Patient Care

HAGERSTOWN -- Hundreds cracked crabs Saturday evening at the Krab and Karaoke fundraiser for three local nonprofits, held at Hager Hall Conference and Event Center on Dual Highway. "What is more Maryland than a pitcher of beer and table of crabs?" said Brien Poffenberger, president of the Hagerstown-Washington County Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber hosted the fundraiser, which benefited Boys & Girls Club of Washington County, Community Free Clinic and Habitat for Humanity Women Build.

HAGERSTOWN -- Western Maryland Hospital Center in Hagerstown will lose money because of a recent round of state budget cuts. Two weeks ago, the Maryland Board of Public Works reduced the hospital center's budget by $383,776, as part of more than $280 million in statewide cuts for fiscal year 2010. The state is trying to fill a projected budget shortfall of more than $700 million in fiscal year 2010, according to Gov. Martin O'Malley's office. The hospital center's overall budget is about $21 million, according to CEO Cindy Pellegrino, so the new cut is less than 2 percent.

Dr. Paul Yazdani has been stripped of his license to practice medicine in Maryland until August and fined $20,000 for "immoral and unprofessional conduct" in the practice of medicine, according to the state board that oversees all physicians. "I deny all their charges," Yazdani said Friday. "I had to take their deal because my health is failing over this. " He said he will keep his office open so he can arrange for other medical care for his patients. And he said he will take it easy for a while.

trishr@herald-mail.com BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. - The men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan are in the thoughts of many, especially at this time of year. With Christmas just a few days away, the nurses who care for the sick or wounded American servicemen and women are being remembered for what they give to others throughout the year. Tech. Sgt. Carmela Emerson, who lives in Berkeley Springs, is one of those who serves others. Emerson serves with the Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron of the 167th Airlift Wing in the W.Va.

Robinwood the best site To the editor: I am writing on behalf of the Washington County Hospital Auxiliary Board of Directors. As auxilians, our 300-plus active volunteers provide 1,200 hours each week of volunteer service to the hospital and its patients. Because we are familiar with the day-to-day operation of facility, we believe the new hospital should be built at the Robinwood Medical Center site. For almost 100 years, the hospital has served the residents of Washington County and the surrounding area very well.

Hagerstown-Washington County Chamber of Commerce The Hagerstown-Washington County Chamber of Commerce recently welcomed the following new members: • 28 South, 28 S. Potomac St., Hagerstown • AT&T, 17622 Garland Groh Blvd., Hagerstown • Baxter Group Inc., 941 Progress Road, Chambersburg, Pa. • Amy Huffman, BNI independent agent • Middletown Valley Bank, 24 W. Main St., Middletown, Md. • Montessori Academy of...

marlob@herald-mail.com The title - nursing home administrator - sounds lofty and formal, but Carla Brown said she wants everyone to know she isn't afraid to get her hands dirty in her new job at Avalon Manor Health Care Center. "I have a passion for this," Brown said after her first full month on the job at the 161-resident center at 14014 Marsh Pike north of Hagerstown. A 37-year-old wife and mother, Brown is a Texas native who has lived in Washington County for eight years.

Esther Jackson was named City Hospital's Quality Service Award winner for August. Jackson, a patient-care technician on the medical/surgical unit, was nominated by one of her patients, who stated, “She is one of the nicest people I have met, and she went out of her way to help me. Thank you, Esther, for making my stay so great!” Criteria for selection as a Quality Service Award recipient includes demonstrating a consistently high level of productivity and quality of work, along with a high degree of initiative in performing work responsibilities; displaying exceptional dependability; exhibiting effective relationships with others; displaying a commitment to service and serving the City Hospital community; and meeting the criteria for the WVUH-East mission, vision and values.

marlob@herald-mail.com HAGERSTOWN - After more than 30 years in nursing at Washington County Hospital, Julianne Harp was sick and tired of seeing patients getting sick after surgery and sometimes having to be hospitalized longer than expected. So when Harp chose a research project for her bachelor's degree program in nursing, she had no trouble zeroing in on the nausea and vomiting many postoperative patients endure. Harp has received a grant from the American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses to complete her study, one of only two grants awarded nationwide and the first ever to a nurse at Washington County Hospital.

What were, until Monday, City Hospital in Martinsburg and Jefferson Memorial Hospital in Charles Town, W.Va., are now Berkeley Medical Center and Jefferson Medical Center, both under the umbrella of University Healthcare. The new names were announced at a brief press conference Monday at the Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center in Martinsburg. The reason for the change is to better promote both hospitals in the communities they serve, said Robert F. Baronner Jr., chairman of West Virginia University Hospitals-East, which owns both local hospitals.