Health/ Local Government

Prince George's County Is Building Mental Health Institutions

Photo by Anaya Katlego on Unsplash

The county has put forth an effort to update its mental health infrastructure. In December, Sen. Van Hollen announced that he had secured, among other millions, $11.5 for health-related projects in Prince George’s County.

• A cardiovascular care center for diabetic patients at Fort Washington Medical Center.

• A new outpatient medical facility in Capitol Heights.

• The Roberta’s House culturally responsive grief support program; trauma-informed training for organizations that work with children and families in Prince George's County.

Last year, MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center opened a new adult behavioral health facility. Also, Luminis Health Doctors Community Medical Center opened another behavioral health center. In addition to all this, The Prince George’s County Public School system partnered with Hazel Health, a telehealth company, to provide mental health services to students.

None of this tells you about the health of each individual group or community in the county. However, it does inform you that the county is building and partnering with institutions to serve the needs of nearly 1 million residents.

All this building needs more context. Some years ago, the Rand Corporation assessed Prince George’s County community health and its lack of medical facilities. These assessments provided detailed recommendations on what the county needs to do in order to provide a healthy ecosystem for its residents. These assessments were done at two different times in 2009, and 2019.

Excerpt (2009):

Prince George’s residents are uninsured at relatively high rates. An estimated 80,000 County adult residents are uninsured, more than twice as many as neighboring Howard County and roughly one-third more than in Montgomery County.

Primary care physicians are in short supply in Prince George’s County. Prince George’s County has a substantially lower per capita number of primary care physicians compared with neighboring jurisdictions.

Prince George’s appears to have adequate hospital capacity. Hospital capacity in Prince George’s County appears to have kept pace with population growth. However, the County has a relatively low per capita supply of medical/surgical, obstetric, pediatric, psychiatric beds compared with neighboring counties. Prince George’s appears to have a relatively low per capita supply of emergency department (ED) treatment slots compared with other jurisdictions. At the same time, County residents used ED capacity more intensively than residents of other jurisdictions.

Prince George’s lacks a primary care safety net. The County’s capacity to provide safety-net care, beyond the hospital and emergency care, is limited. Relatively few primary care physicians practice in poorer areas of the County. Moreover, the County has only one federally qualified health center—Greater Baden Medical Services, Inc., which serves uninsured and low-income patients. Catholic Charities and Prince George’s Hospital Center also run clinics that provide care to the uninsured. Together, these clinics provide care for only a small proportion of the roughly 80,000 uninsured County adult residents.

Excerpt (2019):

Prince George’s County is at a critical crossroads with respect to its future health and well-being. Over the past decade, the demographics of the County have been evolving with a steadily growing number of seniors, Hispanic, and foreign-born residents. Additionally, the County’s healthcare landscape has changed through hospital mergers and acquisitions and will continue to evolve with the expected 2021 opening of the University of Maryland Capital

Region Medical Center. During this time, the Prince George’s County Council has pursued an active approach to health promotion, convening healthcare providers in the community and considering legislation to promote healthy behaviors. Along with these developments in the County, broader societal changes are happening, including national discussions regarding the increasing burden of chronic diseases, rising healthcare expenditures, and growing attention to the role of social determinants of health (SDOH). In this context, Prince George’s County is poised to consider and pursue new approaches to promoting and budgeting for health.

This health and human services need assessment is intended to assist the Prince George’s County Council, acting as the County Board of Health, in their pursuit of Health in All Policies, an approach that aligns county funding, across departments and services, with needs and desired health outcomes. To inform these decisions, there is a strong recognition of the need to not only understand the health needs of residents captured in prior health assessments, but to combine that with a more holistic analysis of the historical and systemic factors that influence health and well-being over generations.

You can view the Board of Health’s meeting here.

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Covid-19 (Read The People’s CDC Weekly Report Here).

* Covid-19 Data from Covid Act Now.

• New Cases: Over the last week, Prince George's County, Maryland had 789 new reported cases (87.0 for every 100,000 residents). Reported cases do not include all at-home positive tests. Grading is not applied to weekly new reported cases prior to April 18, 2022, indicated by the dotted line. This date marks our change to measure community risk levels, a framework that is only relevant for the current phase of the pandemic.

• Daily New Cases: Over the last week, Prince George's County, Maryland has averaged 113 new confirmed cases per day (12.4 for every 100,000 residents).

• Vaccination: In Prince George's County, Maryland, 856,098 people (94.1%) have received at least one dose, 720,203 (79.2%) have received at least two doses or a single Johnson & Johnson dose, 360,658 (39.7%) have received a booster dose, and 168,853 (18.6%) have received an updated bivalent booster dose.

• Positive Test Rate: In Prince George's County, Maryland, 13.8% of COVID tests were positive this past week. The positive test rate does not include data on at-home positive tests.

• Covid-19 treatment: COVID-19 treatments are available for positive individuals at multiple locations in Prince George’s County through the federal Test to Treat program. Find a nearby participating site where rapid tests are administered, and if positive, a prescription for COVID-19 treatments can be filled on the spot. 

• COVID-19 Testing Locations Map: Use the map to find testing sites located in Prince George’s County that are either operated by the County, the State, or a private organization. Please follow the appropriate instructions to get tested.
  

Covid In News:

• The pandemic after the pandemic: Long covid haunts millions of people

• We Still Don’t Know What Works Best to Slow the Spread Of COVID-19

• The Covid emergency in the U.S. ends on May 11. HHS officials say here’s what to expect

• What Happens When COVID-19 Emergency Declarations End? Implications for Coverage, Costs, and Access

• The Aftermath And Impact Of Covid-19 On Stock Markets

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Community News

1. The local government wants to get input from you about the Blue line Corridor. You can RSVP here.

2. District 7 Public Safety Virtual Town Hall

   Prince George's County Council Member Krystal Oriadha invites residents to attend the District 7 Public Safety Virtual Town Hall on Wednesday, February 22, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. Join Council Member Oriadha for an engaging discussion to determine how County officials and residents can work together to make our communities safer. Special invited guests include Prince George's County State's Attorney Aisha Braveboy, Prince George's County Police Chief Malik Aziz, and Prince George's County Sheriff John Carr. Register HERE.

3. Council Member At-Large Franklin to host 1st Quarter Advisory Neighborhood Community (ANC) Meetings. North County - Wednesday, February 15, 2023, 6:30 p.m. (doors open at 6:00 p.m.) Topic: Progress of the New Billion-Dollar Public-Private Partnership to Build New PGCPS Middle and Elementary Schools
   Greenbelt Public Library Auditorium (11 Crescent Road, Greenbelt, MD 20770). Register HERE

4. Council Member At-Large Franklin to host 1st Quarter Advisory Neighborhood Community (ANC) Meetings. Central County - Wednesday, February 22, 2023, 6:30 p.m. (doors open at 6:00 p.m.). Topic: Our County's Plans for Increasing Economic Growth - Better Retail, Job Creation, and Supporting Small/Minority Businesses
   Largo-Kettering Public Library Auditorium (9601 Capital Lane, Largo, MD 20774). Register HERE. For more information, please call (301) 952-2638.

5. Prince George's County Council Member Wanika B. Fisher will host a series of Council District 2 virtual community listening sessions, beginning January 25, 2023. Residents are encouraged to attend one of the six sessions, as Council Member Fisher will share her vision for serving the residents of Council District 2.

   Register HERE. For more information, please contact (301) 952-4436 or email councildistrict2@co.pg.md.us.

6. Join Prince George's County Council Ingrid S. Watson this February for a series of community meet & greet sessions throughout Council District 4. February 21, 7:00 p.m. Glenn Dale Civic Association Meeting
   (Virtual). For additional registration information, please contact Denise Mitchell at 301-952-3094 or email DCMitchell@co.pg.md.us.