March 5th, 2020 by WCBC Radio

Governor Larry Hogan today submitted a supplemental budget for Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) that requests $10 million for emergency coronavirus preparedness expenses and funding for other important state and local initiatives. In addition, the governor’s supplemental budget further reins in general fund spending growth to 0.5%, and provides more than $90 million in general fund savings.
“With this supplemental budget, we are providing $10 million for emergency coronavirus preparedness expenses,” said Governor Hogan. “Our highest priority is keeping our residents safe. The public should be assured that our state’s preparedness builds on decades of planning, experience, and expertise gained from previous and ongoing public health events.”
Based on its ongoing contingency planning, the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) will allocate the emergency funding for the following priorities:
• Purchasing new equipment and reagents to provide rapid diagnosis in state public health laboratories and enhance specimen transport and packaging.
• Acquiring additional staffing support to conduct disease investigations, including clinic visits or mobile home testing teams for uninsured/underinsured persons meeting case definition who need testing to confirm infection.
• Acquiring additional staffing support and resources to maintain operational response, such as coordination, training, communications, and personal protective equipment.
• Obtaining and maintaining quarantine/isolation housing capacity, including cleaning services.
• Enhancing data analytics and surveillance systems for rapid case detection and response.
• Coordinating and facilitating transportation for uninsured/underinsured persons with symptoms for medical evaluation.
• Enhancing healthcare systems support for care to include purchases of additional equipment, lab services, and specimen transport.
• Media support, printing, outreach, translation services, and communications equipment including tablets and hot spots.
• Providing wrap-around services for quarantined individuals including food, medications, etc.
• Providing behavioral health services to affected communities.
The governor’s FY21 supplemental budget funds a number of state priorities, including $14.5 million for the Behavioral Health Administration for medical provider reimbursements and contractual services; $11.1 million for foster care maintenance payments; $6 million for the Maryland Center for School Safety; $2.7 million for the Temporary Disability Assistance Program; and $1.1 million in federal funds to enhance the security of the 2020 primary election and the 7th Congressional District special election.
Additional funding for local priorities includes $1.25 million for the African American Neuroscience Research Initiative at the Lieber Institute for Brain Development; $500,000 for the End Hunger in Calvert County program; $500,000 for the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Easterseals to provide behavioral health services to service members, veterans, and their families; $500,000 for the Boys and Girls Clubs; $200,000 for education and training for firefighters; and $100,000 to conduct an air traffic noise study on communities near the Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.