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During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, nonemergency surgeries were suspended, delaying gender affirming procedures for months. Paula M. Neira and other nurses were redeployed to respond to the pandemic, and the Johns Hopkins Center for Transgender Health had to put a moratorium on new patient intakes. “Paula is a clinical kind of leader in health care, because I really saw that in COVID,” said Dr. Deborah Baker, the Senior Vice President for Nursing for the Johns Hopkins Health System.

Hear how Meals On Wheels provides much more than nutritious food to its clients and how the pandemic changed its work and why the University of Maryland Medical System is working to eradicate food insecurity across the state.

LifeBridge Health, a Baltimore-based healthcare company, announced Monday it will require vaccinations for all of its employees. The mandate will be fully implemented November 1, giving employees time to arrange a vaccination and become fully vaccinated.

Kathy McCollum, president and CEO of the University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center, was one of seven women recognized by the Baltimore Business Journal. They were chosen for their innovation, perseverance and ability to help others navigate industries dominated by men. All seven of them have had an impact not only on their companies, but on their communities as well.

The University of Maryland Medical System announced Monday that it has committed $1.2 million to helping address food insecurity in the state. The money will go to organizations that already are working in Maryland to reduce hunger and address longer-term needs.

Dr. Stephen Evans, executive vice president for Medical Affairs and chief medical officer at MedStar Health, and Dr. Maulik Joshi, president and CEO at Meritus Health, appeared on Maryland Public Television’s State Circle Friday to discuss vaccination efforts in their hospitals and communities. They also shared the latest on COVID-19 patients in hospitals and advice on how Marylanders can protect themselves and their families from COVID.

The West Baltimore medical facility, which was acquired by LifeBridge in late 2019 and renamed Grace Medical Center, has been undergoing a phased major facelift. In January, it welcomed the first patients into its updated 17,000-square-foot emergency department, and shortly after debuted renovated primary and specialty care clinics and a new surgical suite.

“More than a million people in Prince George’s County and Southern Maryland are finally going to get the health care that they deserve — which they so desperately need and that they have [needed] for so long,” Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) said at the Tuesday ceremony.

The University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center is one of eight nationwide selected to participate in a quality improvement and training initiative supported by the American Society of Clinical Oncology and Susan G. Komen. The practices are in metropolitan areas Komen has targeted in its African American Health Equity Initiative, which aims to reduce breast cancer disparities in those areas where the disparities are greatest.

Debbie Fuller is a nurse navigator at the James M. Stockman Cancer Institute and also organized this year’s celebration. In previous years, the celebration was an all-day affair that brought cancer survivors together, whether they were currently battling the disease or had finished treatment.