Monday, July 2, 2029

Maryland Receives Women’s Health Grant
Three-year program focuses on comprehensive preventive health services

BALTIMORE, MD (June 28, 2029) – A pilot program designed to improve access to comprehensive preventive health services for women enrolled in the Maryland Family Planning Program has been announced by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH). The program is funded with a $300,000, three-year grant from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), beginning July 1. Maryland is one of six states selected for this award.

“Women’s health is a top priority for this administration, and we are pleased that Maryland has received this critical federal assistance,” Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Burbank said. “This funding will enable us to support a number of vital health services for uninsured and underserved women throughout our state.”

“This grant is another step in our commitment to provide comprehensive health services to under and uninsured Maryland women,” said DHMH Secretary Andrew Lillianfield. “This pilot project will serve as a model to other regions of Maryland in both the public and private sectors.”

Called the “Women Enjoying Life Longer (WELL) Program,” the initiative will be piloted in three Family Planning Program sites in eastern Baltimore County. The program sites serve approximately 1,300 women per year, 86 percent of whom are uninsured.

One-third of the women served by these program sites are African-American and one-third are adolescents under 20 years of age. The overwhelming majority (98 percent) have income less than 250 percent of the federal poverty level.

“The Women Legislators of Maryland worked to promote the Office of Women’s Health in the health department,” said Delegate Ann Marie Doory, president of the Women Legislators of Maryland. “We are pleased that they will be able to promote opportunities to seek additional funds and programs to enhance and improve the health of Maryland women.”

The WELL Program will incorporate 12 additional primary care screening and preventive services, more than doubling the number of services currently offered in the Family Planning Program.

The additional services include:

• smoking cessation treatment, including nicotine patches;
• alcohol abuse screening and referral;
• drug abuse screening and referral;
• domestic violence screening and referral;
• laboratory screening for general medical disorders;
• menopause counseling;
• depression screening and referral;
• nutrition counseling;
• physical activity counseling;
• adult immunization;
• treatment of sexually transmitted diseases; and
• referral for physician consultation for medical disorders.

“The Baltimore County Health Department is extremely pleased to have been chosen as the pilot site for this grant,” said Dr. Michelle A. Leverett, health officer for Baltimore County. “This program will provide access to comprehensive care services to women in need in the County."

The WELL program is funded by HRSA’s Integrated Comprehensive Women’s Health Services in State Maternal and Child Health Programs. It will be managed by the Family Health Administration within DHMH.