Health Equity Resource Communities/Pathways to Health Equity
“The Maryland Health Equity Resource Act,” approved during the 2021 legislative session, provides significant new grant funding and state resources for local communities to address health disparities, improve health outcomes, expand access to primary care and prevention services, and help reduce health care costs. The Maryland Community Health Resources Commission (CHRC) will implement this Act with the assistance of the Health Equity Resource Community (HERC) Advisory Committee, the Maryland Department of Health’s Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities, and Chesapeake Regional Information System for our Patients (CRISP).
Important Links
- CHRC / CRISP Pathways grantee TA Sessions - Click here.
- HERC Subcommittee Meetings / Information - Click here.
- Pathways to Health Equity Call for Proposals - Informational Prior Meetings (Materials)- Click here for prior meeting information
- Upcoming Pathways to Health Equity Grantee Technical Assistance Sessions (topics are subject to change).
CHRC Commissioners vote to award nine Pathways to Health Equity grantees as part of the Maryland Health Equity Resource Act
The Maryland Community Health Resources Commission (CHRC) voted on February 15 to award nine grantees under the new “Pathways to Health Equity” program, investing a total of $13.5 million in new resources in underserved communities across the state. The new projects will address health disparities, expand access to health services, and improve health outcomes in urban, rural, and suburban communities. Specific health disparities targeted by the new projects include: diabetes, asthma, heart disease and hypertension, mental health, Substance Use Disorder, maternal and child health, and Sickle Cell Disease. Click here to read the Press Release and click here to view the program summaries for the Pathways to Health Equity grantees.
Reports, Presentations and Prior Meeting Information
May 12, 2022 - Health Equity Resource Communities Advisory Committee Meeting
HERC Advisory Committee:
The HERC Advisory Committee will provide guidance and assistance to the CHRC in the following areas: implementation of the HERC program; HERC program evaluation and data collection metrics; preparation of an annual report on the program; and strategies for tax incentives and loan repayments to assist HERCs in achieving their mission.
The following members have been appointed to the HERC Advisory Committee:
The Honorable Edward J. Kasemeyer, Chair, Community Health Resources Commission and Chair of the HERC Advisory Committee
Mark A. Martin, PhD, MHA, MBA, MA, Acting Director, Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities
Alyssa L. Brown, JD, Director, Innovation, Research, and Development, Office of Health Care Financing, Maryland Department of Health
Rebecca A. Altman, RN and MBA, Vice President and Chief Integration Officer,
LifeBridge Health
Elizabeth L. Chung, Executive Director, Asian American Center of Frederick
Michelle Spencer, MS, Associate Chair, Inclusion, Diversity, Anti-Racism, and Equity, Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Maura Dwyer, DrPH and MPH, Former Health Enterprise Zone Program Manager
Jonathan Dayton, MS, NREMT, Executive Director, Maryland Rural Health Association
Mikayla A. Walker, MPH, Management Consultant with ReefPoint Group in developing elder care national planning strategies for the Veteran Health Agency
Jacqueline J. Bradley, MSN, MSS, CRNP, Bradley Consulting, LLC, and former Adult Nurse Practitioner, Kaiser Permanente for more than twenty years, and lead Nurse Practitioner for Community Ambassador Program at Kaiser (now retired from Kaiser)
The Honorable John A. Hurson, Esq., former Chair, Maryland Community Health Resources Commission
Recent Media Coverage:
October 18, 2021 - State of Reform, Nicole Pasia: "MCHRC launches RFP for $13 million health equity grant"
October 16, 2021 - Maryland Matters, Hannah Gaskill: "Commission Seeking Grant Applications to Quash Health Disparities in Black, Brown and Disabled Communities."
WMAR Reporter Kendall Green reported on the August 11, 2021 meeting:
WMAR In Focus
August 12, 2021 - Maryland Matters, Hannah Gaskill: "Can Targeted Grants Improve the Health of Whole Neighborhoods? A Maryland Committee is Working on it."