75k granted to Worcester Co. Health Dept.

The Worcester County Health Department is one of ten organizations nationwide to receive a major grant from the Department of Health And Human Services.

75,000 dollars has been awarded to fund the Rural Benefits Program, which serves the lower Eastern Shore including Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester counties.

We’re told the grant money will be used to enhance programs and hire more staff who can help target populations of people who are either uninsured or under-insured.

Katherine Gunby, a programing coordinator at the Worcester County Health Department, says this is the first year they have received dedicated funding to reach populations that are considered “hard to reach”.

“Farmers, watermen, small businesses…they’re really the life blood of the Lower eastern shore economy and getting sick is not an option for them.” Explains Gunby. “If they are sick, they can’t work and it puts their livelihoods at risk.”

Gunby says the grant is expected to be renewed for three years total.

For more information on the Worcester County Health Department, click here.