Larry Hogan, Governor
Boyd K. Rutherford, Lieutenant Governor
Robert R. Neall, Health Secretary
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Elizabeth Chung
Scott T. Gibson
J. Wayne Howard
Celeste James
Surina Jordan, PhD
Barry Ronan
Erica I. Shelton, MD
Ivy Simmons,PhD
Julie Wagner
Anthony C. Wisniewski
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Health Reform: A Look Back at the 2018 General Assembly Session and Next Steps
This webinar will take place on May 11, 2018 from Noon - 1:00 PM. The webinar will provide an overview of the 2018 Session and the budget and legislative outcomes. There will also be a discussion of the high priority health care reform related issues that advocates will be addressing. These include the development of Maryland's 1332 Waiver for a reinsurance program; the MIA's rate review process for 2019 health insurance plans; the Medicaid Buy-In option study, and more.
To register for this event click here.
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1 Day Workshop: Screening and Referral for Social Determinants of Health: Innovative Health Care Applications and Future Directions
Location: Porter Neuroscience Research Center, Building 35A, Room 610, National Institutes of Health Main Campus, Bethesda, MD,
May 3, 2018
9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Routine screening for a patient's unmet social needs and adverse health behaviors, combined with referral to precision interventions to reduce the patient's health risks associated with these "social determinants," is an emerging trend in healthcare. This 1-day workshop will highlight recent innovative applications and ongoing research and facilitate dialogue between scientific researchers in the field and staff from National Institutes of Health and other Federal agencies regarding future research directions. Products from this workshop will include a public access video archive of Sessions I and II and a published meeting summary. For more information, click
here.
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The 11th Annual National Conference on Health Disparities
The 11th Annual National Conference on Health Disparities
will be held on May 16-19, 2018,
Loews Philadelphia Hotel
Philadelphia, PA
For more information, click here.
Overview of Conference Topics
1. Student Research Forum: Training The Next Generation of Leaders;
How Addressing the Social Determinants of Health Will Reduce Health Disparities
2. Prevention and Personal Responsibility: Major Themes in Reducing Health Disparities
3. Climate Change/Catastrophic Weather Events: The Impact on Our Aging and Crumbling Infrastructure, Human Health, Environment and the Economy
3. Translational Research and the Development of Public Policy in Reducing Health Disparities
4. Roundtable Discussion with Congressional, State and Local Officials: Their Individual and Collective Roles in Reducing Health Disparities
4. Human Trafficking as a Public Health issue; Health Challenges and the role of Health Providers
5. Gun Violence as a Major Public Health Issue in the United States
6. The Opioid Crisis: What's Going On, and Where Do We Go From Here?
7. Building Healthy Communities: Identification of Successful Community-Based Programs, with a keen focus on prevention and personal responsibility.
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Integrating Cross-Sectoral Health and Social Systems for the Homeless | Research-in-Progress Webinar
This webinar will take place on Wednesday, May 23, from 12:00 - 1:00 PM.
Members of the homeless population bear greater risk than other populations for many preventable diseases but are less likely to access healthcare systems. These individuals need to be engaged by multiple systems to access services and support related not only to stable housing but also to reliable transportation, employment opportunities, and a healthy family environment. This one-year developmental study will evaluate the US Department of Housing and Urban Development's initiative, the Continuum of Care (CoC) system, which addresses homelessness through cross-sector collaboration. For more information and to register, click here.
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Elizabeth Chung appointed as Vice Chair of the CHRC
Dr. Allan Anderson, Chairman of the CHRC, has appointed Elizabeth Chung to serve as the Commission's Vice Chair. Mrs. Chung has served as a CHRC Commissioner since July 1, 2013, and was re-appointed by Governor Hogan to a second term in July 2017.
Commissioner Chung completed her graduate study in public health from Pennsylvania State University in 1981 and has dedicated her professional work to issues surrounding health equity. She has been a founding member of four community-based agencies since the early 1990s, one of which, Asia Services in Action (ASIA) in Akron, Ohio, became a Federally Qualified Health Center in 2016. She is the founder and Executive Director of the Asian American Center of Frederick (AACF), whose mission is to support immigrants with essential skills to be independent and successful contributors to the community. Under her leadership, AACF is a leading entity in addressing health disparities through partnership with collective impact. Her primary focus has been cultural competency and language access for the Limited English Proficiency population.
Commissioner Chung has served on a variety of advisory committees, boards, and commissions in various capacities with the Health Services Cost Review Commission, Maryland Health Benefit Exchange, Horowitz Center for Health Literacy, University of Maryland, Maryland Women's Coalition for Health Care Reform, Frederick Human Relations Commission, Interfaith Housing Alliance, National Cancer Institute, Regional Community Network, Community Health Worker Workgroup - Maryland Health Department, and is currently active on the Asian Pacific American Commission of the Governor's Office of Community Initiative and the Frederick County Commission on Aging.
Through her volunteerism and active public service, Commissioner Chung has received numerous awards, including the Jefferson Award - Ohio; Friends of Foreign Language - Maryland Association of Foreign Languages; Community Service Award - Organization of Chinese Americans, Washington, D.C.; Peace Crafter Award - Community Alternative Mediation, Frederick, Maryland; Theodore W. Stephens Lifetime Achievement Award, Frederick Human Relation Commission; the Diversity and Inclusion Award, Frederick County Society of Human Resource Management; Woman of Excellence Award - Frederick County Commission For Women; and NBC 4 Community Award - Washington, D.C.
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Celeste James appointed as new CHRC Commissioner
The CHRC welcomes the appointment of Celeste A. James, who was appointed by Governor Hogan earlier this month. In addition to her service on the CHRC, Ms. James is the Executive Director of Community Health and Benefit at Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States. In her capacity at Kaiser, Ms. James oversees community-based health programming, grant-making, and policy advocacy to promote conditions that enable all people to enjoy optimal health and life opportunities.
Ms. James is also co-chair of Washington Regional Food Funders, a working group under Arabella Advisors in Washington, DC, and sits on the board of Crittenton Services of Greater Washington, improving the lives of girls and young women in D.C. and Montgomery County. Earlier in her career, Ms. James provided corporate communications and media relations for several
national outlets: USA TODAY/Gannett Co., Inc., U.S. News & World Report, and National Public Radio, where she was a vice president.
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Four additional applicants invited to present to the Commission on May 15, 2018
The CHRC is preparing to release a second round of grant awards this fiscal year and has invited four applicants (described below) to present to the CHRC Commissioners at its next meeting on May 15 at 1:00 PM in Annapolis. Grant decisions will be made immediately following these presentations. For more information about the CHRC's meeting in May or its current Call for Proposals, contact Mark Luckner at (410) 260-6290.
Care For Your Health
(Baltimore City) This project would increase access to geriatric primary care services for home bound and low-income senior citizens who do not have or have not been able to see a primary care provider and support home visitation to seniors unable to travel for care.
Baltimore City Health Department
This project would support the continued implementation of the B'More for Healthy Babies Initiative. Pregnancy engagement specialists at HealthCare Access Maryland and Baltimore Healthy Start will outreach pregnant women who are currently unable to be located though traditional outreach methods and direct them and their newborns into appropriate obstetric and pediatric homes.
Worcester County Health Department
This project involves the enhancement of an existing Medication Assisted Therapy program through the addition of Naltrexone for: (1) individuals released from inpatient addictions treatment programs; (2) inmates leaving Worcester County Detention Center with opioid addiction; and (3) individuals involved in Drug Court.
Frederick Memorial Hospital
This project would implement the evidence-based "5-2-1-0 Campaign," which is a nationally recognized childhood obesity prevention program. The project involves multiple intervention strategies to fight obesity which would engage the Frederick County Public School System.
These applicants presenting next month follow sixteen previous awards made by the CHRC earlier this year totaling $3.1 million. For more information about these grant awards, click
here
.
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Six-week public comment period on CHRC regulations begins May 1, 2018
In response to legislative requirements, the CHRC is performing a review of its regulations over the next ten months, which will culminate in a report for the Maryland Department of Health's Office of Regulations in February 2019. As part of this review, the CHRC will be launching a six-week public comment period May 1, 2018. Respondents interested in submitting comments are encouraged to use the form on the Commission website. For more information about the public comment period or the CHRC's regulatory review, please visit the CHRC's
website or click
here
.
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CHRC invited to present at the Women's Legislative Caucus
The CHRC, CareFirst, and Community Clinic, Inc. were invited to present at the Women's Legislative Caucus event on March 28. This presentation highlighted a number of public-private partnerships that are supported by the CHRC and CareFirst, including a current project to expand access to comprehensive women's health services at the Community Clinic site in Greenbelt. For a copy of the presentation, click
here
.
The project is one of 22 CHRC grants totaling $4.1 million that have increased access to women's health services and are designed to help reduce infant mortality and address continued health disparities. These projects have collectively served more than 16,880 women in urban, rural and suburban areas. For more information about CHRC-funded programs that address women's health and aim to reduce infant mortality, click
here
.
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Baltimore City celebrates opening of the Maryland Crisis Stabilization Center
On March 28, a number of elected and public health officials celebrated the opening of the Maryland Crisis Stabilization Center at Tuerk House in the Greater Rosemont neighborhood of Baltimore. Lieutenant Governor Boyd K. Rutherford, Baltimore City Mayor Catherine Pugh, and Baltimore City Health Officer Dr. Leana Wen spoke at the event. The Crisis Stabilization Center is designed to divert individuals under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol from unnecessary emergency department use, as well as to safely stabilize and connect them to treatment and support services in the community. The Tuerk House on Ashburton St. will serve as a temporary location until the Center opens in its permanent location at the former Hebrew Orphan. For press coverage of the event, click here.
The Crisis Stabilization Center is supported by $3.6 million in capital funds from the state, a $2.3 million grant from the Maryland Department of Health, and a $600,000 grant from the CHRC. In recent years, the CHRC has prioritized funding for projects that assist the state's response to the heroin and opioid crisis, and the grant to the Stabilization Center is one of
53 CHRC grants totaling $13.9 million to support behavioral health service expansion. These programs have collectively served more than 73,000 individuals. For more information on these programs, click
here
.
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Baltimore City Mayor Catherine Pugh and CHRC Vice Chair Elizabeth Chung at the opening of the Crisis Stabilization Center in Baltimore
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Healthcare Initiative Foundation issues its FY 2018 capacity building grants
The Healthcare Initiative Foundation issued its capacity building grants for FY 2018, awarding a total of $663,000 to 15 organizations. These projects are collectively projected to serve 12,026 individuals and focus on three priorities: to improve the quality and availability of comprehensive healthcare; to build capacity of the healthcare network; and to grow a highly skilled and culturally competent healthcare workforce. Click
here
for a copy of the release describing these projects.
The Healthcare Initiative Foundation and CHRC have collaborated for a number of years to generate innovative and sustainable projects and promote the capacity of safety net providers to serve low-income and vulnerable populations. Below are three current projects that are jointly supported by the Healthcare Initiative Foundation and CHRC:
Thriving Germantown is an initiative to increase access to health and social support services in an underserved, low-income, and diverse community around the James Daly Elementary School, a Title I elementary school in Germantown. Thriving Germantown is currently supported by CHRC funds, which are being utilized to support a multisector model of care for low-income children and families attending Daly Elementary School. A total of $130,000 in additional new grant funding from the Healthcare Initiative Foundation will increase accessible after-school and behavioral health services for Daly elementary school students and improve social and emotional competencies and emotional wellbeing for vulnerable youth at DES and increase parent engagement in their children's physical and emotional health.
Chinese Culture and Community Service Center
provides primary care services to low-income individuals from the immigrant community at the
Pan Asian Volunteer Health Clinic. Chinese Culture and Community Service Center is currently supported by CHRC funds, which have supported the relocation and expansion of the Pan Asian Volunteer Health Clinic. The $50,000 in Healthcare Initiative Foundation funds will support the expansion of clinic capacity by hiring a part-time provider, thereby enabling the clinic to increase patient hours and allowing the clinic to apply to become a Medicaid provider.
Institute for Public Health Innovation
(IPHI) is currently implementing a project to establish local school wellness councils (LSWC) in four Title I elementary schools in Montgomery County. The Healthcare Initiative Foundation has awarded $25,000 to increase the number of Montgomery County schools with a LSWC to 50 schools and to improve measures of success and productivity in existing LSWCs.
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