On February 18, Associate Policy Director Sarah Sample testified before the Finance Committee in support of SB 592 – Public Health – Health Care Quality Fund for Community-Based Behavioral Health Programs – Establishment.
This bill establishes the Health Care Quality Fund for Community-Based Behavioral Health Programs to enhance behavioral health services statewide.
Counties are on the front lines of behavioral health service delivery, working closely with providers to meet the growing demand for high-quality mental health and substance use
disorder treatment. SB 592 provides a dedicated funding stream—derived from civil penalties collected by the Maryland Department of Health from behavioral health programs—to invest in training, grant awards, demonstration projects, and other initiatives aimed at improving behavioral health care quality.
By ensuring that these funds are reinvested into community-based programs, this bill strengthens local efforts to provide effective and sustainable behavioral health services. Maryland’s counties recognize the importance of continuous quality improvement in this sector, and SB 592 offers a practical and necessary step toward that goal.
SB 592’s cross-file, HB 743, was heard on February 19 in the House Health and Government Operations Committee. Karrington Anderson testified in support of this bill.
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