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June 28, 2016 | Issue No. 17
Julie
Wagner appointed as new Commissioner to CHRC
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The CHRC welcomes Julie Wagner as a new Commissioner appointed by Governor Hogan last month. Ms. Wagner is Vice President of Community Affairs for CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, where she has supported CareFirst’s health care philanthropy and community affairs activities since 2009. Julie Wagner succeeds outgoing Commissioner Maria Harris Tildon, who served as a CHRC Commissioner since 2008.
Allegany Health Right completes year one of CHRC
dental program |
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In 2015, Allegany Health Right received a two-year
grant to decrease the inappropriate use of the hospital Emergency Department for
dental issues among Medicaid-covered adults in Allegany County by increasing access
to discounted/subsidized dental services in the community and by providing oral
health education. In the first year, more than 450 patients were referred to
the program, with patients either receiving services directly from Allegany
Health Right or from local dentists working with the program. The program has recently been recognized by
the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago as a national model of a way to
provide better access to oral health care in an underserved rural area.
Allegany Health Right has received several dental grants from the CHRC in
recent years and leveraged CHRC funding to receive an additional $90,000 in
support from the Western Maryland Health System. The CHRC has awarded 31 grants totaling $6.3
million to support increasing access to dental services in the community. These dental programs have served more than
106,000 Marylanders. For more
information about CHRC dental grants, click here.
Mary’s Center
completes two-year grant to provide comprehensive health services to pregnant
women in Prince George’s County |
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In 2014, Mary’s Center received a two-year grant to add chronic disease management to their existing prenatal service program in an overall effort to help improve birth outcomes and reduce infant mortality. During program
implementation, Mary’s Center provided services to 3,000 women through
13,786 patient visits. In addition to prenatal services, the program provided diagnosis
and treatment of hypertension. Over the course of the program, Mary’s Center
reported an increase in the percentage of women receiving care in the first
trimester of pregnancy from 64% to 74%. The grantee also reported that 3.7% of
their patients gave birth to low birthweight babies; lower than the 5% goal
originally expected for the program.
The CHRC has awarded 19 grants totaling $3.8 million to promote
access to comprehensive women’s health services to help reduce infant mortality
rates. These grants have collectively
served more than 15,000 Marylanders. For
more information about these programs, click here.
Five Maryland Federally Qualified Health Centers Receive HRSA
Oral Health Awards |
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Earlier this month, Health Resources and Services Administration announced a total $156 million in oral health awards to increase access to integrated oral health care services and improve oral health outcomes for health center program patients. Of this total, $1.75 million was awarded to five Federally Qualified Health Centers in Maryland ($350,000 per award): Chase Brexton Health Centers; Community Clinic, Inc.; Family Health Centers of Baltimore; Health Care for the Homeless; and Family Healthcare of Hagerstown. All five of the awardees have received grants from the Commission. Chase Brexton Health Centers, Family Health Centers of Baltimore, and Family Healthcare of Hagerstown have received CHRC grants to support their dental programs. For more information about the HRSA Oral Health Program Awards, click here.
The CHRC has awarded 27 grants totaling $8.9 million to support Federally
Qualified Health Centers in their mission of expanding access in Maryland’s
underserved communities. These programs
have collectively served more than 44,000 Marylanders.
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