Maryland Community Health 
Resources Commission
August 30, 2016 | Issue 19 
Larry J. Hogan, Jr., Governor 

Boyd Rutherford, Lieutenant Governor

Van T. Mitchell, DHMH Secretary

CHRC Commissioners
Hon. John A. Hurson  
Allan Anderson, M.D.
Elizabeth Chung
Maritha R. Gay
J. Wayne Howard
William Jaquis, M.D.
Surina Jordan, Ph.D.
Hon. P. Sue Kullen
Barry Ronan
Julie Wagner

Tools and Resources
Turn the Tide RX
On Monday, August 8th, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy launched Turn the Tide Rx - a national campaign designed to educate and mobilize prescribers to take immediate action to stem the opioid epidemic. Dr. Murthy will be mailing a letter to over two million opioid prescribers around the country, urging them to (1) improve prescribing practices, (2) inform their patients about the risks of opioid addiction and (3) connect people with opioid use disorders to evidence-based treatment. The campaign includes a  website  with practical tools and resources for clinicians, as well as on-the-ground stories from clinicians sharing their own experiences in treating pain in their patients.

New RHEC CHW Briefs
The Pacific and Southwest Regional Health Equity Council released three information briefs addressing Community Health Workers as front line service providers who serve to bridge formal health systems. 
The Community Health Workers in an Evolving Technology Environment brief covers the use of technology in health care delivery and patient engagement for health improvement.
The Mental Health First Aid brief discusses Mental Health First Aid, which is an adult public education program.
The Community Health Workers and Chronic Disease Prevention: An Overview of Resources brief discusses the national resources that are available to support the work of community health workers within the arena of chronic disease management. 
To obtain copies, click  here.
Grantee News
Charles County launches the Mobile Integrated Health Care Team Program

Senator "Mac" Middleton, Chairman, Senate Finance Committee, joined the Charles County Department of Health, Charles County Department of Emergency Services, Charles County Commissioners, University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center, and others to announce the launch of a new program, the "Mobile Integrated Health Care Team."  The program will seek to address over-utilization of the emergency department and EMS services in Charles County by linking individuals with services in the community and empowering these individuals to manage their chronic conditions, such as diabetes, at home.  The program is supported with a three-year, $400,000 grant from the Maryland Community Health Resources Commission and is expected to begin later this fall.  The program is a collaboration among the Charles County Department of Health, Charles EMS, and Charles Regional Medical Center, each of which is supporting the project financially (CRMC contributed $150,000).  The program is expected to serve approximately 60 individuals during the three-year grant.

The CHRC has awarded 11 grants totaling $3.6 million which aim to reduce avoidable ED visits and promote care in the community.  For more information on CHRC grant funded ED diversion programs, click here.
 Pictured (left to right): Dr. Howard Haft, Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene; Amber Starn,
Charles County Department of Health; Delegate Elizabeth G. "Susie" Proctor; Sen. Thomas "Mac" Middleton; Joyce Riggs, University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center; Mark Luckner, Maryland Community Health Resource Commission; Dr. Dianna E. Abney, M.D., Charles County Department of Health; and John Filer, Department of Emergency Services.

Frederick Regional Health System opens a new dental clinic in Frederick

Earlier this month, Frederick Regional Health System (FRHS) celebrated the opening of Monocacy Health Partners Dental Clinic.  The clinic, which was supported by CHRC funds, involves a partnership between Frederick Regional Health System and the University of Maryland School of Dentistry (UMD). FRHS was able to use CHRC grant funds to leverage further funding from private foundations, including a Bond Bill from the Maryland Legislature, in addition to 3 grants awarded from: Delta Dental, The United Way of Frederick County, and most recently, the Ausherman Family Foundation. UMD's dental students serve patients at the clinic as part of the rotational practicum needed for degree completion. FRHS refers dental patients from the emergency room to the clinic, thereby decreasing dental-related emergency department visits, which have increased over the last three years at the hospital. The program is an innovative and collaborative approach to improving access to dental care services for low-income, uninsured, and under-insured residents of Frederick County. To read the media coverage of the launch event, click  here .
 
The CHRC has awarded 31 grants totaling $6.3 million to support increasing access to dental services in the community.  These dental programs have served more than 108,000 Marylanders.  For more information about CHRC dental grants, click    here.



Taking part in the program launch were (from left to right), Dr. Mark Reynolds (Dean of University of Maryland School of Dentistry), Mark Luckner (Executive Director, CHRC), Dr. Jay A. Perlman (President, University of Maryland, Baltimore), Elizabeth Chung (Executive Director, Asian American Center of Frederick), and Dr. Vincent DiFabio (Medical Director, Monocacy Health Partners Dental Clinic) 


HRSA awards PCHM Grant to Mobile Med

Earlier this month, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced a total $8.6 million in funding for 246 health centers in 41 states, the District of Columbia, the Federation of Micronesia, and the Northern Mariana Islands. The awards were aimed at helping to improve quality of care and patients' and providers' experience of care through the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) health care delivery model. Mobile Medical Care Inc. (MobileMed), a network of 7 primary care clinics and 2 specialty care clinics located throughout Montgomery County and a multiple recipient of CHRC funding, received $35,000 to help them achieve PCMH recognition. MobileMed was recently designated a Federally Qualified Health Center by HRSA, the first FQHC based entirely in Montgomery County. For more information about the HRSA PCMH awards, click here.