At last week’s Mayor and Council meeting, Mayor Rick Meehan presented retiring Public Works employee Charlie Bunting, and his wife Faith, a key to the city for his nearly 30 years of service. Submitted Photos
City Employees Retire
OCEAN CITY — Charles Bunting and Frank Marshall have retired after almost 70 years of combined employment with the Town of Ocean City.
Marshall, who joined the town full-time in September of 1974, retires as the Construction Supervisor for the Public Works Department. Also leaving the department, Bunting will be finishing his last day in the maintenance division almost 30 years to the date of his hire on Aug. 27, 1984.
Marshall, who worked for the Town of Pocomoke before coming to Ocean City, was involved in numerous projects during his career with the town, including the beach replenishment program. In addition to his role in Ocean City, Marshall was an active member of the United States Army, where he served his country for six years.
Bunting, who worked for the maintenance division of public works, helped keep Ocean City clean and maintained for residents and visitors. During his career, Bunting operated small and heavy equipment including beach tractors and street brooms. Before his time with public works, Bunting worked for Worcester County and with the Ocean City Recreation and Parks Department, where he helped maintain facilities at Northside Park, as well as other park locations in town.
“I’m looking forward to traveling with my family and relaxing and enjoying my life,” Marshall said. “I am very thankful to the Town of Ocean City, the City Council and my co-workers who continue to work together for the community.”
Bunting also plans to enjoy his family members, further his education, continue his work with the Ocean City Volunteer Fire Company, where he is a Gold Badge Member, and travel.
“Basically, I have done it all serving the town’s residents, vacationers and visitors during my 30-year career,” Bunting added. “I was born and raised in Ocean City and attended kindergarten through sixth grade at the old Ocean City School which is now City Hall. Now that I am retired, I am going to have a chance to enjoy this community even more.”
Members of the Information Technology team at Peninsula Regional Medical Center celebrate PRMC’s American Hospital Association’s 2014 Most Wired Award, its 5th consecutive year of being honored.
Hospital Recognized
SALISBURY — Peninsula Regional Medical Center has been recognized for a fifth consecutive year as one of the Nation’s Most Wired hospitals, according to the results of the 2014 Most Wired Survey released in the July issue of the American Hospital Association’s Hospitals & Health Networks magazine. PRMC has been honored by the magazine with a Most Wired Award or Most Improved Hospital Award seven times in the 16 years of the survey.
Peninsula Regional was one of 375 United States hospitals to earn the 2014 distinction, and joins Nemours Hospitals in Wilmington, Del. as the only recipients on the Delmarva Peninsula. Just six Maryland hospitals were presented with the honor this year.
PRMC was recognized for the acquisition, deployment, effective and often innovative use of information technology as a foundational element in the delivery of high quality and safe care to its patients. Those include statewide electronic initiatives to share health information and best practice solutions, using information technology ─ like PRMC’s Modified Early Warning System ─ to assess patient conditions, using a computerized medication entry and patient order system by physicians to reduce errors, and securely linking patients and providers with medical histories and medication records using online services like PRMC’s MyPenCare.org.
“As Peninsula Regional and the nation’s healthcare system transitions to more integrated and patient-centered care away from the traditional hospital setting, the use of information technology to better connect patient with provider is essential in providing each the knowledge and information necessary to make informed healthcare decisions about treatment and care options,” said Ray Adkins, PRMC’s Chief Information Officer. “Delivering the highest quality and safest care, both here on the PRMC campus and across our region, is a cornerstone of our Medical Center’s mission to improve the health of the communities we serve.”
For instance, the Medical Center’s Modified Early Warning System is an award-winning, early-warning system to improve the quality of patient care and reduce mortality through quicker intervention. MEWS helps doctors, nurses and other caregivers to interpret patient vital signs and predict changing patient conditions that otherwise might not be recognized, and incorporates a technology solution that provides prompts for caregivers to take action, even when a patient’s physical appearance might not have suggested that it was necessary.
MyPenCare.org is Peninsula Regional’s home for patients’ personal health information, a secure website that maintains patients’ up-to-date health records including discharge documents and test results. Patients also have the ability to update information themselves, adding doctors, tracking health statistics, noting allergies, prescriptions and other information that makes the record a vital resource for patients and their caregivers.
Partnership Announced
OCEAN CITY — Shore Premier Finance, a direct marine lending division of Shore Bank, announced this week a new strategic partnership with TUI Marine.
TUI Marine, headquartered in Clearwater, Fla., is part of TUI Travel PLC, the world’s leading international leisure travel group. TUI Marine operates over 1,200 yachts in 25 destinations worldwide under the Sunsail and The Moorings brands, plus 1,000 canal boats in Europe under the LeBoat brand.
“Shore Premier Finance is now a strategic partner for TUI Marine, for retail and corporate finance, on a nationwide basis,” stated Simon Cross, CEO of TUI Marine.
As strategic partners, Shore Premier Finance will provide its lending services to the buyers of all TUI Marine new charter boats.
“We are excited about this opportunity to build a strong, sustainable relationship with such a prestigious name in the marine industry. This partnership will allow us to explore new opportunities,” said Herve Bonnet, President and CEO of Shore Premier Finance.
Farms Listed For Lease
SALISBURY — Ben Alder, senior advisor of the Alder Land Group at Sperry Van Ness – Miller Commercial Real Estate in Salisbury, recently listed 26 farms totaling 3,500 acres for lease. The farms are located throughout Maryland and Delaware and offer hunting and agricultural leases. Of the 3,500 total acres, over 2,000 acres in the offering are tillable. Bids for farmland and hunting land leases are due on Oct. 15.
“Our team is excited about this opportunity to work with Allen Harim and the local ag community to develop long-term relationships” states Ben Alder. “For both the property owner and tenant, agricultural leasing today cannot be handled without diligence and quality commitments. It is our goal in this project to develop strong agreements for Allen Harim that will demonstrate their commitment to working with the Delmarva agricultural community.”
To view all the farms in the leasing project or to submit a bid, visit www.alderlandgroup.com or contact Alder at [email protected] or 410-543-2440.
Jamelle Showell
New Design Head Named
SALISBURY — Johnny Janosik World of Furniture is expanding its services with the launch of its new Design Services Division. The department will provide design expertise to both residential and commercial properties, build on its relationships with professional area designers and provide design support to Janosik’s sales staff.
Worcester County resident Jamelle Showell has been named to lead the newly created division. A design professional with 25 years of experience in the industry, Showell began her career at Donaway Furniture in Ocean City in 1989. Her career also includes 10 years of freelance work specializing in coastal design with work in model homes and Ocean City hotels. Showell assumed her new role at Janosik’s on Aug. 25.
“I am incredibly excited about working with Janosik’s,” said Showell. “This is a tremendous opportunity to provide Janosik customers with a new level of design expertise, as well as for me to grow and learn with the Eastern Shore’s largest furniture store.”
A family business started by Mary Louise and Johnny Janosik in 1953, Johnny Janosik has grown to include four locations with more than 225 employees.
“Jamelle is a great addition to our team,” said Dave Koehler, CEO/Owner of Janosik. “We are always striving to improve our business operations and this new design component is yet another way to have not just satisfied customers, but delighted ones.”
Partner Firm Named
SALISBURY — United Benefit Advisors (UBA), the nation’s leading independent employee benefits advisory organization, has announced Avery Hall Benefit Solutions (AHBS) as a new partner firm.
Opening their doors in 1986 in Salisbury, the staff at AHBS prides themselves on their ability to understand the needs of their customers and to fulfill those needs with the highest standard of care. A second location in Easton was opened in 1994 and the combined AHBS staff of 18 employees has more than 230 years total years of experience in the insurance industry.
The agency’s longstanding relationship with more than 40 insurance carriers allows them to deliver personalized service that supports the needs of individuals, families and businesses across Delmarva. AHBS is proud to have been distinguished as one of the top producers with CareFirst, Coventry, and United Healthcare.
President and Partner of Avery Hall Benefit Solutions, Cindy Whaley has been with the agency since 1994. Prior to joining AHBS, she worked at Delmarva Health Plan. In 2013, she was Caroline County Chamber Business Woman of the Year and selected among 70 statewide brokers to serve on the 16-member Maryland Producer Advisory Council for the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange (MHBE). She is also a board member of Soroptimist International of Talbot County and is a graduate of the University of Richmond’s E. Claiborne Robins School of Business.
“We are excited to be selected as one of only three Maryland UBA Partner Firms. The UBA vendor and agency affiliations allow us to compete with larger agencies while still maintaining that same local personal service to which our customers have become accustomed,” Whaley said.
As the newest partner of UBA, Avery Hall joins a network of more than 130 employee benefits advisory firms that serve employers of all sizes across the United States, Canada, and Europe.