Maryland Community Health Resources Commission

February 28, 2023 | Issue 89

CHRC welcomes new CFO Bob Lally

Robert Lally, Jr. recently joined the staff of the Maryland Community Health Resources Commission (CHRC) as Chief Financial Officer.  Bob comes to the Commission with a wealth of experience in public accounting and budgetary and fiscal management. Prior to joining the CHRC, he served as the Chief Financial Officer of two acute care hospitals in the Baltimore metropolitan area, where he managed budgets in excess of $750 million. Bob has also served in various officer roles in the Maryland Chapter of The Health Care Financial Management Association.  He brings a passion for meeting the health care needs of Maryland citizens and a commitment to outstanding customer service.

UPDATE: FY 2023 Call for Proposals

The application period for the CHRC’s FY 2023 Call for Proposals closed on December 19. The RFP generated 55 applications requesting $34.8 million. 22 applicants have been invited to present at the next Commission meeting on March 14.  Final grant award decisions will be made by the CHRC Commissioners following that meeting.

Under the FY 2023 Call for Proposals, the Commission will provide grant funding for the following three areas: (1) chronic disease prevention and disease management, (2) maternal and child health, (3) behavioral health including the ongoing impact of the opioid crisis, and (4) dental care.

For more information on the RFP, please click HERE.

UPDATE: Maryland Consortium on Coordinated Community Supports

The Maryland Consortium on Coordinated Community Supports is a new initiative to support student behavioral health and other related needs.  

The Consortium met on February 21 to discuss implementation of the Community Support Partnership program using a collective impact model. Click HERE to view the meeting presentations.  Over the next few months, Consortium staff will be meeting with key stakeholders to discuss the model and planning efforts for the first RFP that will be released later this spring or early this summer.  

Information about the next Consortium meeting can be found on the Consortium’s webpage.  Consortium meetings are open to the public, but participation is limited to Consortium members. Members of the public are invited to attend in-person or virtually. 

To sign up for the Consortium’s mailing list, click HERE.

UPDATE: Pathways to Health Equity

The nine Pathways to Health Equity grants awarded in February 2022, are implementing their projects.

This month’s newsletter highlights the Pathways to Health Equity grant awarded to La Clínica del Pueblo. This project addresses disparities in diabetes experienced by the Latino immigrant population in targeted areas of Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties.  Through a partnership with Luminis Health, the grantee is providing diabetes screenings in the community, as well as peer-led diabetes self-management, navigation to primary care, assistance with insurance and transportation, access to fresh produce, health system navigation, legal services support, medical interpretation, and remote blood pressure monitoring. The project also features comprehensive community health education, awareness, and outreach.  In the coming months, La Clínica plans to initiate peer-led walking groups, remote glucose monitoring, and referrals to Luminis Health for primary and specialty care.

On March 1 at 4:00, La Clínica is hosting a virtual talk as part of its Salud Sin Barreras series.  The talk aims to discuss the most pressing issues affecting Latino immigrants’ health in Maryland and to highlight health inequities affecting the community.  Speakers will include Delegate Bonnie Collison and Regional Primary Care Coalition Executive Director Sharon Zalewski. See the flyer below.

To sign up for the Health Equity Resource Community (HERC)/Pathways Mailing List, visit Sign Up. 

Other News

Rural Health TCOC Survey

Rural health care providers are invited to participate in a survey sponsored by the Maryland Department of Health’s State Office for Rural Health.  LUMA Health Consulting has been contracted to conduct an impact assessment of the state’s Total Cost of Care (TCOC) Model for rural healthcare delivery. Surveys will be used to gain perspective on the impact of the TCOC Model in rural Maryland, for the purpose of developing a report that will include actionable and potentially replicable aspects of the TCOC model in rural areas. The final report will be available in July 2023 on the website of the Maryland Department of Health's State Office of Rural Health. 

The survey is estimated to take 10 minutes to complete. Please follow this link to complete the survey. Responses are due by Friday, March 10th.  Individual survey responses will not be attributed to survey participants in any way, and will not be shared outside of LUMA Health's Consulting team.

MDH is hiring for the Office of Population Health Improvement, Deputy Director

The Maryland Department of Health’s Office of Population Health Improvement is currently recruiting for a Deputy Director.   This senior management position will oversee the design, implementation, and ongoing development of state and local public health strategies and programs to address rural health, align local substance use prevention efforts with other local population health efforts, health care workforce, and primary care access activities.  Applications are due March 24.  For more information, click HERE.