What is the greatest health care challenge facing Maryland today, and how do you plan to address it?
Staffing is one of the largest problems in the health care field. Hospitals are overcrowded and understaffed. Healthcare providers are being ""burnt-out"" at a higher rate than usual. Nurses are being assigned more patients than recommended, Providers are working extended hours. The state needs to come up with incentives to boost our healthcare employee numbers. This could include involvement from the hospitals and colleges. With multiple stakeholders, I feel we could come up with a solution to help increase workforce numbers.
Another major problem is the availability of psychiatric care. Patients are staying for days on-end in the Emergency Departments. This creates a lack of beds for other patients in need of care. It is also unsafe for the patients and the staff.
Maryland’s hospitals operate under a unique contract with the federal government that promotes community, equity, and value. It also contributes significantly to Maryland's economy. How do you plan to support the continued success of the Maryland Model?
Our state leads the health care field with this model. Everyone is given equal care for the same price at the same hospital. This is very important. Having an independent body overseeing this eliminates private groups benefitting over another. If hospitals were able to dictate prices, people would not seek care or delay it. I would explain how the Maryland Model works and why it is important to the well-being of our communities.
Maryland is experiencing a shortage of health care practitioners, especially nurses, that we project will worsen in the years ahead. How do you plan to address the immediate crisis and what will you do to make sure we have a robust and sustainable health care workforce pipeline?
As I mentioned in the earlier response, this is a huge issue for our state. We need to have the state, the hospitals and educational facilities come up with incentives for becoming a healthcare provider. The pandemic has led to many leaving their jobs and not coming back. It also caused a gap in new grads coming out into the field.
How would you increase availability of and access to health care for Marylanders?
Personally, I like the Mobile Health programs that many fire departments and health departments are initiating. This offers in-home visits for patients and can keep them out of the hospital. I would like to see this expanded into more jurisdictions and more readily available.
We also need to create and open multiple inpatient units for psychiatric adult care and specifically adolescent care units.
What policies will you pursue to improve health for all Marylanders? Please also consider the social determinants of health?
I would collaborate with the hospitals, health departments and agencies and work on addressing issues and supporting legislation.
How do you plan to address consumers' growing exposure to health care costs, such as high deductible health plans and rising prescription drug prices in Maryland?
The legislature needs to work with the stakeholders involved and come up with solutions. The rising costs will prevent patients from seeking care and will be detrimental.
Maryland’s worsening medical liability climate, as noted in a recent independent report, threatens access to, and affordability of, health care services in Maryland. Plaintiffs’ attorneys typically take 40% of a medical malpractice judgment. Do you support limiting attorneys’ fees so that the affected individuals can receive more of their settlement or judgment? What additional reforms would you support that balance supporting individuals and families harmed by medical malpractice with ensuring continued access to services in a community?
I think establishing a "cap" to the attorney fees could benefit the affected individuals. This could work similarly to the way the workers compensation fees are limited.
What are your priorities should you be elected, not confined to health care?
I would like to establish a ""safe station"" program throughout the state to help those combating addiction. This has worked great in Anne Arundel County and could benefit the state.
I also would like to see community relationships rebuilt with law enforcement agencies.
I would like to see state retirement taxes lowered. Too many retirees leave our state to save on taxes.
Feel free to check out my website for more of my platform information.