The Howard County Health Department has been awarded a $463,369 Local Health Department Disparities Funding Opportunity from the Maryland Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The award will be used to reduce health disparities related to chronic disease and COVID-19 infections in Howard County.
The Local Health Department Health Disparities Funding Opportunity will also allow the Health Department to fund two categories of grants. The first is for local organizations to identify and recruit 40 community leaders to create a network of certified Community Health Workers to aid in chronic disease prevention and management, and to decrease hospital utilization rates in identified communities.
The second grant will be awarded to local organizations to provide ongoing support for this CHW network.
CHWs have been shown to improve health in a range of chronic conditions including diabetes, cardiovascular disease and mental health. By developing local community leaders as CHWs, the Health Department will be able to better address health disparities in order to affect long term behavior changes among those at risk for chronic health conditions.
Organizations interested in either of these grants should visit www.howardcountymd.gov/health/health-disparities-grants for detailed information about the application process. Grants will run from Sept. 1 to Jan. 15, 2023 or June 30, 2023, respectively. Application deadline is Aug. 31.