AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler
Brought to you by Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu & Tai Chi
Nurse Practitioner Katherine Grote was on the move constantly as she ushered Open House visitors from one part of her practice to another on the evening of August 12th. It was Grote, the owner of Integrative Family NP, LLC who came up with the idea of holding a Meet The Providers Open House in order to acquaint the Severna Park Community with the healthcare related businesses located in the middle building of the Professional Center at 815 Ritchie Highway.
Outside the three-building complex, the parking lot was humming with visitors placing orders at food trucks Grote arranged for.
Across the way, blue and white balloons pointed the way inside to both levels of the center Professional Building.
Photos by Sharon Lee Tegler
“There is no signage along Ritchie Highway calling attention to our seven practices among the 50 businesses located in the Professional Center’s trio of buildings. Many people don’t realize we are here though we offer important services to the community,” said Grote.
Deciding to follow the balloon trail to the lower level, we came first to the offices of Magothy River Counseling where we met therapists Julie Meyers and Eddie Lomash. With nine therapists, the practice provides therapy to adult clients seeking to work on mental health, trauma, relationships and/or identity. Both Meyers and Lomash considered the Meet The Providers Open House a welcome idea.
We next came to the doorway for the offices of Patrick Hughes with Allstate Insurance. Hughes was with a client in the back, however, so we didn’t get to speak with him and moved on. But we understand that he covers a wide range of insurance plans related to your family’s wellbeing.
Following the trail of pink and white balloons down the hallway, we notice more signs on the doors of office suites. We stopped at a sign saying Expecting with Emily, pushed open the door and discovered that midwife Emily Encinosa was out on an errand of importance. Fortunately, Encinosa shares a portion of the Integrative NP, LLC office suite so Grote was happy to explain her practice to us.
“Emily is a Certified Professional Midwife,” Grote explained. “She’s also a labor doula and childbirth educator who also conducts prenatal fitness classes.”
We next spent quite a bit of time in Grote’s Integrative Family NP, LLC offices which can be seen in the opening photo. She was showing us past her children’s examination room to an open classroom beyond when we bumped into Greater Severna Park & Arnold Chamber of Commerce CEO Liz League and her assistant Parker John.
League presided over the Grand Opening and ribbon cutting ceremony for the newly opened medical practice on January 17, 2025. (Integrative Family NP, LLC a first-of-its-kind medical practice for the greater Severna Park area – sharonleestable.com.) Grote mentioned at the time that part of her reason for opening her own practice was that she also needed a professional setting and space in order to become a preceptor and give nurse practitioner students clinical experience.
“Getting the required hours of clinical experience in an active office is hard for nurse practitioner students,” she’d noted. “It’s difficult to find a medical practice where they can get an apprentice-type experience. Since I really enjoy teaching, I wanted to offer this opportunity.”
When Liz League asked Katherine if she’d followed through, she said she did. She then introduced us to Jessica Poretz, her first new Nurse Practitioner who’d been one of her students in the spring of 2025. Portez graduated from George Washington University as a nurse practitioner in August, 2025 and started working for Integrative Family NP, LLC in September.
Deciding to follow the balloons again, we trailed them to the end of the hallway and subsequently up the back stairs to the second floor. We were immediately attracted to a giant toothbrush. A moment later, Dr. Andrew Lericos from Anchor Family Dentistry and wife Polly arrived from visiting a neighboring office. We later spoke with Lericos about how he came to be known as “the Severna Park dentist”.
“Polly and I moved to Annapolis just as the dentist here then was selling his practice. I was already familiar with the area as my brother had once been a manager at Cafe Mezzanotte,” Lericos said. “It was the perfect location for offering the mix of family-friendly care and cutting-edge technology that I like to offer.”
Held after business hours, the Open House provided time for neighboring practitioners to visit each other as well. Just up the hall from Anchor Family Dentistry, we were delighted to run into Lean On Dee Senior Homecare Services co-owner Winsome Brown visiting Nicole Baumgartner of Anchorage Counseling, LLC.
Both Brown and I are impressed with Baumgartner’s warm, easygoing manner and her interesting background. While working to obtain her master’s degree from the University of Baltimore, she worked one-on-one with students with disabilities in the public-school setting developing a deep understanding of the experience of families with children in special education. She has since worked in private practice for over a decade. She has also taught parenting classes as an adjunct professor at Anne Arundel Community College.
The Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services’ team creates and manages personalized care plans for patients with experienced care specialists and friendly companions. As co-owners, sisters Winsome Brown and Danielle Morgan Brown assure that flexible caregivers are available whenever and wherever needed, allowing patients to enjoy regular activities with confidence and support.
The Meet The Providers Open House was fun and informative. We’ll cross our fingers that it becomes a yearly event.
AAUW Book Collections begin this Saturday, August 15th
Members of the AAUW Anne Arundel County Branch were busy at the Severna Park Independence Day Parade handing out bookmarks with the book collection schedule for this year for their Used Book Sale in November. For those who have not seen it, you can donate your good, clean used books from 9 am till 12 noon this Saturday, August 15th at the following collection locations.
St. Martin’s-in-the-Field Episcopal Church at 375 Benfield Road in Severna Park
Anne Arundel Community College off Route 2 on W. Campus Drive in Arnold
St. Philip’s Episcopal Church at 730 Bestgate Road in Annapolis.
Further dates for drop-offs will happen at the same locations on August 29, September 19, October 3, and October 17 from 9 am till 12 Noon.
The books are being collected for AAUW’s renowned autumn used book sale taking place from November 5th through 8th. Proceeds support scholarships for women.
The Around The Park Again column is brought to you this week by Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu and Tai Chi at 1195 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd. – For over two decades providing martial arts training that improves cardio-vascular health, strength and flexibility while reducing stress. Jing Ying is again bringing Tai Chi to the Severna Park Community Center. The school will be holding a fun-filled summer camp this August. From health-defense to self-defense, Jing Ying provides fitness with a purpose for the whole family!
and by Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services at 815 Ritchie Hwy., Suite 206 – When you need someone to lean on, Lean On Dee. Their experienced team of personal care management specialists and friendly companions provide high-quality consistent care.
