2022-2025 LHIP Workgroups and Final Quarterly Meeting Recap

At the Coalition for a Healthier Frederick County, our mission is to improve wellness and resiliency to equitably impact the lifelong health of all Frederick County residents. The 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) identified the following Frederick County community health priorities to be addressed by LHIP Workgroups over the 2022-2025 Local Health Improvement Process (LHIP) cycle: 

• Mental health 

• Type 2 diabetes 

• Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)

As the cycle ends, we are thrilled to share how meaningful an impact our Workgroups made on our community’s wellness, resiliency, and overall well-being. In addition, we would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of our valuable funders and sponsors whose generosity makes this work possible.

Our final quarterly meeting of the cycle took place on April 24, where each Workgroup shared their valuable achievements and impact. Click the buttons below to view the meeting recording and presentation slides.

Recording Passcode: 8GZe=#Wp

Type 2 Diabetes Workgroup

Presentations began with the Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) Workgroup, co-led by Sara Littleton and Laura DeFeo. Laura shared just how the Workgroup has created a lasting impact in the community. For instance, they successfully secured $150,000 from Frederick County American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to provide scholarships that covered the cost of Frederick Health’s Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) fees for 140 at-risk community members who do not have insurance or who have insurance, but the DPP is not covered. This personalized program can help cut the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 58% (71% for people over 60 years old) by offering things like healthy eating tips and exercise guidance, stress management and motivational support, a dedicated program navigator, and more.

As a result of receiving a Communication Strategies grant, the T2D Workgroup designed marketing materials to promote diabetes awareness and education through a postcard mailing campaign to 8,000 targeted zip codes between January – June 2024. Materials were shared in English and Spanish. As part of the campaign, they developed a toolkit that included flyers, visual and demonstration kits, and several other healthy lifestyle resources. Along with these educational resources, they also participated in 37 community events across Frederick County during this time, resulting in 1,117 interactions with the public and 343 individuals mentioning that they are interested in a follow-up.  

In August 2024, the Workgroup achieved the highest program recognition level of Full Plus, a designation reserved for programs that have effectively delivered a quality, evidence-based program that meets all the standards for CDC recognition (e.g., eligibility standards and participant risk-reduction outcome standards), as well as meeting additional participant retention thresholds set forth by the CDC. 

Mental Health Workgroup

The Mental Health Workgroup, led by Andrea Walker from 2022 – early 2024, and then by Mary Lynn Hinde, revolved efforts around mental health education and awareness to help eradicate stigma, connect residents to resources, and ensure our community recognizes mental health as health. 

A distinguished accomplishment was when the Suicide Prevention subcommittee formed a sustainable Suicide Prevention Coalition, which is now housed and managed by the Frederick County Health Department. Learn more about their efforts here. The Workgroup also created and disseminated mental health resource rack cards and positive language reframing cards in effort to increase awareness of local and state resources and reduce stigma. 

Apart from these resources, they launched From the Heart: Creative expressions in mental wellness, an art and mental wellness-based campaign whose mission was to foster an inclusive and compassionate community by embracing the power of art to challenge social stigmas surrounding mental health. The campaign hosted 5 monthly events, each intended for various diverse audiences, that provided space for participants to freely express themselves through a multitude of art forms, including poetry, painting, singing, dancing, drawing, and more. View event recaps here. 

The Workgroup partnered with Frederick County Workforce Services for two sessions of their Recovery is Good Business workshop, which provides businesses with the latest results-oriented workforce development techniques to expand their workforce and drive their company forward. The interactive workshop is designed to transform workplaces into recovery-friendly environments. It teaches the essentials of supporting staff navigating mental health and substance use recovery while empowering your business to foster an inclusive, supportive culture. 

For their final project, the Workgroup launched “You Good? A Survey on Men’s Mental Health,” with the purpose of gaining a foundational level of knowledge around what men are experiencing when it comes to their own mental health and wellbeing. With funding support from the Delaplaine Family Foundation, they aim to develop a community-driven communications campaign that promotes awareness, reduces stigma, and connects men with the resources they need to prioritize their well-being. This project will continue by the 2025-2028 Mental Health Workgroup.

ACEs Workgroup

ACEs was first identified as a LHIP priority in 2016, and the Workgroup has made tremendous progress over the years. Pilar Olivo, Healthier Frederick Board President, led the ACEs Workgroup. 

Frederick Health's Family Connects Program came to fruition through collaborative efforts of the Workgroup to research, identify and secure funding for an evidence-based practice to reduce and prevent ACEs in our community. Family Connects is a free, voluntary at-home nurse visiting program that offers wellness visits and personalized resources for the birthing parent and baby, and more. The group was also able to secure an $8 million implementation grant for Frederick Health to start the Family Connects Frederick County program from Frederick County ARPA funding. This was the largest County ARPA grant awarded to an external entity.  

To increase the capacity of the local mental health system to provide evidence-based trauma treatment modalities for children and families, the Workgroup secured ARPA funding to provide 22 mental health providers with Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Easy Ego States Intervention training scholarships. 

The Workgroup has also promoted educational resources, such as Serve and Return method videos, brain building materials, information about the Maryland Behavioral Health Integration in Pediatric Primary Care, and national and community reports. Furthermore, the Workgroup collaborated with Frederick County Public Libraries, Frederick County Division of Family Services, and the Child Advocacy Center of Frederick County to launch the Mind+Body Kids Yoga Series. This series taught participants about how yoga helps manage emotions and ways in which Frederick County supports youth development.

Our April 24 quarterly meeting also welcomed Frederick County Health Department’s Jay Hessler and Hillary Gross, who shared Frederick County suicide data and Suicide Prevention Coalition efforts. View the slides and/or the meeting recording to learn more.  

By the force of collective impact, our passionate and dedicated Workgroups have alleviated and improved health disparities experienced by our residents through their strategic programs, community outreach, education, and more. We look forward to seeing the great accomplishments that our 2025-2028 Workgroups will achieve!