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Friends, family, colleagues and patients came together Tuesday, June 26 to celebrate the renaming of one of the region’s unique medical facilities. The Sheldon Goldberg Center for Breast Care at Calvert Memorial Hospital (CMH) provides a team of experienced medical professionals a venue for state-of-the-art treatment of breast cancer patients.

Goldberg, who was killed in a Montana rafting accident last summer, had struggled to make the facility a reality. Coworkers who spoke during the dedication ceremony indicated the physician was adamant about not taking all the credit for the center’s existence.

“Can you imagine Sheldon speechless?” Goldberg’s widow, Dr. Ramona Crowley asked the audience. Crowley explained it was the death of Goldberg’s first wife, Noel, that spurred on his “total devotion to the care of others. He treated his patients with immeasurable understanding.”

“I, like many, miss him and think of him frequently,” said Dr. Mark Kushner, a cardiologist whose office is located on the CMH campus. Kushner said his friend’s “affability” made him a great person and a great doctor. “It’s only fitting that the center be named for him. It’s part of his legacy.”

Kasia Sweeney, CMH Public Relations director, recalled Goldberg vetoing a plan in March 2011 to honor him at the hospital’s recognition banquet. The physician, Sweeney recalled, told her his work was not done and a large team of doctors and healthcare workers deserved a large amount of credit for the facility’s success. “This center thrives because it’s built on a foundation of teamwork,” said Sweeney. “We have disregarded his instructions but consider the work that remains to be done.”

Sweeney announced that the CMH Foundation’s Harvest Ball later this year will raise funds for the center for breast care.

It was the CMH Foundation that commissioned Elaine McQueeney of St. Leonard to add a special touch to the rededicated facility. McQueeney, who has painted portraits of Calvert County’s Circuit Court judges, used Goldberg’s favorite photograph of himself, sitting at a piano, to craft an impressive oil painting. The portrait was unveiled, prompting some family members to fight back tears. McQueeney explained that since the photograph did not show one of Goldberg’s hands, she had to use several pictures his sons had on file to complete the accurate rendering.

The rededicated center includes the Noel Murphy-Goldberg Breast Cancer Resource Center.

James J. Xinis, CMH president and CEO, said the Sheldon E. Goldberg Center for Breast Care at Calvert Memorial Hospital is the first of its kind in Southern Maryland. “It assures access to state-of-the-art treatment,” Xinis said. Blended with the high technology—which includes breast-imaging, a PET/CT scanner and digital mammography—is the center’s human element, whose ranks include experienced doctors, technicians and counselors. Goldberg’s colleagues confirmed these components were all part of his vision.

“Our community deserves this center and this center deserves the name of this outstanding doctor,” said Crowley.

For more information on the Sheldon Goldberg Center for Breast Care at CMH, visit www.calverthospital.org

Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com