Consortium on Coordinated Community Supports
The Maryland General Assembly included language in the Blueprint for Maryland's Future, Chapter 36 of 2021 (Kirwan Education Reform Bill), to create the Maryland Consortium on Coordinated Community Supports (the Consortium) to help meet student behavioral health needs and related challenges in a holistic, non-stigmatized manner.
The Consortium is a 25-member entity responsible for developing a statewide framework that expands access to comprehensive behavioral health services for Maryland students. The CHRC serves as the Consortium's fiscal agent while providing staff support. The National Center for School Mental Health is providing technical assistance. The Consortium began its activities during the summer of 2022.
Expanding Access to Services and Achieving Outcomes: In the first year of the grant program, the Consortium supported 127 grants totaling $110 million, including 11 grants to organizations in Baltimore City. These grants are supporting services in 80% of Maryland schools, have resulted in hiring 542 practitioners, and served more than 104,000 students through April 2025. Programs address a range of behavioral health challenges through prevention, behavioral health screenings, counseling, addiction treatment, family support, crisis planning and services, telehealth services, support groups, wraparound services, and more (see page two). Grantees regularly report on a number of outcome measures.
Fostering Collaboration: The Blueprint requires the Consortium to form local “Community Supports Partnerships" across the state. Using the collective impact model, each Partnership consists of a local coordinating body called a “Hub," as well as the local community behavioral health providers. Hubs coordinate service providers in collaboration with schools. Behavioral Health Systems Baltimore was awarded a grant to build its capacity to serve as the Community Supports Partnership Hub for Baltimore City.
Update on Grant Program: The CHRC Commissioners made the second round of grant awards on June 11, 2025 (contract period July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026). These awards support programs in all 24 jurisdictions, and grantees plan to serve more than 165,000 students statewide.
Anne Arundel County Consortium Grants for the 2025-2026 school year: Anne Arundel County is home to one of the first Coordinated Community Supports Partnership Programs ("CSP") in the state of Maryland. This CSP brings together 13 service providers across Anne Arundel County and is expected to serve approximately 12,000 students over the next year.
Additional Grants Under Implementation
FY 2024
University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center (BWMC). The program seeks to improve birth outcomes by reducing racial disparities for non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic obstetrics UM BWMC patients in northern Anne Arundel County and southern Baltimore City. The program will reduce the likelihood of gestational diabetes (GDM), improve health literacy related to nutrition and physical activity, and address social determinants of health for women of reproductive age. The program also connects at-risk women to a registered dietitian for nutrition counseling and is launching a pilot to use the RxFood app and provide a community health worker to address food insecurity through Moveable Feast.
Examples of Other CHRC Grants
Health Enterprise Zone Grants Serving Anne Arundel County
The CHRC was also responsible for implementing the Maryland Health Improvement and Disparities Reduction Act of 2012, which established the Health Enterprise Zones (HEZ) initiative. HEZs enabled by the Act used State resources to reduce health disparities, improve health outcomes, and reduce health costs and hospital admissions and readmissions in specific areas of the State. The Act also provided access to a range of incentives and resources, including income tax credits, hiring tax credits, loan repayment assistance, and CHRC grant funding. In 2013, the CHRC awarded five HEZ grants collectively totaling $4 million per year over the four-year duration of the “HEZ Initiative." Though this grant ended several years ago, many of the services that were initiated continue to be provided and available to residents.
The Annapolis Community Health Partnership (ACHP) was awarded an HEZ grant to establish a new primary care clinic for residents within the Morris Blum Senior Apartments facility and the surrounding community (zip code 21401). The HEZ's goals were to: (1) provide screening and treatment for patients with cardiovascular risk factors, including diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, obesity, and smoking and (2) address these risk factors and manage chronic disease in such a way as to reduce preventable 911 calls, emergency department (ED) visits, and hospital admissions and readmissions. The clinic opened in October 2013, offering primary care, onsite lab services, medication reconciliation, and chronic disease management programs. To improve care coordination and reduce avoidable ED visits and hospital readmissions, the clinic partnered with the Anne Arundel Medical Center to identify uninsured patients who were recently hospitalized or seen in the ED for diabetes or coronary artery disease and needed follow-up care. That care was provided by linking these “medically homeless" patients to the Morris Blum clinic. Annual behavioral health screenings were administered, and community mental health providers provided behavioral health care as needed. Other activities included home visits and healthy lifestyle programs.
Providing integrated behavioral health services to address Maryland's opioid epidemic.
This grant supported the “Safe Stations" program, an innovative care model that provided access to on-demand substance use and crisis stabilization services. The program, launched in 2017, was one of the County's key components in responding to the opioid crisis. Individuals ready for substance use treatment could obtain help in their community by requesting treatment at police stations, fire stations, or other community-based sites, which were open 24/7. “Safe Station" clinicians then used motivational interviewing to assess and link these individuals to the most appropriate level of community-based care.
This grant supported the establishment of a new stabilization center on the grounds of a former state psychiatric hospital in Crownsville. The project served individuals identified by EMS or law enforcement as needing access to substance use treatment, services that were previously unavailable in the County. Stabilization services were co-located with Gaudenzia Addiction and Recovery Services.
Providing interventions to increase access to healthy foods in food deserts and enhance community access to physical activity opportunities.
Anne Arundel County Department of Health. This grant supported the expansion of food pantry capacity in the County's largest food desert area, increased support for the local farmer's market, and the creation of a second pantry in partnership with a community organization in Brooklyn Park. The project enjoyed broad support through an association with several community and county partners and volunteers. The program improved diabetes outcomes by providing participants with better nutrition and healthier food choices, addressing obesity, and providing diabetes disease prevention and management education.
Providing dental services for low-income individuals impacted by adverse SDOH.
Anne Arundel County Department of Health. This grant supported expanded access to emergency dental services for low-income adults on Medicare and Medicaid with a particular emphasis on diverting preventable dental-related ED visits. The program built on the existing “REACH Program" in Anne Arundel County by linking patients with private dentists and increasing the capacity of the grantee's dental clinic. CHRC grant funding was used to support the salary of a dental patient navigator and offset the cost of providing dental services to program participants.
Supporting the expansion of services in safety net clinic that provide essential health services to vulnerable populations.
Anne Arundel Medical Center. This grant supported efforts to expand access to primary care services at a new health care clinic in Anne Arundel County. The clinic offered primary care, referrals to specialty and diagnostic care, case management services, and bilingual services on a sliding-fee scale. Grant funds were used to support the operational and administrative costs of expanding services.
Completed Grants
FY 2021
Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center. This grant supported the expansion of the grantee's “Diabetes Prevention Program" to a broader population of underserved and vulnerable communities, particularly Hispanic populations. The grantee offered a mobile clinic tasked with delivering health education and screening for HbA1c, blood glucose and high blood pressure to areas that lack access to primary care providers and/or transportation. Bilingual community educators and community health workers (CHWs); conducted outreach; delivered education programs on healthy eating and lifestyle changes emphasizing the importance of physical activity in preventing disease; and recruited residents to DPP classes.
FY 2020
Anne Arundel County Department of Health. This grant supported the expansion of the CHRC's 2018 grant to the Health Department.
Anne Arundel County Department of Health (LHIC). This grant supported the relaunch of the Healthy Anne Arundel Coalition (HAAC) after several years of dormancy.
FY 2019
Anne Arundel Medical Center. This grant supported “Wellness Connections," an evidence-based collaborative care service model. The program provided integrated care to vulnerable individuals seeking hospital care for untreated or undertreated mental health conditions, substance use disorder (SUD), and co-occurring conditions. The partnership with Anne Arundel Lodge and Luminis Health allowed providers to address each person's medical and mental health needs simultaneously. The program tailored services to the appropriate level care, at the right time and in the right place, leading to better clinical, social, and financial outcomes.
FY 2018
Anne Arundel County Mental Health Agency. This grant expanded the “Safe Stations" program, and more information may be found below.
Anne Arundel County Department of Health. This grant supported increased access to healthy foods and provided information about healthy cooking in Brooklyn Park. The program provided access to nutritious, shelf-stable food options; fresh fruit and vegetables; and English- and Spanish-language nutrition and cooking skills education. Transportation was provided to the food pantry and the classes. Technical assistance was provided to four Anne Arundel County public schools and two community organizations via free or subsidized community-supported agriculture. The project distributed over 211,000 pounds of food.
FY 2017
Robert A. Pascal Youth and Family Services. This grant supported the establishment of a new stabilization center on the grounds of a former state psychiatric hospital in Crownsville.
Anne Arundel County Department of Health. This grant supported expansion of access to emergency dental services for low-income adults in Anne Arundel County and additional information may be found below.
FY 2012 – 2007
Omni House Behavioral Health System. This grant supported the implementation of an electronic medical records system at Omni House's “Day Program," offices, and clinic. Grant funds were used to purchase necessary software for program locations.
Anne Arundel County Department of Health. (LHIC). The Healthy Anne Arundel Coalition utilized CHRC grant funding to support initiatives designed to increase healthy food consumption, promote physical activity, and decrease obesity among adults and children. Funds supported the implementation of the “Eat Healthier/Move More" program which followed the “Healthy Anne Arundel Action Plan for Obesity," which provided a six-week “Family Fitness Challenge" and engaged the grantee's employees.
Anne Arundel Medical Center Community Health Center. This grant supported expanded access to primary care services at a new health care clinic in Anne Arundel County and is described on page four.
Community Health Integrated Partnership. This grant supported the Community Health Integrated Partnership (CHIP), a network controlled by Maryland health centers. The CHRC funded the CHIP's electronic health record project, which included 36 sites across seven federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) in Maryland.
Anne Arundel Mental Health Agency. This grant supported services that assessed, stabilized, and treated uninsured residents of Anne Arundel County who had co-occurring disorders and needed immediate services. Patient services were delivered by a team of mobile crisis personnel, patient advocates, and case managers.
Anne Arundel County Department of Health. This grant supported the “REACH" program, which linked low-income, uninsured county residents to a network of primary care and specialist providers that provided services on a sliding scale fee schedule. Grant funds were utilized to support the cost of opening a new
