Leonardtown, MD — A coalition of more than 60 community partners and 100 individuals has been meeting over the last year to assess health issues in St. Mary’s County and come up with solutions. The Healthy St. Mary’s Partnership (HSMP) identified four key health priorities and the coalition members split up in four committees to deal with those issues..

For the first time June 4 everyone got together for the organization’s inaugural meeting at the Dr. James A. Forrest Career and Technology Center in Leonardtown. St. Mary’s County Health Officer and HSMP Chair Dr. Meenakshi Brewster (shown) gave the attendees an overview of the four identified problems and then four breakout sessions followed.

“The Healthy St. Mary’s Partnership provides a blueprint for location action and public engagement to improve the health of its residents,” Dr. Brewster said.

The four identified problem areas are: Access to Care, Behavioral Health, Healthy Eating and Active Living, and Tobacco Free Living.

According to information provided by Dr. Brewster to attendees, several factors influence how well residents can access the health care they need, including:

• “The availability of health care providers – Primary care, specialty care, behavioral health, and dental
• “Residents’ access to affordable health care, needed medication, health insurance, and the availability of health care providers that take their health insurance.
• “Reliable and easily accessed transportation to health care providers and institutions.
• “Cultural sensitivity of health care providers and the ability of residents to understand their health needs and health plan of action.”

Two objectives in the Healthy St. Mary’s 2020 Plan for access to health care were discussed. “One, ambulatory care sensitive conditions, highlights conditions for which good outpatient care can potentially prevent the need for hospitalization, or for which early intervention can prevent complications or more severe disease.

“The second (objective) focuses on youth oral health care access. This indicator shows the percentage of children (aged 0-20 years). Diseases of the teeth and gum issues can lead to problems with nutrition, growth, school and workplace readiness, and speech. Adoption and use of recommended oral hygiene measures are critical to maintaining overall health.”

The Behavioral Health Action Team of the coalition says, “Mental health and physical health are closely linked. Mental health status influences a person’s ability to maintain good physical health. Illnesses such as depression and anxiety may affect people’s ability to participate in health-promoting behaviors. Conversely, problems with physical health such as chronic diseases, may impact mental health and decrease a person’s ability to participate in treatment and recovery. A variety of organizations and individuals are working together to collaboratively implement evidence based strategies that will improve behavioral health for all St. Mary’s County residents.”

Regarding Tobacco Free Living, that team says, “The use of tobacco products and exposure to second-hand smoke combined represent the number one cause of preventable deaths in the United States. Smoking harms nearly every organ of the body, causing many diseases and affecting the health of smokers in general. Each year approximately 443,000 Americans die from tobacco-related illnesses.

Annually, tobacco use is estimated to cost the United States $193 billion in direct medical expenses and lost productivity. Quitting smoking has immediate as well as long-term benefits for smokers and their loved ones. Community-level action is needed to effectively help tobacco users quit use of cigarettes and other tobacco products, prevent youth and others from starting to use tobacco products, and to help nonsmokers avoid exposure to second-hand smoke.”

The Healthy Eating and Active Living group says those lifestyles “are essential in the prevention and control of chronic disease like diabetes, cancer, heart disease and high blood pressure. These chronic diseases contribute to the leading causes of death nationally and here in St. Mary’s County.”

After hearing about the four health subject areas, the attendees broke into groups to hear discussions about the Mobile Integrated Health Pilot Program, Trauma Informed Care, Implementing Complete Streets and Electronic Cigarettes.

The afternoon-long meeting concluded with a talk by Maryland Non-Profits Director of Public Policy Henry Bogdon.

More information about the coalition or access to its 2020 plans can be found at the HSMP website www.healthystmarys.com

Contact Dick Myers at dick.myers@thebaynet.com