<div>Twelve organizations providing health care to underserved people in Maryland have received a $41.5 million grant from the Maryland Community Health Resources Commission to expand access to care for local communities.Agencies were awarded funds through the Health Equity Resource Communities (HERC) five-year grant program to improve access to primary care and prevention services, improve outcomes and reduce health disparities experienced in underserved areas.The program went into effect in July this year and will end in June of 2029. Grantees recently attended a meeting where they explained some of their efforts and outcomes of the grants, as well as ongoing outreach to community members.“The HERC program … is about ensuring that every Marylander no matter their zip code has access to quality healthcare that they deserve. It’s about leveling the playing field, bringing critical resources to communities that have been underserved for far too long,” said Del. Jazz Lewis, a co-sponsor of the bill that created HERC. “This program is already making a real difference and closing health gaps across our state.”The program expands on past efforts, placing a larger emphasis on social determinants of health – aspects of an individual’s life that impact health outcomes like where an individual lives, their level of education or their access to health services.Social determinants of health have a large impact on what individuals have access to, directly impacting the quality and quantity of care they can receive.HERC applicants were required to assist patients with at least three social determinants of health, with many working to tackle the transportation needs of their community by providing a mobile clinic or telehealth option, while others work to improve health literacy through education.“Our [state] is diverse in the needs of underserved and vulnerable populations, and you see it when you see the health outcomes are a little bit better in one specific group versus the other, and our programs … strive to address why those disparities are in play, and how we can improve that or change that,” said HERC Project Director Nellie Washington.Organizations have already reported vast improvements in the amount of care they have been able to provide.Community Program Director Janette North-Kabore of the University of Maryland School of Nursing spoke of a blood pressure screening she did on a young woman who claimed not to have high blood pressure.When the results came back high, she was advised to go to a primary care provider.When they learned that she had not followed up, they provided her with a blood pressure cuff allowing her to personally monitor her blood pressure. She discovered she had critically high blood pressure while self-monitoring and was rushed to the hospital, later calling the organization to thank them for saving her life.“It makes an impact on people’s lives,” said North-Kabore. “Even with cardiovascular disease, you don’t know what’s happening sometimes … so to have someone there, and to check on you and to help you monitor that, it’s crucial, it’s life-saving.”The program’s primary goals center around providing support for communities that lack medical care, with 59 organizations applying for the grant.Of the twelve approved programs, four are located in Baltimore City. Two of these programs emphasize maternal and infant health, attempting to offset the disproportionately high maternal mortality rates in Baltimore City.</div>

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Health care grant aims to help underserved patients in Maryland

Twelve organizations providing health care to underserved people in Maryland have received a $41.5 million grant from the Maryland Community Health Resources Commission to expand access to care for local communities. Agencies were awarded funds through the Health Equity Resource Communities (HERC) five-year grant program to improve access to primary...