For Immediate Release November 15, 2018

Transition Effective January 1, 2019; New Board Replaces Interim Board in Place Since 2017 Affiliation with University of Maryland Medical System

CHEVERLY, Md., Nov. 15, 2018 – In another key milestone in the evolution of a new health care delivery system in Prince George's County, University of Maryland Capital Region Health has named its permanent Board of Directors per the terms of the September 2017 affiliation agreement with the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS). Per those terms, the current 7-member interim board will be replaced in January 2019 with a permanent Board of Directors with representation from Prince George's County and the Southern Maryland region.

The board appointments represent a cross-section of talented individuals, bringing a range of professional and personal life experiences, who are well-positioned to help UM Capital Region Health succeed.

UM Capital Region Health Board of Directors (effective January 2019):

  • The Hon. Alexander Williams, Jr. (Board Chair); retired federal judge and current member of UMMS Board
  • John Ashworth, Senior Vice President, Network Development, UMMS
  • Bijan Bahmanyar, M.D., UM Prince George's Hospital Center Medical Staff President
  • Aminta Breaux, PhD, President, Bowie State University
  • Karmen Bailey Brown, government affairs and communications consultant
  • Robert A. Chrencik, MBA, CPA, President and Chief Executive Officer, UMMS
  • Robert DiPietro, former Mayor of Laurel; real estate developer
  • Jim Estepp, President and CEO, Prince George's Business Roundtable
  • Michelle Gourdine, M.D., Senior Vice President for Population Health and Primary Care, UMMS
  • Pastor John Jenkins, First Baptist Church of Glenarden
  • Melonie Johnson, President and Chief Operating Officer, MGM National Harbor
  • Orlan Johnson, Chairman, Prince George's County Economic Development Corporation
  • Kenneth Jones, senior executive, Comcast
  • Hon. Mac Middleton, retiring State Senator representing Southern Maryland
  • Sherry Perkins PhD, RN, FAAN, President and Chief Executive Officer, UM Capital Region Health
  • Liaison to Prince George's County Board of Health
  • Prince George's County Health Officer
  • Representative from Prince George's County Medical Society

"I am incredibly fortunate to have such an esteemed group of individuals to help our leadership team steer UM Capital Region Health toward meeting our strategic goals designed for the benefit of our patients, staff, physicians and community," says Sherry B. Perkins, PhD, RN, FAAN, President and Chief Executive Officer, UM Capital Region Health. "The collective perspectives, expertise and commitment to our mission will serve all of us very well in both the near and long term. I also express my sincere thanks to the members of our interim board who have been instrumental to our operations in the critical first year of our affiliation with UMMS."

The responsibilities of the University of Maryland Capital Region Health Board are aligned with the regional health system's strategic goals. These duties include, but are not limited to:

  • Measuring performance against national benchmarks for clinical quality, patient safety and customer service excellence
  • Promoting financial viability
  • Overseeing community benefit and mission effectiveness
  • Recommending strategic direction and monitoring performance
  • Establishing policies
  • Overseeing compliance and internal auditing

"I am tremendously pleased with the prestigious group of individuals assembled to drive success for UM Capital Region Health," says Robert A. Chrencik, MBA, CPA, President and Chief Executive Officer, UMMS. "They represent many of our key stakeholders who are collectively committed to improving the health of the population of this region. This Board and the excellent management team that is being assembled, supported by our relationship with the University of Maryland, Baltimore and the University of Maryland School of Medicine, will allow us to do great things for our citizens."

University of Maryland Capital Region Health also seeks to serve as a catalyst for redevelopment and economic growth in the County, including the Largo region, with the construction of the University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center (to replace the current Prince George's Hospital Center in Cheverly) currently being built and estimated to open in early 2021. Additionally, work is underway to modernize and transform the University of Maryland Laurel Medical Center, with significant investments proposed to enhance the range, quality and caliber of services offered, with special consideration for around-the-clock emergency care including critical care stabilization and short stay beds; behavioral health; outpatient surgery; and other services to revitalize the Laurel campus and make it a destination for high quality health care. University of Maryland Capital Region Health will also evaluate opportunities for expansion of services offered by University of Maryland Bowie Health Center.

"I am honored to chair the Board of Directors of University of Maryland Capital Region Health as it does the important work of restoring confidence and pride in the health care delivery system for our deserving residents and neighbors," says the Hon. Alexander Williams, Jr. incoming Chair of the Board of Directors of University of Maryland Capital Region Health. "In a county as unique, prosperous and forward-thinking as Prince George's, we are making tremendous progress toward having the caliber of health care we have long been waiting for."

About the University of Maryland Medical System

The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) is a university-based regional health care system focused on serving the health care needs of Maryland, bringing innovation, discovery and research to the care we provide and educating the state's future physician and health care professionals through our partnership with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the UM Schools of Nursing, Pharmacy, Social Work and Dentistry in Baltimore. As one of the largest private employers in the State, the health system's 28,000 employees and 4,000 affiliated physicians provide primary and specialty care in more than 150 locations and at 14 hospitals. UMMS' flagship academic campus, the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, is recognized regionally and nationally for excellence and innovation in specialized care. Our acute care and specialty rehabilitation hospitals serve urban, suburban and rural communities and are located in 13 counties across the State. In addition, UMMS operates health insurance plans serving Medicare and Medicaid members. For more information, visit www.umms.org.

About University of Maryland Capital Region Health

Providing primary and specialty health care services to Prince George's County and the neighboring area, University of Maryland Capital Region Health was established in September 2017 upon formal affiliation with the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), and is committed to making a positive impact on the health and well-being of patients and families. University of Maryland Capital Region Health operates the University of Maryland Prince George's Hospital Center in Cheverly, University of Maryland Laurel Medical Center, University of Maryland Bowie Health Campus, and the University of Maryland Family Health & Wellness Center in Suitland. Together, community physicians and University of Maryland School of Medicine (SOM) faculty provide clinical expertise across a range of specialties and programs including: acute rehabilitation; anesthesiology; critical and chronic ventilation care; emergency medicine; neonatology (including the County's highest level NICU); orthopaedics; vascular surgery; a certified and designated primary stroke center; and the State's second-busiest Trauma Center. University of Maryland School of Medicine faculty also lead the highly-regarded cardiac surgery program at UM Prince George's Hospital Center. A new state-of-the-art regional medical center is expected to open in Largo in 2021.

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