In his address last Tuesday, Gov. Hogan suggested the state of our state hinges on stemming the pandemic. He said Maryland was put to the test over the past year, but Marylanders rose to the challenge.

This is true of our hospitals and our workers, who Gov. Hogan praised. He noted we added thousands of beds and fought to overcome the PPE shortage. He called out the “amazing courage, compassion, and strength” of first responders.

Now, our path forward is tied to the vaccine rollout, which faces challenges. “Getting a vaccine to everyone who wants one will be a much longer and much more difficult process than any of us would like it to be,” he cautioned. The amount of vaccine available “is just a tiny fraction” of what’s needed.

You have stood up since day one not only to vaccinate team members but also to take care of your whole communities. You’re giving great attention to fairness and equity—notwithstanding your lack of control over so many factors.

Your frustration with the uncertainty and the variability in vaccine allocations is completely understandable. And it’s you who must face people’s disappointment when they cannot get the much-hoped-for shots.

We at MHA have advocated, and will continue to advocate, for our members to get a proper share of the product and for there to be consistency and predictability in the flow of vaccine doses. Our State partners are acting in good faith and they themselves are at the mercy of changing federal policies and uncertainty in the supply chain. Yet there’s room for improvement.

Throughout the year you and your teams have surmounted unimaginable obstacles and you will continue to do so. At MHA, we will continue to do all we can to ease your efforts.

Bob Atlas
President & CEO