Coming Summer 2003
Beautiful Surroundings to Welcome Your New Baby

The birth of a baby is an experience to be treasured for all time.  The joy of welcoming a newborn into the world is unforgettable. There is a priceless moment when you click with your baby for the first time and become “family.”

St. Mary's Hospital is honored to play a role in this magical experience. This summer, we will celebrate the Grand Opening of our new Women’s Health and Family Birthing Center. 
“With this new center under construction at St. Mary's Hospital, we’re seeing a renewed focus on the needs of the patient and the family,” said Lawrence Tilley, M.D. “We look forward to sharing this new resource with our patients.” 

When it opens this summer, the Center will encompass 15,100 square feet of space.  There will be five beautiful birthing rooms furnished with the ambience of home.  A jacuzzi room will provide a relaxing setting with the holistic benefits of aquatic therapy. Twelve postpartum rooms have been designed especially to accommodate families sharing in this once-in-a-lifetime experience.  Each patient room will be private. And there will be friendly waiting areas for extended families.

For safety, security, and peace of mind, the Center will be equipped with the latest in access control. The nursery will contain everything your baby will need for health assessment, nurturing and newborn care.

A new Maternal Outpatient Testing Suite will provide a bright, efficient place for you to receive streamlined care as needed during pregnancy and postpartum.

St. Mary's Hospital has a telemedicine link with Children’s National Medical Center.  If your baby requires consultation with a specialist from Children’s, a comprehensive examination and diagnosis can be conducted in real time through the telemedicine link.  This provides tremendous peace of mind, and prevents separation of mother and baby during the bonding stage.

“At St. Mary's Hospital, we believe the concept of family is one of the most important threads that brings our community together,” said Carole Weddle, director of the unit.  “This concept has been a guiding light in developing the Center.  

Summer 2003 Cover Story

A New St. Mary's Hospital Unfolds
Finding Your Way in our Expanded and Renovated Building!

Next time you visit St. Mary's Hospital, you may be surprised with the transforming layout as our expansion and renovation project enters its final phases. 
Our Third Floor opened early in 2003, featuring a state-of-the-art Intensive Care Center.  This floor also contains a beautifully appointed Medical/Surgical/Telemetry Unit with single rooms, along with our Pulmonary Services Department and a Dialysis Holding Center.

“A patient and family focus is key to the design of the new spaces,” said Christine R. Wray, President and Chief Executive Officer.  “As we move into these last months of the project, we are delighted to open the spaces to our patients, family and friends.” 

Several other areas of the building are now undergoing extensive renovation and expansion work. A newly renovated Women’s Health and Family Birthing Center opens in June.  Late this summer, we’ll also introduce our new Women’s Health Center on the First Floor.  You can read about these new centers in this issue of Healthy Living. 

Remodeling of the second half of our Emergency Care Center is slated for completion by the end of the Summer.  This will bring the total Emergency Care space to 12,800 square feet, twice its former capacity. The new Emergency Care Center will feature a large trauma room, a decontamination center, a six-room Fast Track area for minor illnesses and injuries, and an Employee Health Center.

You’ll also notice improvements in our Ambulatory Surgery areas and our diagnostic imaging spaces, just to name a few!

Look for a great Grand Opening Celebration encompassing the entire project this Fall!

Fall 2003 Cover Story

A Family Tradition
Generations Unite in Passion for Medicine

Strong September sunlight streams in the second floor windows at the St. Mary's Medical Center at Charlotte Hall.  In one corner office, Dr. Vinod K. Shah basks in the sun’s warmth with his son and fellow cardiologist, Dr. Amish Shah, as they discuss a plan of care for a patient with high blood pressure.  On the northeastern corner of the building, his wife, Dr. Ila Shah, delivers sunny news to the parents of a healthy baby boy, explaining the  schedule of check-ups and immunizations for the early stages of infancy.  And in the southern corner office, dermatologist Dr. Arpana Shah wraps up a discussion on skin care, just as her phone rings; Ila’s voice floats through the line; she’s coordinating an impromptu lunch with three very important people - her husband, her son and daughter-in-law. 

These four doctors are united first and foremost by close family ties, but the bonds are strengthened by their new working proximity, the clinical challenges they share, and the administration of Maryland’s largest private medical practice.

On any given day, the nucleus of the Shah family and Shah Associates, M.D. L.L.C can be found at 37767 Market Drive, the newest medical building off Golden Beach Road.  The Shahs moved in at the end of August, enjoying greater space in the state-of-the-art facility for their busy North County practice.

“The building of the Medical Center at Charlotte Hall is part of St. Mary's Hospital’s strategic plan to facilitate the expansion of physician practices,” said Charles H. “Pappy” Wade, Chairman of the hospital’s Board of Directors. “We are pleased to partner with Shah Associates to improve access to the medical care needs of our growing community.”
Twenty nine years ago, V.K. and Ila Shah came to Southern Maryland to practice medicine in a warm rural setting surrounded by water.  The community embraced them, and they, in turn, spun out a web of care and friendship throughout St. Mary's County. 

One by one, all of V.K.’s brothers and sisters have joined the family in the U.S. from their native India. “The community welcomed us with open arms,” the senior Dr. Shah said. 
Shah Associates currently has 50 practitioners at 10 locations.  The flagship locale for the practice is the Philip J. Bean Medical Center in Hollywood, a state-of-the-art facility built in 1997. 

Over the years, the Shah’s and their medical associates have nurtured and cared for thousands of local residents. “Many of my patients that I met as newborns are now bringing their babies to me for care,” Ila said. “We’ve come full circle.”

The Shahs’ son, Amish, a graduate of Father Andrew White and Ryken, has recently joined the practice as a cardiologist.  His wife, Arpana, also came aboard as a dermatologist with a special interest in pediatric skin care.  And lastly the couple’s 14-month-old child, Samir, brings tremendous pride and joy to this family, as a beloved son and grandson.  Samir represents a third generation of Shahs in Southern Maryland.

“I grew up down here, and it’s good to be home,” said Amish, who recently completed his internship and residency at the Medical College of Pennsylvania (MCP) Hahnemann in Philadelphia.  Amish attended Johns Hopkins as an undergraduate, and completed Medical School at the University of Maryland in Baltimore.

While in Philadelphia, Amish met a beautiful young doctor, Arpana, a colleague who would soon become his wife. The couple now lives in Charlotte Hall.

A native of New Jersey, Arpana completed her undergraduate degree at Villanova University, then studied to be a physician at The Medical College of Pennsylvania. After her internship at MCP, Arpana pursued her residency in dermatology at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York.

The Shah Associates’ move to the St. Mary's Medical Center from a building on Route 235 in Charlotte Hall is part of a strategic plan for the practice, one that includes the continued broadening of their physician base, the acquisition of the latest in medical technology, an electronic medical record, and a state-of-the art call center.

“St. Mary's Hospital took a bold step in building this Medical Center in Charlotte Hall,” said V.K. Shah.  “That step allowed Shah Associates to move forward to offer much needed physician care in this part of our community.”

The practice has long enjoyed close ties to the hospital.  Both V.K. and Ila have served as Chief of the Medical Staff, as have several other members of their team.

At the Medical Center at Charlotte Hall, the physician offices will be complemented by St. Mary's Hospital Express Care, a service for the treatment of minor illnesses and injuries after the physician’s office has closed.  In addition, the St. Mary's Foot and Ankle Care Center, under the leadership of Dr. Douglas Hallgren, will occupy a First Floor space in the building, along with a satellite of the St. Mary's Hospital Laboratory.

Winter 2003 Cover Story

Feel Like Yourself Again!
Advanced Laproscopy Accelerates Your Recovery

Tia Holmes remembers the days when a surgery could take months out of a woman’s life.  Her mother’s hysterectomy resulted in a week-long hospital stay and several weeks of recovery at home.  Her sister’s surgery to remove an ovarian mass involved six days in the hospital and an incision several inches in length.

Luckily, for Tia and thousands of other women in Southern Maryland, many gynecologic problems can now be treated at St. Mary's Hospital with minimally invasive surgery - surgery requiring tiny incisions with discharge the same day or the day after surgery.
Minimally invasive surgery, known as laparoscopy, can be used to treat both cancers and benign conditions such as fibroids.  “Small incisions decrease dramatically the pain associated with surgery,” explained Paul MacKoul, MD, a surgeon specializing in advanced laparoscopy.  “Patients undergoing laparoscopy typically return to work and resume normal activities within days, compared to six or eight weeks for procedures performed through large incisions.”

Laparoscopic procedures have been around for years to treat conditions like mild endometriosis, small uterine fibroids or ovarian masses.    But, according to Dr. MacKoul, advanced laparoscopic surgery is a new development in the field of laparoscopy that allows many patients with gynecologic problems to avoid open surgery.  Complex problems such as large uterine fibroids and large ovarian masses are excellent candidates for this technique.

The key to advanced laparoscopy is the application of a technique called “retroperitoneal dissection.”  The dissection allows the surgeon to identify structures and clamp specific arteries and veins as needed so that the surgery can be performed successfully and with minimal blood loss.

Advanced laparoscopic hysterectomy is also possible, regardless of patient size, medical condition, prior surgery or pathology.  Compared to traditional hysterectomy surgeries, this procedure has a much lower complication rate, minimal hospitalization and pain, and fast recovery.

“In the past, patients were required to travel out of the area to have this specialized non-invasive surgery,” added Lawrence Polsky, MD, Chief of Obstetrics/Gynecology at St. Mary's Hospital.  “Patients and their families are fortunate that these advanced laparoscopic procedures can be done right here at St. Mary’s.”

For more information on advanced laparoscopy, please contact your physician or call Mandy Holmes or Monica McMilliam at Dr. Mac-Koul’s practice at 301-664-6490.