Health Equity Resource Communities Initiative
Thanks to the advocacy of hundreds of organizations across the state, the Maryland General Assembly created Health Equity Resource Communities in 2021 to improve equitable access to high quality health care. Select areas of the state with documented disparities regarding access to care and health outcomes will be eligible to apply for state funding to address these challenges.
The new law has been enacted in two phases. First, the Community Health Resources Commission issued a competitive RFP and award $13.9M in grant funding to local projects in 2022 to address health disparities. These Pathways to Health Equity grants will be 2 years. Click here to view a summary of the grantees. In July 2024, the CHRC awarded $42M to 12 Health Equity Resource Communities across the state. Click here to view a summary of the grantees. Note: this funding is not permanent, and therefore further advocacy may be necessary to ensure permanent, dedicated funding for this important work to ensure equitable access to health care services across the state. More information is available on the Community Health Resources Webpage.
Health Care for All! Resolution
We have made great strides in expanding health care coverage, but immigration status remains a barrier to coverage for many Marylanders. This leads to disparities in health care access and outcomes. The Maryland Health Care for All! Coalition is building support for systemic change that will address this issue. Learn more and sign the resolution today!
Small Business and Nonprofit Healthcare Workgroup
Maryland’s small business community has the highest per capita rate of businesses owned by women and people of color and only 37% of small businesses offer health insurance coverage to their employees (compared to 95% of large employers.)
The Maryland Health Care for All! Coalition worked to increase funding for Maryland’s program for small businesses through the Maryland Health Connection and also increase promotion to raise awareness about the resources. The state established a workgroup to further study this issue. We are proud that many of our allies have been appointed to this workgroup. More information will be available soon on the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange’s website.
