Maryland Department of Health
Maryland Community Health Resources Commission

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RURAL HEALTH

​Promoting rural health and expanding access to care in underserved communities are priorities of the Commission. ​ Since its inception, the CHRC has awarded 866 grants, totaling $291.7 million.  The CHRC has awarded 268 grants, totaling $110 million supporting programs in rural areas.  These programs have served more than 218,289 individuals and provided access to over 717,095 visits.  CHRC rural health grants allows individuals access to primary care, behavioral health care, dental, women’s health, and childhood obesity prevention services in 18 rural jurisdictions of the state. CHRC grants have provided the start-up funding to enable safety net providers to increase their capacity and have supported innovative and replicable projects to address social determinants of health and serve vulnerable populations.​


​​ABOUT THE CHRC, RURAL HEALTH, AND THE MARYLAND RURAL HEALTH STORIES PROJECT

The Maryland Community Health Resources Commission (CHRC) has released three videos that highlight the human impact of CHRC grants in rural communities. The first video highlights programs in Garrett, Wicomico, and Calvert Counties. The second video highlights programs in Carroll, Cecil, and Wicomico Counties. A third video recounts the story of Calvert County resident Rachel who is overcoming addiction and changing her life's path. ​The rural health stories project is a special collaboration with the Maryland Rural Health Association (MRHA). Under the project, six programs in rural communities are highlighted and residents who received services under these six programs went on camera to tell their story about how their lives were impacted by these programs.​

To view the other videos click here​.

To read Jessica's story click here.

To read Juan's story click here.

To read Rachel's story click here​.

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​​Maryland Rural Health Association/​CHRC White Papers ​​

The Maryland Rural Health Association (MRHA) and Maryland Community Health Resources Commission (CHRC) partnered to produce three white papers on CHRC-funded expansion of health services in rural communities.  An executive summary​​ of these white papers was published in January 2018.

The first white paper in the series, "Social Determinants of Health and Vulnerable Populations in Rural Maryland," was published in December 2016 and provides an overview of some of the key social determinants of health impacting vulnerable populations in Maryland's rural communities and offers several examples of initiatives that are underway to address these issues directly and expand access in underserved areas. ​

The second white paper in the series, "Bringing Care Where it is Needed: A Rural Maryland Perspective," was published in May 2017 and provides an overview of the difficulties in accessing health care in isolated rural communities and shows examples of current initiatives that are underway to provide health services  in non-traditional settings.​

In October  2017, the third paper of the series, "Dental Access in Rural Maryland: Innovative Approaches to Care,"​ was released, providing an overview of the challenges of accessing affordable dental care in isolated rural communities and examples of initiatives that increase access to dental care in vulnerable rural communities.

Lara Wilson, Executive Director of the Maryland Rural Health Association presented the findings​ of the first two white papers to the Commission on June 29, 2017.