The mission of the Maryland State Office of Rural Health (SORH) is to help improve the quality of health among rural Marylanders by developing strong partnerships; building local resources; promoting relevant state and national rural health policies; and supporting efforts to expand healthcare access. Maryland SORH implements these three goals: 

1) Serve as a focal point and state clearinghouse for collection and dissemination of information regarding rural health care issues, research findings, and innovative  approaches to the delivery of health care in rural areas;  

2) Provide coordination of rural health programming across the state and in identified  areas such as diabetes, substance use, and workforce development to avoid redundancy  of efforts among public health and health care entities; and  

3) Deliver technical assistance to rural-serving public and non-profit private entities to build capacity to access state and federal resources.  

The Maryland SORH is federally funded by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration’s Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) and serves as one of the country’s 50 SORHs.​