Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center’s Forensic Nurses Honored by County Council

Rockville, MD – The Montgomery County Council has presented special recognition to Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center’s Forensic Medical Unit (FMU) for its work assisting human trafficking victims.

FMU nurses, led by Manager Jessica Volz, appeared at a council meeting on Jan. 29 to accept a proclamation, which credited the team for providing high-quality, emergency care and short-term shelter to survivors of human trafficking. Shady Grove, which operates the county’s only FMU, is one of the few hospitals in our region that provides this specialized care to crime victims. Specially trained nurses skillfully balance the compassionate care of crime victims with the delicate, thorough process of collecting medical evidence for local authorities. The unit cared for more than 600 patients in 2018.

Patsy McNeil, MD, Chief Medical Officer for Shady Grove, said during the ceremony that there is “no higher example of our Mission than the work the FMU does for our patients.”

The proclamation also noted that January was National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, an effort of the federal government to draw attention to crimes in which force, fraud or coercion is used to compel a person to perform labor, services or commercial sex.

Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center, a not-for-profit, 444-bed acute care facility in Rockville, Maryland, is part of Adventist HealthCare’s system of healthcare services. Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center is nationally recognized in cancer care, cardiac and vascular services, as well as orthopedics. Our mission is to extend God’s care through the ministry of physical, mental and spiritual healing.