Health and Human Services Archives

How Howard County Is Reimagining the Response to Homelessness

What does it take for a county to move toward functional zero for homelessness? In this episode of the Conduit Street Podcast, hosts Karrington Anderson and Dominic Butchko sit down with Kelly Cimino, Director of the Howard County Department of Housing and Community Development, to unpack The Path Toward Zero, Howard County’s ambitious five-year plan to end homelessness. Tune in to the Conduit Street Podcast weekly, wherever you get your podcasts! Subscribe to the Conduit Street Blog and stay in the know!

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December 31, 2025

2026 MACo Issue Previews / Employee Benefits and Relations / Health and Human Services / Human Resources

2026 Issue Preview: Hospital Rate Setting and the AHEAD Model

With the 2026 Legislative Session approaching, MACo is profiling major issues, including hospital rate setting in Maryland, that are likely to receive significant attention. Maryland has long stood apart in how it pays for and provides health care. Its unique all-payer system for setting hospital rates, improved through the state’s Total Cost of Care model, has kept costs down, led to better results, and garnered national attention as a model to follow. As previously covered…

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December 31, 2025

2026 MACo Issue Previews / Health and Human Services / State Budget and Fiscal Issues

2026 Issue Preview: Current Issues in Public Benefits Programs

Federal SNAP changes adopted in 2025 shift new costs and responsibilities to states, reshaping how Maryland administers benefits and budgets for one of its largest public assistance programs. With the 2026 Legislative Session approaching, MACo is profiling major issues, including public benefit programs such as supplemental nutrition, that are likely to garner significant attention. The federal budget reconciliation legislation enacted in July 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) or HR 1, makes sweeping…

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December 30, 2025

Health and Human Services / Winter Conference

#MACoCon Recap: Federal Actions Against Marginalized Communities Have Residents Seeking County Help

An experienced panel of legal experts and advocates discussed communities that are currently under attack by federal agencies and what local governments can do to help residents in need. Recent federal changes have had a disproportionate effect on marginalized communities across every county in Maryland. A 2025 MACo Winter Conference session hosted a panel of experts to explain these new challenges that are facing immigrants, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and communities of color as well as how…

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December 24, 2025

County Budgets / County News / Environment / Health and Human Services

Water, PFAS, and Climate Resilience: What Counties Need to Know

In this episode of the Conduit Street Podcast, our host Dominic Butchko is joined by Zach Schafer, Assistant Secretary at the Maryland Department of the Environment, for a wide-ranging conversation on the environmental issues shaping county decision-making ahead of the 2026 General Assembly session. Tune in to the Conduit Street Podcast weekly, wherever you get your podcasts! Subscribe to the Conduit Street Blog and stay in the know!

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December 24, 2025

County News / Health and Human Services / NACo and Federal Issues / Winter Conference

#MACoCon Recap: Counties Protecting Public Health Together

As funding uncertainty and rising health needs converge, county leaders are leaning on trust, coordination, and cross-sector partnerships to protect public health across Maryland. At MACo’s Winter Conference, county leaders and public health partners came together for a timely and candid conversation about what it will take to protect community health in an era of uncertainty. The panel, "Navigating Trust and Collaboration: Counties Protecting Public Health Together", explored how counties can sustain essential public health…

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December 17, 2025

County News / Health and Human Services / Housing and Community Development / Winter Conference

#MACoCon Recap: County Solutions to Safeguard Local Communities

Counties are using practical tools, from housing coordination to legal support and smarter enforcement, to protect vulnerable residents and strengthen community stability. The "County Solutions to Safeguard Local Communities" panel offered a grounded look at how counties are using their authority, partnerships, and data to protect vulnerable residents and strengthen community stability. Moderated by Senator Antonio Hayes, the panel highlighted county-led strategies to address family instability, housing insecurity, and exploitation, demonstrating how local governments are…

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December 16, 2025

County News / Emergency Management / Health and Human Services / Public Safety and Corrections

Washington County First Responders Now Deliver Whole Blood in the Field

The Washington County Division of Emergency Services (DES) has announced the launch of a Whole Blood Program, a life-saving advancement in prehospital care for critically injured patients experiencing severe blood loss (hemorrhagic shock). Meritus Medical Center, the region’s Level III Trauma Center, is the first hospital in Western Maryland to stock low-titer O whole blood (LTOWB), a battlefield innovation now transforming civilian medicine. Patients in hemorrhagic shock have a much higher chance of survival when whole…

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December 4, 2025

County News / Health and Human Services / Housing and Community Development / Human Resources

Howard Announces New Opportunity & Economic Mobility Center

Howard County Government has announced the purchase of the 9755 Patuxent Woods Drive building in Columbia, with the intention of housing several County departments. This new building will become their new opportunity and economic mobility center. From the press release: "This year has been a challenging one for many of our residents, who were negatively impacted by federal government level cuts and the historic shutdown. With more than 50,000 government employees and contractors calling Howard…

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December 4, 2025

Health and Human Services / NACo and Federal Issues

SNAP, Medicaid Changes Could Deepen MD’s Fiscal Challenges in 2027

Maryland is bracing for more than $300 million in new supplemental nutrition-related costs just as the state enters an already challenging budget year. Federal changes under HR 1 are shifting major administrative and benefit responsibilities to states, and Maryland’s high error rate is putting even more pressure on the bottom line. In a recent Maryland Matters article, the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) and the Maryland Department of Human Services (DHS) are warning that new…

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December 3, 2025