a recent blog post, I discussed the findings of our Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA), which highlighted several critical recurring areas of concern. 

To quickly recap, they include: 

• Behavioral Health: Addressing mental health and substance use disorders. 
• Physical Health: Tackling issues such as obesity, chronic conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure, and cancer. 
• Access to Care: Removing barriers that prevent people from meeting their health needs. 

Today, I want to focus more specifically on the “behavioral health” area, particularly the substance use crisis. This is weighing on my mind because I am reflecting on an article published in The New York Times in late May that echoes the findings from our CHNA that substance use disorders remain a key concern in our community. The NYT article highlighted the situation in Baltimore as particularly dire, with nearly 6,000 lives lost to drug overdoses in the past six years, driven primarily by the synthetic opioid fentanyl. This overdose death rate is nearly double that of any other large American city during the same period, underscoring the urgent need for action. 

According to the article, despite early efforts to combat the opioid crisis – including widespread distribution of Narcan and innovative treatment programs – these initiatives have not been maintained at the necessary scale due to competing priorities and resource constraints. Given what we learned from our CHNA as well as what national data shows, it is important that we, alongside all our community partners and leaders, renew our commitment to addressing this public health emergency. 

While GBMC alone cannot fix the problem, we look forward to being part of the solution as our community health leaders all come together to address it. Our health system has taken steps to make behavioral health services more accessible to our people. For example, through our partnership with Sheppard Pratt, we have integrated behavioral health services into our advanced primary care model, ensuring that our patients receive comprehensive care that addresses both physical and mental health needs. 

This continued crisis is a reminder of the importance of sustained effort and resource allocation in tackling issues like this. Working together, we can make significant strides in reducing substance use and improving the overall health and well-being of our community.