FY17-FY22 Highlights

Public Health Services (PHS) Administration

• PHS Office of Population Health Improvement launched the Community Health Worker (CHW) certification program in FY19 to certify frontline public health workers and connect Marylanders with their community healthcare systems and MDH. To date, 1110 CHWs have been certified, 368 CHW certificates have been renewed, and 13 CHW certification training programs have been accredited.
  
• PHS Vital Statistics Administration launched its first call center for the Division of Vital Records (DVR) in FY20. This call center function has streamlined questions, requests, and customer service regarding vital statistics records including birth, death, marriage, and divorce decrees. Since the launch of this call center, DVR services have expanded even further allowing constituents to request records through online orders, in-person through appointments at the VSA office and at all 24 local health departments, and select Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) locations.
  

Behavioral Health Administration (BHA)

• Since FY18, the BHA has partnered with Maryland 211 to offer mental health and substance use disorder services 24 hours a day, seven days a week to Marylanders through five regional call centers. Maryland Crisis Connect offers telephone, text, and chat options as well as a searchable database of behavioral health resources. At the end of FY22, BHA in partnership with the Office of Customer Experience successfully launched the 988 call number, a new national suicide and crisis lifeline that provides direct connection for anyone needing support for mental health or substance use problems, suicidal thoughts, or worried about someone who may need crisis support.
  
• MDH also created the 988 Toolkit that provides free downloadable and printable outreach materials including posters, digital and audio ads, flyers, wallet cards and more. Materials are also available in Spanish. MDH has coordinated outreach with several organizations including the Opioid Operations Command Center (OOCC) with 94 individual distribution points; GOCI which has sent information to over 100 of its commissioners to distribute and BHA, where they have shared with over 30 of their provider and advocacy groups. We also have engaged through Optum’s Maryland Provider Alert that reaches over 2600 providers. Furthermore, we have worked with non-profits, the faith community and the Department of Education to distribute 988 information just to name a few others.
  

Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA)

• In FY18, the DDA launched a dedicated webinar series to ensure all stakeholders can participate and be informed of current standards and practices. Since their inception, DDA has transformed this training and informational webinar series hosting instructional webinars on topics such as: COVID-19, monthly topical conversations with DDA Deputy Secretary Bernard Simons, provider application guides, detailed service authorizations, DDA waivers, planning tools, and more. These webinars and training tools serve as part of the comprehensive support framework for DDA providers, recipients, and their families.
  

Maryland Medicaid Administration

• Maryland Medicaid Administration has collaborated across state agencies to offer services. In FY18, Medicaid teamed with the Maryland Health Connection to launch a real time Medicaid site for MCO shopping, improving customer experience and allowing 51 percent of constituents to completely enroll online.
  
• Maryland launched MDThink in FY19, a shared data platform for social service and health programs across the state, which in part transformed the ways in which Marylanders could apply and enroll in Maryland Medicaid and additional benefit programs. MDThink provides a no wrong door approach to Marylanders.
  

Operations Administration

• In FY19, MDH created the Operations Administration, restructuring several offices previously reporting to BHA and PHS including the MDH Healthcare System, Office of Preparedness and Response, facilities management, and procurement and contract management. Since the initial restructuring, the Office of Contract Management and Procurement (OCMP) continues to reorganize/realign office practices to make them more customer friendly for both the internal and external customers of MDH. OCMP hired two technical writers to improve the clarity of solicitations and speed up the procurement process. The office holds pre-bid calls with potential vendors, kick-off meetings with approved contractors, and regular contract management calls to promote communication, accountability, and transparency. The MDH Healthcare System (MHS) continues to promote standardization across the 11 facilities where appropriate, to include prompt response to patient, family, and constituent concerns. MHS continues to provide expert guidance to patients, staff, and visitors regarding COVID-19 including visitation policies that balance the needs of patients and families with infection control measures that protect the safety of all.
  

Office of Constituent Services (OCS)

• In FY19, the OCS launched new controlled correspondence process guidelines at MDH, focusing on strategically and collaboratively working across MDH to implement a standard process for tracking, triaging, and responding to constituent inquiries. During this administration, the  OCS has strategically and collaboratively worked with the MDH Administrations, Offices, and Boards/Commissions to identify subject matter experts, administrators, and chiefs of staff to serve as the units’ Correspondence Managers, otherwise known as our IQ license holders. When OCS revamped the program in 2019, it began with just three case correspondence managers and as of FY22, there are 107 correspondence managers working across MDH to ensure constituents are receiving timely, compassionate and appropriate conclusions to their inquiries. 
  

COVID-19 Response