BALTIMORE — With federal Medicaid cuts looming, faith leaders, elected officials, and healthcare systems are coming together in Baltimore to figure out ways to close gaps in care.
The Trust-Based Community Health Summit brings together voices from local hospitals like Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland, along with providers such as CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, to explore ways to reduce health inequities in Black and Brown communities.
“We’re able to catch disease early. These are people that were about to go to the emergency room, but we’re catching it, so what are we doing? We’re saving lives," said Dr. Terris King, pastor of Liberty Grace Church of God.“
King is one of the leaders behind the engAGE with Heart program, a partnership that connects hospitals with faith-based organizations to provide health screenings, education and connect people with resources.
“We come in here [Liberty Grace Church] on Sunday mornings with the University of Maryland and we screen folks across Baltimore to make sure we catch their disease before they end up in the emergency room,” said King. “It’s successful. 80% of the people say, ‘I really have learned more about my body, about my health, about working with my doctor.’”
According to the Maryland Department of Health, as many as 175,000 residents could lose Medicaid coverage due to federal spending cuts.
“This is the time, after what happened on July 4th, where more people could lose their Medicaid, where more people could lose their food stamps,” said King. “It’s time right now for the church to have a shared vision with our healthcare community to make things better.”
King says their community-led model is proving effective. He says since January, 100% of patients enrolled in their post-hospital discharge program have not been readmitted.
"Throughout Baltimore City as part of engAGE with Heart, Hopkins is sending us patients from the ICU to work with them and keep them out of the hospital once they're discharged. We're giving them food, we're giving them transportation, we're setting up their doctor's appointments, we're making sure their housing is ok," said King.
As a former senior executive at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, King comes to the table with decades of experience. He also helped lead Baltimore’s COVID vaccine outreach for churches, synagogues, and mosques. He says the suffering he witnessed during the pandemic hasn’t gone away.
“We have people I met at the height of COVID who said they were suffering—and they still are,” he said. “We’ve got to relieve that suffering and help people. This is about saving lives and making Baltimore City and Maryland better for everyone.”
The summit will be held Tuesday July 30, 9am to 4pm at the Thurgood Marshall Amenities Center.
