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.
Meet one team. Connect to an entire health network.
Hunt Valley was the first of GBMC's primary care practices to be designated as a Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH), which demonstrates its commitment to providing better health and care at a lower cost. Conveniently located on Schilling Road, near the intersection of York and Shawan Roads, it offers evening and weekend hours, with experienced physicians and nurse practitioners on staff. The practice also runs a program specifically designed to educate patients with diabetes about their disease process with the goal of keeping them well and out of the hospital. GBMC at Hunt Valley boasts an on-site laboratory with the same operating hours as the practice.Each GBMC Health Partners Primary Care practice works as a well-coordinated team to help you manage your health. With locations throughout the Baltimore area, extended weekday and weekend hours, integrated electronic health records and a focus on preventive medicine and chronic disease management, staying healthy and well has never been more convenient.
Our Team
Mary K. Diehn, MD
Family Medicine
Mary K. Diehn, MD
Family Medicine
Deborah Jones-Shook, MS, CRNP, CDE
Internal Medicine
Deborah Jones-Shook, MS, CRNP, CDE
Internal Medicine
Samantha B. Ober, MD
Internal Medicine
Samantha B. Ober, MD
Internal Medicine
Andreea Olaru, MD
Internal Medicine
Andreea Olaru, MD
Internal Medicine
Suzane Auer
Practice Manager
Primary Care Services at GBMC
- Physician-led, personalized care coordination team for chronic illnesses
- On-site blood lab and other diagnostic tests
- In-office appointments with specialists
- Electronic medical records; integrated with area hospitals for one patient, one record
- Online portal for scheduling appointments, paying bills, requesting prescription refills, accessing test results, and more
- Seasonal flu-shot clinics at several locations, including a drive-through clinic
- Extended hours: early mornings, evenings, weekends and holidays
- Mental Health professionals, including psychiatrists, behavioral health consultants, and substance use consultants
When a Doctor’s Office Becomes a Home
“The hard work and dedication it takes to become a Level 3 PPC-PCMH is well worth it when you look at the benefits it brings to our patients. It is certainly the right thing to do for our community.”
Read Now
Features
Just some of the ways that we're changing the face of primary care.
Care Coordination
What does it mean?
Our Physician-led team-based approach to healthcare is the foundation of the patient-centered medial home. Nurse care managers work closely with all of the providers on a patient's team to meet the gamut of needs – medical, social, and financial. The goal is to keep community members healthy and out of the hospital.
Who is on my team?
From medical assistants and primary care physicians to diabetes educators and mental health professionals, a customized care team is formed for each patient, depending on his or her needs.
What are the benefits?
Care teams build relationships with patients, making it their mission to ensure people understand how to navigate their healthcare. Our teams track disease patterns, teach proper medication usage, schedule preventive screenings, assist in finding financial resources, and more.
It starts with urgency
Knowing that one in eight women are at risk for developing breast cancer, Medical Assistant Samantha Clayton of GBMC at Hunt Manor repeatedly called and left voicemails for Debra, a patient who was long overdue for a mammogram. Like many patients, Debra was resistant and didn't think she needed the screening. Finally, after many repeated attempts by Samantha, Debra made the appointment. Debra was diagnosed with breast cancer, but luckily, thanks to Samantha's tenacity, it was still at an early and treatable stage. It's very likely those persistent calls by her care team member saved Debra's life.
Prediabetes Risk Assessment
The sooner you know you have prediabetes, the sooner you can take action to reverse it and prevent type 2 diabetes.
More than 84 million (1 in 3) American adults have prediabetes, a condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough yet to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. What’s more, nearly 90% percent of those people don’t know they have it. Having prediabetes greatly increases the chance of developing type 2 diabetes and other serious health conditions. It’s critical for Americans to learn their prediabetes risk, be screened regularly and take the steps necessary to delay or prevent type 2 diabetes.
A person with a high score on the online risk test (five or higher) is at significant risk for having prediabetes. However, only a blood test can determine an official diagnosis. If you identify as pre-diabetic after completing the risk assessment, we recommend establishing care with one of our primary care practices above for further evaluation and an individualized treatment plan.
Diabetes Education Classes
Patients of GBMC Primary Care are able to meet with a Certified Diabetes Educator in any of the participating primary care locations.
- Personalized diabetes training and support
- Meal planning
- Carb counting
- Glucose monitoring
- Taking medication
- Insulin training
- Weight management
Why Advanced Primary Care?
Advanced Primary Care emphasizes:
- Hours that meet the needs of the people
- Chronic disease management
- Accountability for the health of the community
- Keeping them out of the hospital
A focus on primary care has been shown to result in:
11%
decreasein ER visits
8%
decreasein surgeries
Communities that have an adequate supply of primary care providers experience:
- Lower infant mortality
- Healthier children
- Higher immunization rates
- Healthier workforce
The proper system also leads to less waste, because of:
- Fewer hospitalizations
- Less duplication of treatment & testing
- Less healthcare expense/debt; adults who have a PCP accumulate 33% lower healthcare-related costs
- More effective, higher-quality care
Behavioral Health Needs
To us, advanced primary care is about much more than your physical health. That's why we've teamed up with leaders in the industry to start the Collaborative Care Program. Mental health professionals, including psychiatrists, licensed social workers, and behavioral health and substance use experts, are all part of the care team at GBMC, when needed. These experts work together to proactively address a wide range of conditions including anxiety, depression, addiction, autism, schizophrenia, and more. Our Behavioral Health Care Managers (BHCMs) provide custom recommendations to best fit the needs of each patient and work with their primary care providers to create individual care plans. Support from the BHCM is provided in the method that works best for patients – phone, MyChart message, video chat, or in-person visit – and is offered at a time that fits your needs.
Stories & Articles
Facebook Live
In the News
Monday Morning House Call: keeping a healthy heart
February is American Heart Month. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., with more than 600,000 Americans dying from heart disease every year.
02/15/2021Future of Telehealth
Dr. Robin Motter-Mast with GBMC talks about the chances of telehealth staying around after the pandemic.
05/28/2020Providing medical care to Helping Up Mission residents
We all know about the incredible work the Helping Up Mission does for men fighting addiction, poverty and homelessness in Baltimore, but it wanted to do more to help its residents.
11/22/2019Health Clinic In Mission To Open To Public
A health clinic that is providing care to residents of an area homeless shelter is going to open to the general public in the new year.
11/22/2019Stoneleigh Elementary students in Towson get a running start to the day
GBMC is mentioned in the article and is highlighted for do its part to help kick off “The Morning Mile” fitness program at the school.
04/23/2019Your Child's Health
Dr. Theresa Nguyen, assistant chairman of Pediatrics at GBMC and a pediatrician with GBMC Health Partners, answers a tough question that many parents face during the school year - "If your child is sick, what symptoms should keep them home from school?"
09/27/2018Parents Concerned Over Kids Vaping Marijuana Undetected
Dr. Theresa T. Nguyen, assistant chairman of Pediatrics at GBMC and a pediatrician with GBMC Health Partners, discusses how smoking cannabis can cause long-term damage in kids and why it is particularly harmful when it's vaped.
09/18/2018Men need to make health a top priority
Dr. Keven Ferentz from the Greater Baltimore Medical Center talks about men's health.
06/18/2018Mental illness knows no bounds; Professionals share what you can do to help those in need
Catherine Harrison-Restelli, MD, chair of the Department of Psychiatry at GBMC, discusses the first step in helping those with mental illness.
06/09/2018Tips to avoid the flu
Dr. Robin Motter-Mast, a primary care physician with our GBMA Hunt Manor Medical Group and the medical director of the GBMC Primary Care Group, discusses what one can do to avoid being sick when their spouse and/or colleagues are sick.
02/09/2018
Recent Stories | Video | In the Media
GBMC Achieves the Prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award
Awards
Join GBMC Sonographer in Bringing Medicine to Ukrainian Mothers and Families
Supporting Excellence
Fighting for Their Family
Supporting Excellence
Managing type 2 diabetes without insulin
Healthy Tips
Emergency Medicine Physician Serves Others in More Ways Than One
Supporting Excellence
Designing the Infusion Center in the Sandra R. Berman Pavilion
Supporting Excellence
The Power of a Positive Attitude
Supporting Excellence
Financial Navigator Clears Hurdles for Cancer Patients
Supporting Excellence
Local Family Business Gives Back
Supporting Excellence
Getting to Know the Cancer Team: Brittney Davis
Supporting Excellence
Telehealth: An important notice for all GBMC HealthCare patients
Around GBMC
The risk factors and treatment plans for thyroid cancer
Healthy Tips
April 20, 2022: COVID-19 Update with President and CEO, John B. Chessare, MD, MPH
COVID-19
Good Friday Service - 2022
Around GBMC
GBMC SAFE/DV Community Collaborations: Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention
Supporting Excellence
Married to Each Other and the Idea of Better Patient Care for Baltimore
Supporting Excellence
Screening is key to catching some GI cancers
Healthy Tips
The GBMC Difference: Kathleen Taylor Grateful for Exceptional Care and Renewed Health after Unexpected Illness
Patient Stories
What Exactly is the Difference Between a DO and MD?
Around GBMC
State-Run COVID Testing in the Community
COVID-19
