May 12th, 2015 by WCBC Radio

U.S. Senators Barbara A. Mikulski and Ben Cardin, together with U.S. Representative John Delaney (all D-Md.) today announced that Garrett County Memorial Hospital in Oakland has been awarded $200,000 from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Rural Health Care Services Outreach program, which expands health care delivery in rural areas.

“This rural health grant will provide Garrett County residents greater access to quality health care,” said Senator Mikulski, a senior member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. “Many families in our rural communities have difficulty finding access to affordable, quality care. Federal funding, like this grant, helps save money, save time and save lives.”

“Whatever your zip code, all Americans should have access to quality affordable health care,” said Senator Cardin, a member of the Senate Finance Health Care Subcommittee. “Federal grants like this help Marylanders overcome some of the unique challenges that come with accessing health care in rural areas. In times of shrinking federal budgets, I am committed to ensuring we continue to reduce barriers to health care for Western Marylanders and that we keep investing statewide in improving health care outcomes.”

We should be doing everything we can to provide Marylanders – wherever they live – with access to affordable and quality health care,” said Congressman Delaney. “The men and women who work at Garrett County Memorial Hospital make a powerful difference for my constituents, and today’s grant will help them expand their impact in rural and underserved communities. Garrett County Memorial Hospital has a long history of serving the health care needs of Garrett County, and I applaud HHS for helping to ensure they have the resources to continue that work.”

 

The Rural Health Care Services Outreach program expands health care delivery in rural areas. Funding may be used to conduct health screenings, health fairs, education and training, and any other health service delivery activity that does not involve inpatient care. Projects are based on evidence-based or promising practice models and demonstrate health status improvement in rural communities. The community being served must be involved in the development and ongoing operations of the program, to appropriately address the needs of the population. This is a three-year grant program with maximum individual grant awards of $200,000 a year.