Van Hollen, Cardin Submit Direct Funding Requests for Community Projects Supporting Health Facility Expansions, Mental Health Care Services, Educational Enrichment, and Workforce Development
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) have announced their direct federal funding requests for Maryland community projects under the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee (LHHS) for fiscal year 2023. The senators worked with local community leaders to identify a wide range of projects, which will support health facility expansions, increasing mental health care services, K-12 and Higher Education programs, workforce development, senior services, and child welfare improvement programs, among other initiatives.
“Investing federal dollars directly in our communities enables us to create more opportunity, grow our economy, and improve access to essential services. That’s why we’ve partnered with local leaders to identify projects that will benefit Marylanders and our communities – from increasing educational and workforce development opportunities to improving health care services. We’ll be fighting to get these priorities through Congress and deliver these funds directly to our state,” said Senator Van Hollen, a member of the Appropriations Committee.
“Team Maryland is united in our ongoing effort to bring new federal resources back to Maryland based on local needs and priorities, especially those that uplift our communities by expanding economic opportunities and rebuild our infrastructure,” said Senator Cardin, a member of the Senate Finance Committee. “Each one of these projects was developed with local input and invests in high priority, transformative projects, such as green spaces, trails and public facilities, as well as housing and workforce development sites. Our goal is to maximize taxpayer dollars in the most meaningful way for our communities.”
While not all requests may receive funding in the final fiscal year 2023 funding legislation, the Senators will advocate for their requests to be included as the Appropriations subcommittees draft their respective bills over the coming months. Fiscal year 2023 begins October 1, 2022. For fiscal year 2022, Senators Cardin and Van Hollen secured over $104 million in direct investments to benefit Maryland.
Senator Van Hollen’s requests can be found at this link and Senator Cardin’s requests can be found at this link. A representative sample of the senators’ requests for the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee are listed below.
Project Title: Electronic Health Record Modernization and Equipment at Garrett Regional Medical
Applicant: Garrett Regional Medical Center
Description of Proposal: In order to more appropriately serve Garrett Regional Medical Center patients, funding is requested to purchase and install an Electronic Health Record (EHR) system that will enable the rural medical center to connect easily and seamlessly with the large health system with which it is affiliated, West Virginia University Medicine, and to provide better, more coordinated care for the people of its service area. The grant would also cover the “community connect” for two surgical practices that provide surgical services at the hospital. This funding will reduce the cost burden of the EHR project on the hospital and clinics allowing more resources to go towards patient care for an underserved population.
Project Location: Oakland, Maryland
Amount Requested: $650,000
Project Name: Establishing the Data-Driven Frederick Research Center at Hood College
Applicant: Hood College
Description of Proposal: Hood College seeks to establish Data-Driven Frederick as an innovative research center in the George B. Delaplaine Jr. School of Business. Data-Driven Frederick will collect, aggregate, and publish regional socioeconomic indicators for the greater Frederick community and work with non-profits, governments, and businesses to analyze the data for grants, reports, or decision-making purposes. Students at Hood will serve as researchers and develop sought-after expertise in research methodology, data analytics, and project management. Federal funds will help launch the program and enable research teams of faculty and students to begin to assembly research analyses and data reports for local partners.
Project Location: Frederick, MD
Amount Requested: $390,000
Project Name: Investing in the Future of the Healthcare Workforce
Applicant: Community College of Baltimore County
Description of Proposal: The Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) is the largest provider of Maryland undergraduate health care education, training approximately 1,200 health care students each year (300 nurses and 900 allied health professionals). All of their health programs are nationally accredited, have strong board pass rates, and produce graduates in high demand in the various healthcare industries in the Baltimore-Washington, DC region. Federal funds will help update Nursing Simulation Laboratories and other allied health care programs with equipment and supplies that replicate health care settings, improve lab efficiency, and allow more students to have hands-on experience.
Project Location: Dundalk, MD
Amount Requested: $2,478,701
Project Title: Learning Undefeated STEM Talent Accelerator Pathway
Applicant:
Description of Proposal: Learning Undefeated deploys a fleet of state-of-the-art mobile STEM laboratories to the parking lots of K-12 schools across the state year-round, during the school year and over the summer. Their team of educators and scientists work with schools to provide curriculum and programming onboard the labs and in the classroom. Federal funds will support expanded deployment of the mobile laboratories, as well as an afterschool STEM Leadership Experience to connect students with STEM professionals for hands-on experiential learning; an Emerging Leaders in STEM program to connect young women with STEM programming and professional role models; and Digital STEM learning resources to provide hybrid and virtual learning experiences.
Project Location: Gaithersburg, Maryland
Amount Requested: $1,500,000
Project Title: Maryland Living Well – Bridging the Gap to Help Seniors
Applicant: MAC Incorporated
Description of Proposal: 25% of Maryland’s residents live in rural areas, leaving many seniors out of the range of service for programs to support them aging in place. The Maryland Living Well Center of Excellence oversees statewide implementation of programs to help Maryland’s older adults and people with disabilities. Federal funding will assist in recruiting and training the workforce needed to reach seniors and people with disabilities in rural areas across the state and standardize the referral process to connect seniors to both primary care providers and hospitals and non-clinical services and programs.
Project Location: Salisbury, Maryland
Amount Requested: $320,000
Project Title: Park West Health System Capital Expansion Project for the Integrated Behavioral Health Program Services
Applicant: Park West Health System
Description of Proposal: The Park West Health System Capital Expansion Project will expand and renovate the more than 70 year old facility that serves as the current home of Park West Health System. It will enable the expansion and the delivery of existing health, dental, behavior and mental services while integrating new disciplines such as psychotherapy and youth intervention; enable patient access and flow; consolidate departmental operations; bring the building up to today’s building standards and codes by addressing structural, coding and ADA compliance issues; and bequeath the structure with an exterior makeover.
Project Location: Baltimore City, Maryland
Amount Requested: $2,000,000
Project Title: Roberta’s House Regional Expansion for Grief and Trauma Services
Applicant: Roberta's House
Description of Proposal: Roberta's House has been meeting a need for trauma-informed, culturally responsive grief support in Maryland for 15 years. The organization provides services in Baltimore City (serving the greater Baltimore area) and Prince George's County—two counties in Maryland where residents experience various and multiple traumatic losses. Roberta's House provides youth, family, and adult supportive services and community-centered support. We address grief in the context of other losses and hardships that youth, families, and adults have experienced, including community violence and crime, parental incarceration, family separation and deportation, entry into the foster care system, and poverty. With the increase in unresolved grief as a result of COVID-19 and the loss of employment, family members, and a sense of normalcy, additional funding can expand the ability of Roberta’s House to serve the Greater Baltimore and Prince George’s community mental health service needs.
Project Location: Baltimore City, Maryland
Amount Requested: $1,000,000
Project Name: Scaling Mental Health Access for People with Disabilities
Applicant: The Arc Central Chesapeake Region
Description of Proposal: The Arc Central Chesapeake Region hears frequently from people with disabilities who are seeking mental health services and having trouble finding providers equipped to serve their unique needs. In 2020, the Arc created Behavioral Health to take a holistic approach to behavioral supports, focusing on the necessary mental health counseling and clinical supports that help manage specific behaviors. The Arc uses licensed clinicians who have experience providing mental health counseling to people with disabilities in both individual and group settings. Federal funds will help grow capacity to support 125 individuals by 2025, including children.
Project Location: Severn, MD
Amount Requested: $250,000
Project Title: UM Charles Regional Medical Center Emergency Department Expansion and Modernization
Applicant: University of MD Charles Regional Medical Center
Description of Proposal: The expansion and modernization of the UM Charles Regional Medical Center is an effort to expand the available services provided to the community. The growing behavioral health crisis has called for an expansion of services and space in order to address the crisis while not straining emergency departments. Additional room is required to adequately house more patients but also to increase the ability to social distance patients and protect them from getting one another sick. The hospital serves the most underserved and vulnerable populations in Charles County. This investment will help more people obtain the appropriate needed services while not engaging in costly interventions such as psychiatric hospitalizations or criminal justice involvement.
Project Location: Charles County
Amount Requested: $2,000,000
Project Title: United for Child Care
Applicant: United Way of Central Maryland
Description of Proposal: The United for Child Care program is targeted to reduce the cost of child care for Marylanders and simultaneously increase the number of children entering Kindergarten prepared to learn. The program aims to increase the amount of individuals entering the childcare industry, support the current home-based providers, and United Way Family Centers to help increase the providers available while keeping child care financially obtainable.
Project Location: Baltimore City, Maryland
Amount Requested: $500,000
Project Title: University of Maryland Eastern Shore Advancing Introductory Science Training
Applicant: University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Description of Proposal: The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) is renovating two science labs in the Carver Hall science building to provide modern equipment for introductory first and second year science courses that serve about 500 students annually. Federal funds will support purchase of equipment and allow for the development of new lab exercises, guided research activities, and training in science for a diverse generation of health and environmental researchers.
Project Location: Princess Anne, Maryland
Amount Requested: $621,000
Project Title: Youth@Work/Summer Youth Enrichment Program
Applicant: Office of the Prince George's County Executive
Description of Proposal: The Youth @ Work is a summer youth enrichment program that provides students with early career trainings and work opportunities. A future issue for Prince George’s County is the significant percentage of existing employees who are eligible for retirement within the next five years. This program aims to meet the upcoming needs of the local job market by preparing students to take on jobs that will open up soon. The program will produce students who are equipped to enter the workforce in a technology-based economy, assisting with unemployment rates and the local economy.
Project Location: Prince George's County
Amount Requested: $3,070,000