Welcome to the Maryland Rural Health Planning Consortium’s (MRHPC) web page!
MRHPC Members:
Eastern Shore Area Health Education Center
Maryland Rural Health Association
Choptank Community Health System
University of Maryland Shore Regional Health
Maryland Hospital Association
University of Maryland Horowitz Center for Health Literacy
Reports:
Review of Caroline Dorchester and Talbot County Data
Consortium SWOT Analysis Final Report
MRHPC External Environmental Scan
MRHPC Strategic Plan
Mission:
The Maryland Rural Health Planning Consortium’s mission is to achieve health equity and revitalize rural voices by assessing the impact of the Maryland Rural Health Plan and providing a framework for improvements to the health of rural Marylanders.
Network Statement:
Rural communities on the Mid-Shore of Maryland face unique challenges to improving health. Rural residents are typically older and poorer and shoulder a greater burden of chronic health conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and diabetes. The creation of the Maryland Rural Health Plan brought together health care providers, rural community members, and community organizations from across the state to better understand rural health behaviors and develop a set of recommendations to address these health inequities.
Now, the Maryland Rural Health Planning Consortium is expanding on the success of the Maryland Rural Health Plan. As we continue to foster our long-standing relationships, we are working together to identify the best recommendations from the Health Plan to set priorities that will ensure continued improvement of health on the Mid-Shore.
Goal of the MRHPC:
The Consortium will review the 2018 Maryland Rural Health Plan and determine how it can assist providers in better serving their communities given the dynamic healthcare environment in health care while keeping in mind the potential impact of Maryland’s unique Total Cost of Care Model. Outcomes will include performing a SWOT analysis of the 2018 Maryland Rural Health Plan and developing a Strategic Plan to implement recommendations.
Target Area of Focus:
Dorchester, Caroline, and Talbot Counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore
MRHPC Moving Forward:
The 1-year planning period for the Maryland Rural Health Planning Consortium (MRHPC) ended in December 2021. It was the decision of the consortium to use the collected data and information and request to become a subcommittee of the Mid Shore’s Local Health Improvement Coalition (LHIC), which has been approved by their leadership. This will provide partner and funding stability for the consortium as well as provide an opportunity for implementation and forward movement. It will broaden the partner pool, thus lessening the impact of partner burnout. As the Mid Shore LHIC has existing funding streams, a continuation of efforts can occur more readily while securing additional funding. The leveraging of resources of time, talent, and revenue can more readily be accessed. An opportunity to decrease silos and partner productivity can be found with this move as it aligns the consortium with local, state, and federal goals, with a strong collective voice for current and future movement.
The MRHPC joining with the LHIC benefits them as well, as much heavy lifting has been completed. The consortium brings a completed and analyzed SWOT and Strategic Plan to the table, to review all consortium reports, see below. The prioritization of the consortium better informs the LHIC on targeted areas of telehealth and health professional recruitment and retention. A regional approach was the lens through which the consortium completed its work, not unlike the LHIC, and can readily be expanded to the two counties not a part of the consortium. Once expansion takes place at a five-county level through the LHIC partnership, potential broader expansion can be better demonstrated.