The CalvertHealth System Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of retired attorney Malcolm Funn of Solomons and Chesapeake Beach resident Gail Donovan Harkins, who has more than 24 years of experience in healthcare public relations and marketing. Composed of volunteers from the community and the medical staff, the board is responsible for ensuring the health system meets the needs of the community.
“Malcolm and Gail both bring substantial experience in their respective fields as well as extensive community service,” said Calvert Health System President and CEO Dean Teague. “I am confident they will make important contributions as we expand to provide new advanced services and technological capabilities to enhance health care for our residents.”
Harkins, who retired from CalvertHealth Medical Center in 2016, currently chairs the 250-member auxiliary. Her roots at CalvertHealth run deep. Her father, Frederick J. Donovan, served two terms on the hospital board and was instrumental in securing the funds to build the new hospital in 1978.
Her sister, Joan Kilmon, followed in his footsteps and helped create the KeepWell Center. Donations after the death of her grandfather, Wesley Stinnett, provided the foundation of the hospital’s scholarship fund.
Harkins said she is proud to continue this legacy. “When you support the hospital, you’re helping everyone in our community,” she said. “Calvert Memorial was my work home for 13 years. I know how hard they work every day, 365 days a year. This was never more evidenced than during the COVID crisis.”
Harkins is the voice of the volunteers on the board. “I have spent most of my career working in a hospital,” she added, “and it has given me a unique perspective of the contributions that volunteers make. Their work has true impact.” In the decade leading up to the pandemic, the CalvertHealth auxiliary had volunteered 228,000 hours representing a huge savings to the organization.
Funn’s commitment to community service is underscored by his favorite quote by Winston Churchill: “You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give.” He has served in many leadership roles from the Calvert County Historical Society to Strong Schools Maryland to the Calvert County NAACP and the Calvert County Citizens Advisory Committee.
Funn said he joined the CalvertHealth Board of Directors to be a personal bridge and to develop bridges between the hospital and the community. “Both have to understand each other, both have to be better informed about each other and their respectful needs.”
Funn added, “I believe the connections, alliances and contacts I have established and nurtured over the years equips me to construct these bridges and to urge and encourage others to build bridges, as well.”
Funn said he believes it is essential for CalvertHealth and the community to function not just as partners but as one united community together. He and his late wife, Annette, frequently attended the hospital galas. After her passing, he and his son, Kelby, participated with Funn giving his personal testimonial about the importance of private patient rooms during his late wife’s treatment.
Malcolm Funn
Gail Harkins