Copied from the Community Health Resources Commission website.
July 12, 2021
For Immediate Release
Contact: Mark Luckner (410) 299-2170
(Annapolis, MD)— The Maryland Community Health Resources Commission (CHRC) announced today the appointments to the Health Equity Resource Community (HERC) Advisory Committee. The Committee is established under the Maryland Health Equity Resource Act approved by the Maryland General Assembly this past legislative session. The eleven individuals appointed to the HERC Advisory Committee (listed on page two) include experts in health equity, the social determinants of health, health care finance, and public health.
“The Maryland Health Equity Resource Act will help expand access to affordable, high-quality health care services in underserved communities throughout our state,” commented Governor Larry Hogan. “Congratulations to the newly appointed members of the Health Equity Resource Community Advisory Committee as they work to address persistent health disparities.” The Act provides significant new grant funding and state resources for local communities to address health disparities, improve health outcomes, expand access to primary care and prevention services, and help reduce health care costs. The CHRC will implement the Act and the HERC Advisory Committee will provide technical assistance in the following areas: implementation of the HERC program; program evaluation and data collection metrics; and strategies for tax incentives and loan repayments to assist HERCs in achieving their mission.
“Establishing the Health Equity Resource Communities (HERC) and Advisory Committee was an important component of our Racial & Economic Justice Agenda. Economic progress cannot be achieved without access to quality healthcare,” said Speaker Adrienne A. Jones. “The talented members of the HERC Advisory Committee will help leverage Maryland’s considerable health resources and infrastructure to close health gaps and improve health outcomes for more people, in more communities.”
“The Health Equity Resource Community Advisory Committee is going to be an integral part of the State’s plan to reduce disparities in health outcomes, and promote equity in healthcare access,” stated Senate President Bill Ferguson. “The appointees will ensure that Maryland’s top tier health resources benefit all Marylanders and improve health outcomes across the State.”
The CHRC and HERC Advisory Committee are expected to meet next month. The CHRC will issue the first Call for Proposals for the initial cycle of grant funding later this fall. In addition to the HERC Advisory Committee, the Maryland Department of Health’s Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities and Chesapeake Regional Information System for our Patients (CRISP) will provide technical assistance.
For more information about the Health Equity Resource Act, please contact Mark Luckner, Executive Director of the CHRC.
ABOUT THE CHRC (health.maryland.gov/mchrc)
The Maryland General Assembly created the Community Health Resources Commission in 2005 to expand access to affordable, high-quality health care services in the state’s underserved communities; increase access to specialty health care services for the uninsured and low-income individuals; promote interconnected systems of care and partnerships among community health resources and hospitals; and help reduce avoidable hospital utilization. The CHRC is an independent commission within the Maryland Department of Health, and its 11 members are appointed by the Governor. The CHRC has awarded 347 grants totaling $85.9 million, supporting projects in every jurisdiction of the state. These projects have collectively served more than 505,000 Marylanders
APPOINTMENTS TO THE HEALTH EQUITY RESOURCE COMMUNITIES (HERC) ADVISORY COMMITTEE
- The Honorable Edward J. Kasemeyer, Chair, Community Health Resources Commission and Chair of the HERC Advisory Committee
- Noel Brathwaite, PhD, MSPH, Director, Minority Health and Health Disparities, Maryland Department of Health
- Michelle Spencer, MS, Associate Chair, Inclusion, Diversity, Anti-Racism, and Equity, Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
- Maura Dwyer, DrPH and MPH, Senior Officer, the Health Impact Project, The Pew Charitable Trusts
- Alyssa L. Brown, JD, Director, Innovation, Research, and Development, Office of Health Care Financing, Maryland Department of Health
- Rebecca A. Altman, RN and MBA, Vice President and Chief Integration Officer, LifeBridge Health
- Elizabeth L. Chung, Executive Director, Asian American Center of Frederick
- Jonathan Dayton, MS, NREMT, Community Relations and Population Health Supervisor, Mt. Laurel Medical Center
- Mikayla A. Walker, MPH, Management Consultant with ReefPoint Group in developing elder care national planning strategies for the Veteran Health Agency
- Jacqueline J. Bradley, MSN, MSS, CRNP, Bradley Consulting, LLC, and former Adult Nurse Practitioner, Kaiser Permanente for more than twenty years, and lead Nurse Practitioner for Community Ambassador Program at Kaiser (now retired from Kaiser)
- The Honorable John A. Hurson, Esq., former Chair, Maryland Community Health Resources Commission
