Last week, Gov. Larry Hogan announced a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for hospital and nursing home staff. Under the orders, employees must have at least a first dose by Sept. 1, or face regular screening and testing. Maryland hospitals, of course, led early on vaccination. In June, UMMS and JHHS simultaneously announced they would require COVID vaccines for employees.

For many students returning to school in the coming weeks, it will be their first time learning in person in more than a year. In-person learning has rightly been prioritized to help students’ social, mental, and emotional well-being, to curb the digital divide that puts some students at a disadvantage, and to improve academic outcomes.

“Just get the damn vaccine.” Gov. Larry Hogan’s message was clear during Thursday’s press conference: The state is focused on COVID-19 vaccination as our best hope to save lives and return to normal.

COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are once again climbing nationwide, and we’re seeing slight, but continuous increases in Maryland. This along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s finding that the virus can be prevalent in the airways of vaccinated people and thus spread faster, mean that there is more work to do.

Maryland hospitals and health systems have long recognized that the medical liability system in our state is broken. It serves attorneys, not patients. MHA and your government affairs leaders persistently advocate for reform, but the system remains unfair—and unsustainable.

On July 1 our state reached a welcome milestone—fewer than 100 COVID-19 inpatients statewide. That figure has crept above 100 again, but many of your teams—including Frederick Health, Meritus Health, Adventist White Oak Medical Center, Luminis Health, and Suburban Hospital—celebrated a remarkable achievement in recent weeks: Zero COVID inpatients.

It’s working. That’s the assessment of the first two years of our Total Cost of Care Model released Friday by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Here in Maryland, we recognize our health care system’s unique ability to rein in total spending and strengthen whole-person care. We as a field have made strides demonstrating the value of the Maryland Model. As we approach important milestones in the effort to gain extension of our contract with the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI), we are committed to doing even more to communicate its benefits.

Last Thursday the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a 7-2 decision, rejecting the third challenge to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The court’s majority did not rule on the merits of the case but rather concluded the plaintiffs lacked standing because they weren’t harmed by the ACA provisions they found problematic.

The Health Services Cost Review Commission’s (HSCRC) move Wednesday to raise global revenue budgets 0.2% above inflation—or 20 basis points—will provide welcome resources as we enter the next phase of our recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

Last month, Gov. Larry Hogan announced his final legislative decisions from the 2021 session. He let some bills become law without his signature, notably the Health Equity Resource Act and MHA’s other priority equity bills, as well as the Medical Debt Protection Act and Essential Workers Protection Act.

We all know that health has both physical and mental aspects. During this pandemic our mental health has been challenged in ways we would have never imagined. You and your hospital teams have lived the trauma of COVID-19 on the job while still balancing your own home lives.

In two years, the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) will complete an evaluation of Maryland Model performance. That’s a key step in securing the federal government’s decision to extend the Model well into the future.

What your teams have done over the past 14 months is awesome. Despite all the obstacles your strength and bravery fighting COVID-19 have been truly remarkable. National Hospital Week is May 9-15. MHA is pleased to partner with local talent to give your hospital workers a special thank you. We want to recognize and honor your unprecedented support for the community during the pandemic.

Maryland continues to be a national leader in health care. Your success lowering the drivers of health care spending and promoting health equity are noticed—in Annapolis and in Washington, D.C.

Last week jurors in Minneapolis rendered a verdict of guilty in the murder of George Floyd. The judgment marked an important step in acknowledging systemic racism and accountability in the judicial system. Yet, we recognize the work to address systemic racism must continue. We in health care institutions are among those obliged to do that work.

As it has been for some time, health care was front and center during the Maryland General Assembly’s legislative session, which adjourned April 12. Under that spotlight, MHA and your hospitals told the story of your COVID-19 response, successfully promoted bills to strengthen health and health care, and supported measures to put Maryland on the path to health equity.

During Black Maternal Health Week, we are reminded of the unacceptable—and largely preventable—disparities that exist for Black women. Maryland’s maternal mortality rate of 24.8 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births (measured 2013-2017) ranks our state 22nd in the U.S. The rate for Black Marylanders is roughly four times higher.

Racist and xenophobic language associated with the coronavirus pandemic is believed to have fueled an alarming spike in physical violence against members of the Asian American community and online harassment over the past year.

With just three weeks left in the 2021 Maryland General Assembly session, there is positive momentum on many of MHA’s priorities to expand health care access and bolster health equity.