SALISBURY -- The Bank of America/Merrill Lynch Foundation recently donated $5,000 to the Hope and Life Outreach (HALO) Center in Salisbury. Above, Merrill Lynch Salisbury Office Manager Ryan Kirby presents the donation to Celeste Savange, HALO director. Submitted Photo

BERLIN – Urologist James P. Cherry, M.D., is joining the medical staff of Atlantic General Hospital and Health System this month.

Cherry will share space temporarily with Preeti Yonker, M.D., at AGHS Neurology, located at 314 Franklin Avenue in Berlin, until construction of his office within the James G. Barrett Medical Office Building on the hospital campus is complete.

Cherry, who recently served as the director of urology at DuBois Regional Medical Center in Pennsylvania, provides surgical and non-surgical treatment for kidney stones, bladder and prostate cancers, enlarged prostate, urinary tract infections, erectile dysfunction, urinary incontinence and other urologic conditions.

Cherry is a graduate of Tulane University School of Medicine. He completed a general surgery fellowship at the University of Minnesota’s Department of Surgery and his residency at New York Medical College in Valhalla. He has 14 years of experience and is board certified by the American Board of Urology.

OCEAN CITY -- The Ocean City Fire Department, Office of the Fire Marshal has welcomed Ryan Whittington to the full-time position of Fire Safety Inspector.

Whittington, who joined the town in April 2005 as a Firefighter/EMT for the Ocean City Fire Department, will now move to the Fire Marshal’s Division as a Fire Safety Inspector. He replaces Jack Hastings who retired from the town after 23 years of service.

During Whittington’s tenure with the town as a part-time employee, Whittington served as Public Information Officer for the fire department and completed his Advanced Life Support Training. Most recently Whittington worked as a temporary Fire Safety Inspector in the Office of the Fire Marshal.

Along with normal fire prevention and protection responsibilities, Whittington will be maintaining the Office’s Quality Assurance Program, a highly effective tool in maintaining city-wide fire protection systems.

BERLIN – Atlantic General Hospital has announced the Nurse of the Year and Clinical Associate of the Year. These awards were bestowed during National Nurses Week based upon votes submitted by the Atlantic General Hospital staff.

Nurse of the Year was Karen Christmas, a medical/surgical nurse who received her nursing degree from Wor-Wic Community College and has worked at Atlantic General Hospital for the past 13 years in various positions within the acute care setting. She is currently chair of the Performance Improvement Patient Safety Global Shared Governance Council and staff representative for the Professional Nursing Council.

Clinical Associate of the Year was Katelyn Tingle, a nurse technician who has worked at Atlantic General Hospital for the past three years. She specializes in patient care and blood draws in the medical/surgical unit and is cross trained in the intensive care unit (ICU). She plans to continue her education at WorWic Community College to obtain her nursing degree.

Other awards bestowed include Transformational Leader of the Year, Matt Taylor, RN, IS Clinical Analyst; Team Innovation, Patient Centered Medical Home and the ER Team; Rising Star, Nicole Hill, RN, Center for Joint Surgery; Friend of Nursing, Atif Zeeshan, MD, Medical Director of the ICU; and Retired Nurse, Elaine Gilgenast, Hospitalist Program.