November Newsletter

November 18, 2014  |  Issue No. 3

CHRC issues FY 2015 Call for Proposals 

Earlier this month, the CHRC issued this year’s Call for Proposals, which looks to support programs that will: (1) expand capacity; (2) reduce health disparities; and (3) help reduce avoidable hospital costs.  The CHRC received 48 Letters of Intent requesting $9.3 million in the year one funding.  The Commission is in a position to award $1.3 million for FY 2015. Once grantees are notified of their eligibility, full grant proposals will be due December 16. Grant awards will be announced in February 2015.

West Cecil to open new "Beacon Health Center" in Harford County West Cecil Health Center, a FQHC, received a three-year grant from the CHRC in FY 2014 totaling $480,000 to open a comprehensive health care facility in Havre de Grace.  This new center, set to open in December 2014, will offer primary care, pediatrics, and women’s care services for underserved residents of Cecil and Harford counties.  WCHC partnered with University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Hospital to convert Health Link to an FQHC and provided capital and start-up operating support. WCHC was able to leverage CHRC grant funds to obtain $250,000 of additional capital support from the Weinberg Foundation.

CHRC participates in Local Health Improvement Coalition's annual meeting  DHMH invited the CHRC to moderate a panel highlighting the work of Local Health Improvement Coalitions at the 2014 annual meeting.  This panel featured presentations from four jurisdictions: Carroll, Harford, Howard, and Somerset Counties.

External Evaluator selected for HEZ Initiative The state has selected Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Center for Health Disparities Solutions to assess the following four areas: (1) The overall impact of the Initiative achieving its policy goals of reducing health     disparities, improving health outcomes, and reducing health care costs and hospital utilization; (2) the economic impact of individual Zones; (3) HEZ resident experience and participation; and (4) HEZ clinical and non-clinical provider experience and participation.  The evaluator will issue its first report in May 2015.

CHRC receives presentations on future of safety net providers 

In last month's Commission meeting, the CHRC invited Dr. Leighton Ku, Professor at George Washington University; Duane Taylor, CEO of Mid-Atlantic Association of Community Health Centers; and Marla Neumann, Community Health Advocate for Priority Partners, to provide insight on the current challenges facing safety net providers.  The presentations will guide strategic planning of the Commission and inform future Calls for Proposals issued by the CHRC.  

Maryland Community Health Resources Commission

45 Calvert St. Room 336, Annapolis, MD 21401  /  phone - 410.260.6290  /  fax - 410.626.0304

 dhmh.maryland.gov/mchrc