
Redesigning care, with your safety top of mind.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, GBMC Health Partners will continue to offer telehealth video visits for anyone who prefers that option. Please call your provider or login to MyChart to schedule an in-person or telehealth video visit today! If you have an existing appointment that you'd like to reschedule, please do so directly from your MyChart account.* Please expect delays as our staff endeavor to assist all patients with their needs and questions. Do not send multiple MyChart messages or walk in to GBMC Health Partners locations without an appointment. We understand that patients are eager for access to care, and we are doing everything possible to respond to each patient as quickly as possible.

Greetings,
The following practices are experiencing issues with their phone lines due to a service interruption with an outside vendor:
- GBMC Health Partners Eye Center at Joppa Road
- GBMC Health Partners at Jonestown
- GBMC Health Partners at Hunt Manor
- GBMC Health Partners at Hunt Valley
- GBMC Health Partners at Jarrettsville
- GBMC Health Partners at Owings Mills (Family Care and Internal Medicine)
- GBMC Health Partners at Padonia
- Dr. Caren Craig's office
- Ambulatory Testing Center
- The Sandra and Malcolm Berman Cancer Institute at Crossroads
- West Road Business Office
If you need to reach your medical provider, please use the MyChart patient portal at gbmc.org/mychart. MyChart can be used for secure messaging with a provider, prescription refills, accessing test results, and more!
If you have tried using MyChart and still have an urgent need, please call 443-849-8556 for assistance. If this is a true medical emergency, please dial 911.
GBMC will be sending out additional communications to keep you informed as we work to address the vendor's service disruption.
Yours in good health,
GBMC Health Partners

Keeping You Safe
Hospitals and medical offices are now permitted to see patients for all types of care, including elective surgery. We have been working hard to ensure that the hospital and physicians' practices are ready for you. We have redesigned the way we provide care with your safety in mind.We will continue to offer telehealth video visits for anyone who prefers that option. However, we want to reassure you that we are taking the necessary steps to protect your safety when you need to come to the hospital, a primary care office, or one of our specialty practices.
Some of the measures GBMC Health Partners is taking to protect patients include:
- GBMC Health Partners is seeing patients in person and via telehealth video visits. Using video visits allows you to talk with your doctor without leaving home. This reduces the number of patients coming through the office and decreases the potential for inadvertent exposure of patients and staff to COVID-19. Thus, in-person visits can be done safely for those who need them. We encourage you to utilize MyChart for your telehealth needs, and you can also call your doctor if you need help. We are ready to assist you.
- Extensive cleaning of all work spaces and patient areas is performed between encounters and throughout the day.
- All patients, providers, and staff members attest to COVID related symptoms upon arrival and must wear masks (along with other appropriate personal protective equipment "PPE" if necessary).
- All patients are asked COVID-19 screening questions when they make their appointment and again when they arrive. Patients are given specific appointment times to limit the number of people in the offices at one time, and are kept in private exam rooms during their visits.
- To allow for safe distancing, our office hours may be adjusted during this time, and offices themselves have been rearranged. In certain locations, there may be physical barriers in place, and in some cases, family members may be asked to wait in their vehicles. One family member or friend may accompany a patient to the appointment.
- All surgical patients are tested for COVID-19 pre-operatively.
- COVID-19 positive patients and patients under investigation (PUIs) who require hospital admission are sequestered in the hospital. Outpatients who are COVID-19 positive or PUIs are encouraged to utilize telehealth video visits to determine whether in-person care is needed.
Decreasing the risk of fracture through education and early intervention
The Healthy Bones Program for Osteoporosis and Fracture Prevention is a service provided by GBMC Health Partners Orthopaedics that focuses on decreasing the risk of bone fractures due to osteoporosis in the aging population. Most people over the age of 50 have not been properly evaluated to see if they are at risk for this disease and other conditions that cause weak bones. Once a fracture occurs, it increases the chance of recurring fractures and it is important to actively address bone health to prevent this from happening. Severe fractures, such as hip fractures, can greatly impact quality of life. The goal of this program is to identify risk factors, investigate bone health, and provide interventions to prevent fractures from occurring.Early recognition of osteoporosis is critical. Around 300,000 Americans fracture a hip each year. Most people who fracture a hip then require a walker, if they don’t die within the first year. Individual risk for fracture can be reduced. Maintaining bone health can extend personal independence, prolonging enjoyment of family, friends, and activities. The GBMC Healthy Bones Program is available for anyone over the age of 50 who is concerned about bone health. It can be especially beneficial for patients who have had previous fractures caused by a fall. An osteopenia or osteoporosis diagnosis is not required to participate in the program. Risk factors for poor bone health include, but are not limited to:
- Having a fracture after the age of 50
- Smoking tobacco
- Consuming more than three alcoholic drinks per day
- Having a parent who has broken his or her hip
- Taking steroids or certain other medications for a long period of time
- Having a previous spine fracture
- Having rheumatoid arthritis
- Being a thin, postmenopausal, Asian, or Caucasian woman

Julie Merrill, PA-C
Director, GBMC Healthy Bones Program for Osteoporosis and Fracture Prevention
Julie Merrill, PA-C, is the Director and lead clinician of the GBMC Healthy Bones Program for Osteoporosis and Fracture Prevention at GBMC Health Partners Orthopaedics. With a B.A. from Vassar College, Julie earned her Master of Science degree in Physician Assistant Studies through the Towson University/CCBC-Essex PA Program and is certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants. She also earned her Master of Science degree in Oriental Medicine from Southwest Acupuncture College in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She is a member of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) and the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF), and is a member of their Ambassadors Leadership Council.
Prior to taking on her role at GBMC Health Partners Orthopaedics, Julie served as a physician assistant in the Harvey Institute for Human Genetics at GBMC. She has had over 20 years of patient care experience and was previously employed with Pulmonary and Critical Care Associates of Baltimore. She is a member of the GBMC CARES Peer Support Team.
Our Services
The GBMC Healthy Bones Program provides the following services to patients:
- Extensive bone health and medical history evaluation
- Education on how to improve bone health through:
- Fall prevention
- Nutrition and supplement use
- Exercise
- Referral for physical therapy or to local classes for balance and strength training
- Diagnostic tests to evaluate bone density and to check for spine fractures
- Calculation of 10-year fracture risk
- Discussion of whether medication for reducing fracture risk is an appropriate treatment
- Prescription of medication when necessary
- Explanation of types of osteoporosis medications, their risks and benefits, and how to reduce side effects
- Communication of findings and recommendations with a primary care provider
- Ongoing monitoring as needed

How to Prevent an Event More Common Than Heart Attacks and Strokes
The risk of falls and fractures increases steadily as we age. Learn how our program is helping you prevent fractures, particularly hip and spine, which can be life changing.
Watch NowProgram Goals
Identification
When a fracture happens in a person over the age of 50 from a low-impact fall, it is important to know whether or not it occurred because of weak bones. The team will identify the type of fracture and determine whether osteoporosis was a potential cause of the break.
Investigation
Using diagnostic testing such as DEXA (bone density) scans, spine X-rays, bloodwork, and more, the team will assess for any causes of low bone density and each individual’s risk for future fractures
Intervention
Once a fracture risk has been established, patients will be provided with a customized education and treatment plan. Interventions range from nutrition counseling and medication to assistance with smoking cessation and fall-proofing.
To learn more about the Healthy Bones Program, contact Julie Merrill, PA-C, at healthybones@gbmc.org. To make an appointment, call GBMC Health Partners Orthopaedics at 443-849-3838.
Osteoporosis Support Group
Meetings are held through Webex on the first Thursday of every month at 11 a.m. Please click here to register. After receiving your registration form, our team will add you to our email list to provide you with specific, ongoing information about the group.
If you have any questions about this group, feel free to contact Julie Merrill, PA-C, Director, GBMC Healthy Bones Program for Osteoporosis and Fracture Prevention, at healthybones@gbmc.org. We welcome you to share your concerns and interests that you would like addressed in the group.
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