Past Priorities
Accomplishments From the 2022-2025 Local Health Improvement Process (LHIP) Cycle
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. Guided by the 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA), our Local Health Improvement Process (LHIP) Workgroups have focused on three key community health priorities for the 2022–2025 cycle:
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
Mental Health
Type 2 Diabetes
As this cycle comes to a close, we are proud to highlight the meaningful progress made toward these goals—and deeply grateful to the funders and sponsors whose support has made this vital work possible.
See below for more detailed information about our work and findings.
2022-2025 Priority:
Adverse Childhood Experiences
Building Healthy Brains Reduces the Impact of Childhood Toxic Stress Across One’s Lifespan
No one gets to choose their parents, family situation, or major stressors in their early childhood. These early challenges have been shown to cause toxic stress that children carry into the rest of their lives.
These types of stressful events have been named, “Adverse childhood experiences” (ACEs). This toxic stress may weaken brain architecture and often presents an increase in risky behavior as children become teenagers. Our workgroup seeks to understand, educate, and prevent the effects of ACEs within adolescents.
What is categorized as an “ACE?”
The most recent Youth Risk Behavior Survey (2021) identified these ACE categories:
Witnessing Intimate Partner Violence
Separation from Parent or Guardian due to Incarceration or Detention
Household Mental Illness or Depression
Household Substance Misuse
Emotional Abuse by Parent or Adult in Home
In Frederick County, more than 50% of high school students report at least one ACE.
What’s the good news?
Protective factors reduce risky behavior in teens.
Even teens that have two or more ACEs will benefit from these protective factors, such as food security or a trusted relationship with at least three caring adults.
For more information, visit our YouTube Channel for ACEs.
ACEs Goals
Awareness: All sectors of Frederick County (including but not limited to healthcare, government, judicial and law enforcement, education, child care, housing, employment, business, civic and faith-based groups, and parent networks) will recognize the impact of trauma on health from preconception onward, and provide or support services for raising healthy children in safe, stable, nurturing environments
Prevention: All Frederick County residents have access to evidence-based or research-informed programs, resources, information and skills to raise healthy children in safe, stable and nurturing environments.
Treatment and Intervention: An equitable community-wide system of trauma-informed care provides accessible evidence-based treatments from trained, knowledgeable and culturally literate specialists in adequate supply.
Action Plan and Logic Model
Meeting Minutes
Workgroup Leadership
Pilar Olivo
Workgroup Lead and Board President
Principal, Adepta LLC
Erin Gambrill
Awareness Co-Lead
Frederick County Public Libraries, Youth Services Coordinator
Pat Rosensteel
Awareness Co-Lead
Children of Incarcerated Parents Partnership, Board President
Kathy Allen
Prevention Co-Lead
Frederick County Public Schools, Coordinator of ECE & Judy Centers
Barb May
Prevention Co-Lead
Frederick County Health Department, Director, Family Partnership
Lynn Davis
Treatment & Intervention Co-Lead
Frederick County Public Schools, Coordinator of Mental Health Services
Jay Hessler
Treatment & Intervention Co-Lead
Frederick County Health Department, Assistant Director of Behavioral Health Services Division
Staff Representative Coordinators
Malcolm Furgol
Executive Director
Coalition for a Healthier Frederick County
Marci Corea
Workgroup Coordinator
Coalition for a Healthier Frederick County
ACEs Workgroup Members
2022-2025 Priority:
Mental Health
Mental Health is Health
Mental health refers to the psychological state of wellbeing, and it directly impacts our physical health. Mental illnesses can disrupt the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that influence our wellbeing.
To impact our community’s mental health, we must educate all Frederick County residents to understand that “mental health” is “health.” To do this, we must remove the stigma surrounding mental health as well as increase access to mental health services and treatments.
What’s the state of mental health?
• 34,268 adults (16.4%) reported that they had at least 8 days of “not good mental health” per month in 2019.
• After several years of trending steadily, there was an increase between 2018 and 2019
What’s the good news?
Mental health disorders are common, treatable, and in some cases, preventable.
What factors influence mental health?
Risk Factors:
Genetics
Biology
Environment
Lifestyle
Protective Factors:
Supportive, positive relationships
Lifestyle
Environment
Resources
Community Engagement/Anti-Stigma: All Frederick County residents are aware that mental health is health and know how to access and receive mental health care. Mental health is health and viewed by the community as an essential and acceptable piece of an individual’s overall healthcare considerations. Reducing stigma is essential to the achievement of both of these goals.
Suicide Prevention: Eliminate suicide in Frederick County (Zero Suicide Model).
Workforce Development/Capacity Building: Frederick County residents will be able to access the full continuum of culturally competent, trauma-informed, high-quality mental health treatment services in a timely manner, through an increased capacity of mental health professionals and other trained support persons (i.e., Recovery Coaches, Community Health Outreach Workers) who can offer services.
Mental Health Goals
Action Plan and Logic Model
Meeting Minutes
Workgroup Leadership
Mary Lynn Hinde
Workgroup Lead
Trauma Responsive Frederick, Vice President
Catherine DiGennaro
Human Resources Professional & Mental Health Advocate
Sharon MacDougall
Community Member & Mental Health Advocate
Leslie Ruby
Community Member & Mental Health Advocate
Brooke DeSantis
Love for Lochlin, Founder, President, & Program Operations Director
Summer McClellan
LHIP Program Manager
Coalition for a Healthier Frederick County
Malcolm Furgol
Executive Director
Coalition for a Healthier Frederick County
Staff Representative Coordinators
Mental Health Workgroup Members
2022-2025 Priority:
Type 2 Diabetes
A Rising Chronic Illness that often Stays Undiagnosed
Diabetes is the sixth leading cause for death in Maryland, and while nearly 10% of Frederick County is currently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, scientists expect that another 21% may not even know that they have it.
Risks for type 2 diabetes increase with factors such as:
Rate of obesity
Food habits
Genetics and ethnic origins
What’s the impact of type 2 diabetes?
Diabetes is a chronic (long-lasting) health condition that affects how your body turns food into energy
Diabetes is now the sixth largest cause of death in Maryland
$4.9 billion estimated annual medical costs for Maryland as a result of pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes
The CDC predicts that 35% of Americans will have diabetes by 2050
What’s the good news?
The likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes decreases when risk factors are low and protective measures are high. We need cross-county collaboration to make it happen.
What Can We Do About Type 2 Diabetes?
Decrease Risk Factors:
Obesity
Poverty
Medication Cost
Stress
Mental Health Illness
Increase Protective Factors:
Increase access to healthcare
Increase physical activity
Education of risk factors
Community outreach
Awareness: Frederick County residents will understand what pre-diabetes and diabetes is, what their individual risk is and how it can be modified.
Prevention: Identify Frederick County residents with pre-diabetes. Of those identified, increase the percent who are aware of their increased risk of diabetes and the available resources
Management: Decrease volume of patients seen in local emergency departments, doctors’ offices, and Urgent care centers for acute diabetes treatment.
Type 2 Diabetes Goals
Action Plan and Logic Model
Meeting Minutes
Workgroup Leadership
Sara Littleton
Workgroup Co-Lead
Frederick Health
Laura DeFeo
Workgroup Co-Lead
Illumine & Align Health Coaching
The DeFeo Family Farm
Brooke DeSantis
Management Co-Lead
Love for Lochlin Foundation, CEO
Danielle Haskin
Management Co-Lead
Frederick County Health Department, Equity Office Director
Sharon Edelstein
Prevention Co-Lead
George Washington University Biostatistics Center, Lead Research Scientist
Dionna Ali
Awareness Co-Lead
Quinn Chapel AME Church
Staff Representative Coordinators
Malcolm Furgol
Executive Director
Coalition for a Healthier Frederick County
Marci Corea
Workgroup Coordinator
Coalition for a Healthier Frederick County
Type 2 Diabetes Workgroup Members
Accomplishments From Local Health Improvement Process (LHIP) Cycles prior to 2022
Dental Health Priority
The Frederick Medical Group Dental Clinic, which opened is 2016, treats patients who are uninsured, underinsured, or whom have limited means to pay for dental services. They are currently able to treat patients suffering from abscess, cavity fillings, and extractions. They offer a sliding fee schedule based upon 200% of the federal poverty level. The Dental Clinic is under collaboration with the University of Maryland School of Dentistry.
Behavioral Health Priority
The Mountain Manor Treatment Center at Marcies Choice opened in 2021 to provide treatment and hope to people struggling with addition.
Learn more by visiting the Mountain Manor Treatment Centers website here.
Senior Health Priority
Advocates for the Aging successfully advocated to Frederick County Government for the establishment of a division level office of aging and independence and continues to provide input and guidance to the division.
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Priority
Implemented cross system investments in positions and training
Launched the new Frederick Health universal newborn home visiting program, Family Connects Frederick County.
Learn more about Family Connects and schedule a visit at Newbornvisit.com.
