Maryland awards $80 million in rural health care grants
Salisbury, Md. – On Monday, the Maryland Department of Health, in collaboration with the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission and the Maryland Health Care Commission, announced $80 million grants to 41 recipients for the first year of Maryland’s Rural Health Transformation Program.
The initiative aims to expand access to primary care and behavioral health care as well as dental services while reducing costs to the overall healthcare system.
“We are immensely thankful to our rural partners and stakeholders for their dedication to this initiative and for submitting applications to help uplift their communities,” said Maryland Health Secretary Dr. Meena Seshamani in a statement released by Gov. Wes Moore’s office. “We are incredibly inspired by the multi-sector collaborative approach to these projects, which will make a meaningful difference in people’s ability to access high-quality care.”
On Maryland’s Eastern Shore, though the Dorchester County Health Department was not a direct grant recipient in the initial round, Health Officer Dr. Casey Scott says Dorchester County residents will directly benefit from several major awards granted to their key healthcare partners.
State officials said the funded projects will promote sustainable access and technology advances to improve health outcomes including telehealth services, mobile services for pediatric care and 3D printing to “tackle oral health needs.”
On Maryland’s Eastern Shore, though the Dorchester County Health Department was not a direct grant recipient in the initial round, Health Officer Dr. Casey Scott says Dorchester County residents will directly benefit from several major awards granted to their key healthcare partners.
“Regional organizations that serve our residents every day — including Choptank Community Health System, UM Shore Regional Health, Mid-Shore Behavioral Health, and For All Seasons — received substantial funding to expand primary care, mobile health services, and mental healthcare right here in Dorchester County,” she said in an email statement to WMDT. “My team and I remain dedicated to collaborating with these organizations to ensure these state resources translate into better care on the ground.”
She said health care funding prioritized towards rural communities is especially important because access to care is frequently an issue due to transportation issues, especially for specialized and prenatal care.
““When specialized care isn’t located nearby, a lack of reliable transportation often means care is delayed or missed entirely,” Dr. Scott said.
She also said prenatal care is becoming increasingly difficult to find in rural communities, especially in Dorchester County.
“We know that prenatal care is important and can help improve birth outcomes, yet we find ourselves with a lack of providers, and our patients are facing long waitlists to be seen,” Dr. Scott said. “In Dorchester, our citizens must travel to another county to deliver, and if the pregnancy is high risk, specialty care can be over an hour away. That is a significant strain on growing families.”
She said she hopes programs like RHTP can boost access to care for all rural community residents.
“The key word in this program is transformation,” Dr. Scott said. “I’m hopeful that this program will allow organizations to think outside of the box, beyond our normal service delivery models, and create new ways to meet our community’s needs.”
