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…

Maryland’s public health challenges show up in emergency rooms, school classrooms, and county budgets. As conditions shift and federal support fluctuates, counties are being asked to do more with less while still earning and sustaining the trust of the communities they serve. Public health in Maryland is navigating a period of rapid change. Counties are balancing rising service demands with evolving federal expectations, fragmented funding streams, and increasingly complex health needs, from behavioral health and…