Fundraising for new University of Maryland Shore Regional Health MRI Machine Surpasses $1.5 Million

Fundraising for new University of Maryland Shore Regional Health MRI Machine Surpasses $1.5 Million

CHESTERTOWN, Md. (August 12, 2026) - Fundraising for new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment at UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown (UM SMC) has topped $1.5 million, exceeding the goal set for the project. UM SMC at Chestertown is a University of Maryland Shore Regional Health (UM SRH) hospital; UM SRH is a member of organization of the University of Maryland Medical System.

“We are grateful for the generous support from the community for this new critically important equipment,” said Libby Woolever, chair of the UM Chester River Health Foundation. “We are delighted by the remarkable outpouring of support reinforcing the UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown’s viability as an important cornerstone for the community.” The UM Chester River Health Foundation received 776 gifts for the MRI, which has served 1,250 patients since its installation in September 2025. “We especially thank the medical center for moving ahead with the installation of the MRI before fundraising was complete.”

“The new MRI strengthens the medical center’s ability to attract specialists, improve diagnoses and increase referrals from local physicians while making advanced imaging more accessible to residents across the region,” said Rebecca Bair, Vice President of Philanthropy and Executive Director of the Foundation, UM Shore Regional Health.

Robin Unruh of Chestertown was one of the first women screened with the new breast MRI in Chestertown. “After a routine mammogram and follow up sonogram, I was able to schedule an MRI quickly and easily,” said Unruh. “The best thing is that I didn’t have to travel, it was right in my own backyard.”

Richard Gillin, a retired professor at Washington College, was able to obtain a needed MRI within a few days. “It was an uncomplicated process that gave me new confidence in our hospital,” he said.

For more information about the Chester River Health Foundation, please visit: umcrhf.org/donate/

Pictured (left to right) are UM Chester River Health Foundation Board members Kristin Owen, Sue Edson, Libby Woolever, Chair, Clara Rankin, and Michael Faust, Vice Chair, with Zack Royston, Vice President, Rural Health Care Transformation and Executive Director of UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown, second from left.