West Cecil Health Center, a Federally Qualified Health Center,
received a two-year grant in 2017 to implement an expanded dental program in
Cecil County, a dentally underserved area of the state, through an innovative
partnership involving the University of Maryland Dental School and Union Memorial
Hospital. Under a cooperative agreement,
West Cecil has agreed to take over operations of the Dental School's clinic,
which will maintain its status as a clinical teaching site with five
pre-doctoral students and four hygiene students. Union Memorial Hospital, who owns the clinic
building, is providing fiscal support and referrals from their emergency
department and Comprehensive Care Center.
Anne
Arundel Health Department received
a two-year grant in 2017 to expand access to emergency dental services for
low-income adults in Anne Arundel County, with a particular emphasis on
diverting preventable dental-related ED visits. The target population is low-income Medicare
and Medicaid adults. The program is
working closely with University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center
and Anne Arundel Medical Center, who will serve as a referral sources through
their emergency department.
La Clinica del Pueblo, a Federally Qualified Health Center,
received a three-year grant from the CHRC in 2016 to open a new comprehensive
health center in Hyattsville. The
program involves a partnership with Doctors Community Hospital and provides a
comprehensive list of services including primary care, specialty care,
radiology, case management, behavioral health services, insurance assistance,
and health education. The opening of the
new health center in Hyattsville involves a public-private partnership, as La
Clinica del Pueblo received $1,376,535 in additional funding from sources
including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CareFirst BlueCross
BlueShield, The Cafritz Foundation, The Meyer Foundation, and The Split Rock
Foundation.
Charles County Health Department received a three-year grant in 2016 to
support an innovative “public health-EMS-hospital” partnership that seeks to
address over-utilization of EMS and ED services in Charles County by assisting
frequent ED/EMS users to manage their chronic conditions in a primary care
setting or at home. Clients are supported
by a Mobile Integrated Healthcare team comprised of a paramedic, a nurse
practitioner, and two community health workers.
The program is a collaboration among the Charles County Health
Department, Charles EMS ($64,000), and Charles Regional Medical Center
($150,000), each of which is supporting the project financially.
The
Lower Shore Clinic a
behavioral health provider in Wicomico County, received a two-year grant in
2016 to support the CareWrap Program.
CareWrap was also supported by Peninsula Regional Medical Center
($92,233). The public-private
partnership enabled the Lower Shore Clinic to support a CareWrap Team that
enrolled individuals with chronic health needs, who are frequently admitted or
treated in the emergency room at Peninsula Regional Medical Center, into
longitudinal support including primary care and ancillary services in the
community. The program increased access
to primary and behavioral health services for individuals with behavioral
health and complex medical conditions and assisted Peninsula Regional Medical
Center in reducing its readmission rates.
Chesapeake Regional Information System for our Patients (CRISP)
calculated a six-month pre vs six-month post comparison for the patients in the
program and concluded that the CareWrap program achieved $923,594 in cost
avoidance (the grant from CHRC was for $120,000). This includes the cost of appropriate health
care services to help patients' well-being during the six months post data.
Calvert
County Health Department received
a three-year grant in 2015 to support
“Project Phoenix,” which aimed to provide SUD treatment, including medications,
and address social determinants of health facing individuals with substance use
disorders. Calvert Memorial Hospital
partners with the health department by referring individuals to the program,
and working with the Calvert County Health Department’s epidemiologist,
monitors hospital utilization data.
Access Carroll, Inc., a free clinic operating in
Westminster, MD, provides health care to underserved areas and at-risk
populations in the community. They have
received three grants from the CHRC: (1) in 2007 to provide primary and
specialty health care services to low-income, uninsured residents of Carroll
County; (2) in 2011 to provide dental services to low-income residents of
Carroll County; and (3) to transition the organization from a grant-based
billing model to billing both Medicaid and private payers. Access Carroll partners with Carroll Hospital
Center and the Carroll County Health Department, which provide more than half
of the current core staff as in-kind donations to the community.