A photo from yesterday’s round table discussion with Sen. Ben Cardin. We were delighted to join him and other leaders in a discussion on protecting affordable health care and the senator’s efforts in ensuring affordable health care for children and vulnerable populations. Thank you, Senator Ben Cardin for your commitment to improving the health of our residents.

The choice to quit smoking is one of the best health decisions you can make. Smoking damages nearly every organ and organ system in the body.

Welcome! Karen Shelton recently joined HCGH’s Population Health department as the Advance Care Planning coordinator. She educates HCGH’s patients, and their families, on advance directives and assists them with completing their advance care plans. "Advance directives allow a person to specify their wishes for end of life care and ease the decision-making burden for families. They provide direction for medical providers and can help minimize disputes among family members," said Shelton. Learn more about advance directives at http://bit.ly/fhcghwmwinter17. In her spare time, Shelton enjoys taking day trips, walking, reading, gardening and theater, as well as spending time with her golden retriever and her college-age son.

One in four women in the United States dies of heart disease, and 80% of women between the ages of 40-60 have one or more risk factors. Are you one of the 80%? Start the conversation with a primary care physician. bit.ly/hcghprimarycaredocs

If you’re a new mom looking for answers, you’ll want to join us for our free New Moms Support Group. Receive helpful information from guest speakers and other new moms about key parenting topics, support and referrals. Register today at http://bit.ly/fhcghnewmoms Thursdays, March 8-April 26 | 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Wellness Center

The easiest path to a heart-healthy lifestyle contains things that you actually like to do. Pleasant activities are more likely to become habits, says Johns Hopkins cardiologist Seth Martin, M.D., M.H.S.

New to pregnancy? Learn about the early stages of pregnancy including physical changes to the body, baby’s growth and tips for having a healthier pregnancy in our free workshop. bit.ly/fhcghearlypregnancy Thursday, March 22 | 7-9 p.m. Wellness Center

Vivian Bailey knows just where her giving mindset came from - her mother. "As a single parent, my mother didn't have a lot, but she was a giving person, and gave whatever she could," recalls Bailey. HCGH has been a recipient of Bailey's philanthropic support for more than 30 years, and as a member of the hospital's Legacy Society, she has included the hospital in her will. Bailey feels blessed to have been able to devote time and money to the hospital and other causes in the area, and notes that everyone can't do big things, but contributions can be made even if they aren't large. "You don't need a lot of money to do a lot of good," said Bailey. Read more of Bailey's story at http://bit.ly/hcghlifeofgiving, and learn how you can make a contribution at bit.ly/donate-hcgh.

Employee Kudos! Congratulations to Linda Sayre for recently earning her nurse executive certification by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Passing the exam certifies that nurse leaders have the clinical knowledge and skills to manage the daily nursing operations of a unit or service line. Sayre is a nurse manager in our Special Care Unit.

Dr. Rita Kalyani of the Johns Hopkins Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism clarifies common misconceptions about diabetes—a condition which affects a third of all American adults.

We look to relationships to warm our hearts, but did you know they could also lead to heart damage? “Many studies suggest that emotional stress is hard on your health—raising blood pressure and heart rate, for example,” says Johns Hopkins cardiologist Erin Michos, M.D.

We're ending the week by recognizing our cardiac rehabilitation staff during Cardiac Rehabilitation Week. Each year, the staff treats 400+ patients who have had a heart attack, heart failure, heart valve surgery, coronary artery bypass grafting or percutaneous cardiac intervention. Learn more about the team at http://bit.ly/hcghteamwithaheart.