Community Wellness Event Draws Hundreds of Residents

Hospital team members and volunteers provided health screenings, health and employment resources, fresh produce boxes and free lunch during Spring Community Wellness Day at Riviera Beach Elementary School

GLEN BURNIE, Md. - More than 300 community members took part in University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center’s (UM BWMC) recent Spring Community Wellness Day at Riviera Beach Elementary School in Pasadena. The event was made possible thanks to volunteers from UM BWMC and 20 local organizations that collaborated to offer free health screenings and family-friendly activities. UM BWMC is a member organization of the University of Maryland Medical System.

“The health and wellbeing of our community is at the heart of our mission, and our team members and volunteers live this work every day,” said Kathy McCollum, President and CEO of UM BWMC. “Working with local partners such as Anne Arundel County Public Schools we’re able to bring free health screenings and food boxes, employment opportunities and fun art projects into neighborhoods and better care for our community.”

Participants from nearby neighborhoods participated in family-centered activities coordinated by UM BWMC, Riviera Beach Elementary School and community volunteers. More than 150 free produce boxes were distributed to participating families in addition to a free lunch. Community members were also invited to participate in interactive simulations such as applying a tourniquet to learn how to “Stop the Bleed” and CPR demonstrations. Individuals also received information on nutrition, diabetes care and management, women’s health, child development, heart and vascular health, mental health, smoking cessation and lung cancer screenings. Representatives from the hospital’s Human Resources Department also discussed current employment and volunteer opportunities available.

“Our spring Community Wellness Day is one of our largest health resource events and gives us an opportunity to introduce the community to some of our providers and nurses so that they feel comfortable accessing care and know where to go if they or someone in their family needs care,” said Diane Croghan, Vice President of Community Engagement and Chief of Staff at UM BWMC. “By providing information on our community outreach, population health initiatives and diabetes care management along with free fruits and vegetables and healthy recipes, we’re promoting health and wellness and making important connections.”

UM BWMC hosts several opportunities to engage with community throughout the year, including a seasonal produce market offering discounted fruits and vegetables located at UM BWMC’s campus from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. every other Wednesday, with the next markets scheduled for May 8 and 22. The Community Outreach team also offers Safe at Home and Safe Sitter classes for children, where instructors teach kids safety tips for when they are home alone and for when they are watching another child. To learn more about these community events and programs, visit umbwmc.org/calendar.

About the University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center

The University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center (UM BWMC) is a 307-bed medical center committed to improving the health outcomes of the communities it serves. A member organization of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), UM BWMC is located in Glen Burnie (Anne Arundel County) and has more than 3,100 team members and 1,000 medical providers on staff. The medical group provides primary and specialty care services to individuals throughout the region. Together with community providers and faculty from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, UM BWMC offers a wide range of clinical programs including cancer, critical care, emergency, heart, lung, neurosciences, orthopedics, pediatric, primary care, vascular, and women’s health. For more information, visit umbwmc.org.

About the University of Maryland Medical System

The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) is an academic private health system, focused on delivering compassionate, high quality care and putting discovery and innovation into practice at the bedside. Partnering with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland, Baltimore who educate the state’s future health care professionals, UMMS is an integrated network of care, delivering 25 percent of all hospital care in urban, suburban and rural communities across the state of Maryland. UMMS puts academic medicine within reach through primary and specialty care delivered at 11 hospitals, including the flagship University of Maryland Medical Center, the System’s anchor institution in downtown Baltimore, as well as through a network of University of Maryland Urgent Care centers and more than 150 other locations in 13 counties. For more information, visit www.umms.org