Upper Chesapeake Health

General Orthopedics

State-of-the-art facilities, an award-winning joint replacement program and a team of highly specialized, board certified surgeons come together to make Upper Chesapeake Health (UCH) the region’s leader in orthopedics and spine care. UCH provides a full range of services at two campuses: Upper Chesapeake Medical Center (UCMC) in Bel Air and Harford Memorial Hospital (HMH) in Havre de Grace.

“We have always had an excellent orthopedics program,” says William P. Cook, IV, M.D., Division Head of UCH Orthopedic Surgery, “but our program more than doubled after the new hospital in Bel Air was built ten years ago. Our team grew from three surgeons to 14 surgeons and our services increased accordingly to meet the needs of the community.”

“The investment in our hospitals by the University of Maryland Medical System will allow us to expand both our exceptional patient services and state-of-the-art equipment.”

The Upper Chesapeake Joint Center offers a unique team approach to joint replacement surgery that promotes healing and gets patients back to a more active lifestyle. “A patient-focused posture by our entire team is one of UCH Orthopedics’ most notable assets,” Dr. Cook says. “The majority of our nursing and rehabilitation team live in the community. They are experienced professionals, committed to the recovery and well-being of our patients.”

Upper Chesapeake Health’s orthopedic program features the newest minimally invasive procedures that have become the standard of care for this specialty. The Joint Center offers minimally invasive total joint procedures, including knee and hip replacement. UCH Orthopedics also offers minimally invasive rotator cuff repair and a full range of arthroscopic procedures. Marked improvements in the durability of joint implants make them available now to a much younger, more active patient population.

One of the newer minimally invasive joint replacement procedures being performed at UCH is anterior hip replacement, an approach that allows the surgeon to reach the hip from the front, instead of the side or back. This way, the hip can be replaced without having to detach any muscle tissue and the incision is considerably smaller. “Anterior hip replacement results in much less pain and a faster recovery,” Dr. Cook says. “We have even done this as an outpatient procedure in select patients.”

Patients suffering from back pain find a comprehensive approach to treatment at the UCH Spine Program, beginning with non-surgical interventions that include physical therapy and injectable therapies. When surgery is required, minimally invasive spine surgery techniques, including some outpatient procedures, are available.

“We also offer artificial disc replacement, a new alternative to spinal fusion surgery, using the most recent technique,” Dr. Cook explains. “Outpatient rehabilitation and inpatient physical therapy services are available at both hospitals as well as at our Center for Sports Medicine and Rehabilitative Services at the Y in Abingdon.”

As a result of its recent affiliation with the University of Maryland Medical System, UCH anticipates even more growth. “The investment in our hospitals by the University of Maryland Medical System will allow us to expand both our exceptional patient services and stateof- the-art equipment,” Dr. Cook says. “We are excited about this partnership because it secures our future— and it keeps us on the leading edge!”

Upper Chesapeake Health
500 Upper Chesapeake Drive
Bel Air, MD 21014
1-800-515-0044

www.uchs.org

Pictured left to right: Dr. William Cook, Dr. Douglas Wright, Dr. Mark Clough, Dr. John O’Hearn and Dr. John Gordon. Seated left to right: Dr. Todd Tredinnick, Dr. Edward O’Mara, Dr. D. Burke Haskins, Dr. Brian DeMuth and Dr. Spiro Antoniades
Photography: Coyle Studios