Western Maryland Region: County Residents Encouraged to Join State, Local Health Officials for Forum - Listening Session on Public Health Initiatives Set for May 23

Received from the Maryland Commission on Public Health; Washington County Health Department.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE –

County Residents Encouraged to Join State, Local Health Officials for Forum

Listening Session on Public Health Initiatives Set for May 23

Hagerstown, Md. (May 1, 2024) – Maryland’s Commission on Public Health will hold a public listening session for western Maryland on Thursday, May 23, 2024, from 5-6 p.m. in the Washington County Health Department’s Behavioral Health Services Building at 925 N. Burhans Blvd. Members of the public are invited to attend the listening session in person to share their thoughts and offer ideas on any of the topics the Commission will report on.

This is the second in a series of five regional public listening sessions across the state. Future sessions will take place in the capital region, central Maryland and on the eastern shore.

The Maryland General Assembly created the Commission on Public Health to review what public health agencies need to serve communities. Commission members come from health departments, community and health care organizations, universities and other local groups. Community volunteers are also members of the Commission. Information about the basic public health capabilities of state and local health departments is currently being collected and analyzed to determine the state’s ability to respond to major public health challenges. The Commission will recommend improvements for public health departments in several areas, including:

the organization of public health departments;
how departments use information technology, exchange information with other organizations and collect and report data;
the people, funding and contract processes departments need to do the work;
how departments communicate with and engage community members/groups.

The meeting will be broadcast live on the Washington County Health Department’s YouTube channel – www.youtube.com/@washcohealth_md – and Facebook page – www.facebook.com/WashHealth/.

The public may send in written comments through this online form. Comments made in person and through the form will be shared with the Commission.

Accommodations for the listening session should be requested through the Washington County Health Department by emailing [email protected] or calling 240-313-3252. ASL and Spanish interpreters will be available on-site.

This session, and others like it, will help the Commission identify opportunities to improve the delivery of public health services across Maryland. For more information on the Maryland Commission on Public Health, please visit smchd.org/CommissionOnPublicHealth/

###