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Health Care Coalition
Our Guiding Principles
Our Mission is to improve wellness and resiliency to equitably impact the lifelong health of all Frederick County residents. Our Vision is that our community is productive, resilient, and thriving because all people have a voice in their health and equitable access to the opportunities and resources necessary to prosper and to be physically and emotionally healthy. Our Purpose is to engage in non-legislative advocacy and in system integration and coordination.
Who We Are
The Frederick County Health Care Coalition (Coalition) is a nonprofit organization created in 2006 that manages the county's Local Health Improvement Process (LHIP) in close collaboration with the Frederick County Health Department, Frederick Health, and many community partners.
- Coalition Bylaws (2021)
- Coalition Strategic Plan (2020)
- Coalition Overview and the CHNA/LHIP Process (2022)
We believe that diverse groups of community members and partners, each with unique perspectives, experiences, and resources, are best able to come together to successfully strengthen the foundations of community health for everyone. Our work focuses on building health equity and reducing health disparities in the county.
Our partners include charitable and religious groups, business and corporate entities, state and local government organizations, health care providers, private and non-profit organizations, coalitions and citizen groups, and individuals. More than 200 partners that have participated to have a collective impact on health in Frederick County.
The 2022-2025 health improvement priorities areas are:
- Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in Adolescents
- Diabetes, Type 2
- Mental Health
More information on the LHIP Process and these 3 Health Priorities may be found in the 2022-2025 Local Health Improvement Priorities Announcement presentation slides.
LHIP Workgroups have been formed for each of these 3 priority areas, and each Workgroup continues to welcome the participation of new community members or partners at any time. To join a Workgroup, fill out the LHIP Workgroup Interest Form or learn more on the "Join a Workgroup" TAB on the left.
Monthly Workgroup Meetings
There are 3 Local Health Improvement Planning (LHIP) Workgroups that meet monthly to build health in Frederick County!
- Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in Adolescents: Meets on 3rd Wednesday of the month, 12pm to 1:30pm
- Diabetes, Type 2: Meets on 4th Friday of the month, 1pm to 2:30pm
- Mental Health: Meets on 3rd Tuesday of the month, 1pm to 2:30pm
Workgroups are Open to Everyone!
We invite all interested members of the public and community partners to participate in these new Workgroups! Would you like to work alongside other community members with similar interests? Are you passionate about community health and health equity?
- Complete the LHIP Workgroup Interest Form to be added to the distribution list for the next Workgroup meeting.
- Refer to the Local Health Improvement Process page for more information on the process and the LHIP Work Groups.
Workgroup participants first learn about logic model and action plan development, and will then plan and implement initiatives over the next 3 years to improve health in their domain area.
Board of Directors
The Board manages the Community Needs Health Assessment (CHNA) and the Local Health Improvement Process (LHIP), as well as oversees the LHIP Workgroup initiatives and events, and serves as the focal point for all Coalition and Workgroup communications.
The Board meets monthly on the 1st Wednesday of each month, 11am to 12pm. Board meeting minutes are available here.
Our current Board members:
- Pilar Olivo, President & ACEs Work Group Lead, Frederick County Office of Children & Families
- Inga James, Vice-President, Heartly House
- Michael Planz, Treasurer, Community Living
- Heather Kirby, Secretary & Frederick Health Representative, Chronic Health Work Group Co-Lead
- Christina Brockett, Encompass Integrative Wellness
- Barbara Brookmyer, Frederick County Health Department, ex-officio member
- Elizabeth Chung, Asian American Center of Frederick
- Miriam Dobson, Frederick County Health Department
- Diana Fulchiron, Behavioral Health Work Group Lead, The Community Foundation of Frederick
- Sherita Henry, Hood College
- Ken Oldham, United Way of Frederick County
- Roman Steichen, TransIT
- Diane Tomasky, Frederick Health, Chronic Health Work Group Co-Lead
- Jenifer Waters, Frederick County Public Schools
- Rick Weldon, Chamber of Commerce
Staff
- Malcolm Furgol, Executive Director
- Colleen Swank, LHIP Coordinator
The Role of the Coalition in the Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) Process
- Create opportunities for ongoing engagement by the Frederick County Health Care Coalition (FCHCC) board members in the CHNA process.
- Utilize FCHCC's relationships with a broad group of stakeholders for qualitative and quantitative data gathering.
- Capture expertise and new data sources developed in existing Local Health Improvement Process Work Groups to inform the next CHNA process.
2021-2022 CHNA Steering Committee Planning
- Meeting Minutes - 05/21/21
- Meeting Minutes - 06/04/21
- Meeting Minutes - 06/18/21
- Meeting Minutes - 07/02/21
- Meeting Minutes - 07/16/21
- Meeting Minutes - 07/30/21
- Meeting Minutes - 08/13/21
- Meeting Minutes - 08/27/21
- Meeting Minutes - 09/10/21
- Meeting Minutes - 09/24/21
- Meeting Minutes - 10/08/21
- Meeting Minutes - 10/22/21
- Meeting Minutes - 11/05/21
- Meeting Minutes - 11/19/21
- Meeting Minutes - 12/03/21
- Meeting Minutes - 12/17/21
- Meeting Minutes - 01/14/22
- Meeting Minutes - 01/28/22
- Meeting Minutes - 02/11/22
- Meeting Minutes - 04/01/22
Contact
- Malcolm Furgol, Executive Director, Frederick County Health Care Coalition (Ph: 240-566-3558) for more information and/or to get involved!
INTERNSHIPS
If you are a student looking to gain the experience and knowledge you'll need to take your career a step further, Frederick County Health Care Coalition has an exciting internship option for you. Our internship presents a unique opportunity to be given real responsibility from start to finish in a professional office environment. We are seeking talented interns who want to learn new skills and aren't afraid to tackle big projects. Internships are open to sophomores, juniors, seniors and graduate students attending a two- or four-year college or university. Interns accepted are asked to also coordinate with the internship office at their school, college, or university.
To apply for a position with Frederick County Health Care Coalition, please send your resume, cover letter and any other required documents via email to Malcolm Furgol. Be sure to include “FCHCC Internship” in the subject line of any correspondence. Contact Malcolm for questions about coordinating with your school internship office, or to request an exemption.
TIMELINE AND COMMITMENT | ||
SEASON | DURATION | APPLY BY |
Fall | Late-August through Mid-December | July 31 |
Spring | Mid-January through Early-May | December 15 |
Summer | Mid-May through Mid-August | April 15 |
INTERNSHIP DESCRIPTION
Health Care Coalition Internship
The Frederick County Health Care Coalition internship calendar typically follows the academic calendar of local colleges and the public school system. Interns will be expected to complete on average 8-16 hours weekly (at least 120 total hours per semester). Internships are not paid; however, interns can receive college credit for their work and stipends may be available upon successful completion - depending on financial availability. Pre-approved parking and mileage expenses may be reimbursed for work associated with the internship.
Resources
- Frederick County Community Health Assessments
- Resource Library for Maryland LHICs
- Maryland Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and MD BRFSS Data Query System (MD-IBIS)
- Maryland Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS)/Youth Tobacco Survey (YTS)
- CDC Principles of Community Engagement, 2nd ed.
- Frederick County Health Rankings Press Release (3/31/21)
- County Health Rankings & Roadmaps
- NASDOH Multi-Sectoral Alliance Resource Compendium (Winter 2021)
- Health Care Resource Guide: A Directory of Health Resources Serving Frederick County
- Cost Containment of Prescription Drugs Presentation
Background
The Frederick County Health Care Coalition is incorporated in Maryland and has a 501(c)(3) status.
The idea to form a coalition rose from the proceedings of the Frederick Health Summit [on Barriers to Access] held May 12, 2006. Over 100 diverse representatives from across the community who were impacted by and committed to acting on health access issues convened to examine and prioritize barriers to health care and to convert those barriers into goals and action plans. A summary of the proceedings was created and participants were invited to join a coalition in order to continue the collaborative process.
The first Frederick County Health Care Coalition meeting participants reviewed the prioritized goals from the Summit and formed work groups to target each area of concern which then led to the formation of committees focused on those same topics once the by-laws were passed.
Improving Availability & Accessibility to Health Care
Frederick County Health Access Program (FCHAP) - Program CLOSED 12/20/2013
- FCHAP connected approximately 500 low-income uninsured Frederick County residents with primary and specialty care providers and provides care coordination services for enrollees. The care donated in the last 5 years was valued at $850,000.
- With expanded health care coverage options for low to moderate income individuals becoming effective 1/1/14 (with enrollment begun 10/1/13), participants were encouraged and assisted with enrolling in new insurance plans or Medical Assistance, if now eligible. Those with MD’s Primary Adult Care coverage (PAC) were automatically transitioned by the state into full Medical Assistance, with coverage for specialty care, hospitalization, surgery, etc.