With questions swirling about the future of the local hospital, the Kent County Commissioners received an update Nov. 18 from Upper Shore Regional Health leaders who stressed that the University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Chestertown is not closing. The Kent County News reports Ken Kozel, president of Upper Shore Regional Health, and Zack Royston, vice president of Rural Health Care Transformation and executive director of the Chestertown hospital, told commissioners that despite nationwide challenges in rural health care, Chestertown remains a critical anchor. Royston said the hospital’s importance cannot be overstated.