University of Maryland Shore Regional Health at Cambridge Earns Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation

The Emergency Department at University of Maryland Shore Regional Health (UM SRH) at Cambridge has earned accreditation as a Level 3 Geriatric Emergency Department by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). This achievement follows previous GEDA accreditations earned by the University of Maryland Shore Medical Center emergency departments at in Chestertown (2022 and 2026) and Easton (2023), and at University of Maryland Shore Emergency Center at Queenstown (2023). UM SRH is a member organization of the University of Maryland Medical System.

ACEP established the Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation Program in 2018 in response to growing evidence that most emergency departments, while well-equipped to treat patients with single-cause acute episodes, are less able to meet health care needs of elderly persons who often have multiple chronic conditions and social support needs.

Achievement of Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation (GEDA) signifies that UM SRH hospitals and freestanding emergency centers have strategies and protocols in place designed to serve the particular needs of older patients. These include best-practice approaches to care that address common geriatric health issues, improved emergency throughput and optimal transitions of care for patients discharged from emergency care to their home or other setting, such as acute rehabilitation, assisted living and long-term care facilities.

Current UM SRH aggregate data indicates that at the Cambridge, Chestertown, Easton and Queenstown emergency departments, nearly one in three patients seeking care is at least 65 years old.

"Given our aging population, it is increasingly important that our emergency care providers can focus on the safety and well-being of our geriatric patients, said Luke Whelan, MD, who oversees emergency care in Cambridge and Queenstown. "Many care processes and medications that can be routine for the general adult population take on greater risks with age. The work we have done and continue to do to receive and maintain our GEDA accreditation speaks to Shore Regional Health's daily commitment to mitigate those risks and deliver the highest quality care possible to our community."

"Achieving and sustaining GEDA at all Shore Regional Health emergency departments is no small task," said Tisha Thompson, DNP, RN, UM SRH Senior Director of Emergency Services. "It reflects commitment, clinical excellence and compassion that define our emergency teams every single day. I am very proud of the way these teams have embraced and prioritized how we care for this specialty population of patients. They continue to uphold the expectations of what geriatric emergency care should look like with every patient interaction."