Temi Oshiyoye, MPH Director, Maryland SORH Welcome to Maryland and The SORH Region A Partnership Meeting

Uniquely Maryland Maryland has been called "America in Miniature" because so much is packed into its 10,460 square miles of land and water. You can find just about any kind of natural feature here, except a desert. That's because water is almost everywhere in Maryland. The largest body of water in Maryland is the Chesapeake Bay, but we also have nearly 50 rivers and creeks, plus streams, lakes, ponds and the Atlantic Ocean. These waterways have been sources of food, employment, transportation and recreation for many centuries See more at: facts#sthash.owTQoEmv.dpufhttp:// facts#sthash.owTQoEmv.dpuf

Maryland and Rural Maryland Basic Info Maryland is the 9 th smallest state Maryland population size- 5,976,407 Rural population-152,258 There are 50 hospitals in Maryland Only 17 rural hospitals 2 SHIP hospitals Maryland does NOT have any Critical Access Hospitals There are NO Rural Health Clinics in Maryland. Maryland has 16 Federally Qualified Health Centers provide services at 141 sites in the state. NO FQHC look alikes

Urban Vs Rural Maryland has 24 counties Based on the State’s recommendation we have 18 counties rural counties Federal recommendation 5 counties rural counties and parts of 3 other counties

Maryland SORH The Maryland State Office of Rural Health (SORH) housed under the Office of Primary Care Access (OPCA) with the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) We are a staff of two ( 1FTE &.5 FTE) Our main focus and goals are; – Technical assistance – Rural Recruitment and Retention – Information Collection and Dissemination – Coordinating rural health interests and activities – Improving access to care in rural Maryland.

Maryland Rural Challenges Aging rural population Substance abuse Mental health issues Economic constraints Health care provider shortages Limited access to health care services Transportation Tele-medicine

Maryland’s Needs from Rural Residents N5aQ