The IPHI and Maryland Nonprofits partnership will support Maryland’s community-based organizations, faith-based organizations (C/FBO), and local health departments (LHD) in addressing the social determinants of health (SDoH). This partnership will utilize partner networks, experiences, and a repository of tools and resources to support capacity-building efforts.

Strategy Overview:

1. Assessment

• Conduct a thorough assessment of Maryland’s LHDs and C/FBOs to identify their strengths and capacity needs in addressing SDoH and promoting health equity.
• Use surveys, focus groups, and listening sessions to understand organizational needs.

2. Training

• Offer various online educational resources, including toolkits, equity assessment guides, on-demand learning events, recorded webinars, and newsletters.
• Plan and arrange workshops on specific topics, like the “Healthy and Equitable Communities” workshop.
• Plan a monthly 90-minute webinar series covering CBO/Nonprofit capacity.

3. Communities of Practice

• Organize up to five forums to share resources, best practices, and real-time project implementation feedback.
• These forums may discuss regional strategies to support health equity programming through workforce development.
• Participants can set agendas tailored to their needs and be acknowledged as subject matter experts.

4. Tailored Technical Assistance

• Provide support across various topic areas, prioritizing by assessment results and demand.

This project is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), with 100 percent funding provided by CDC/HHS.

The state (Maryland Dept of Health) is supporting this project and is funded by the CDC RFA OT21 2103 Grant, National Initiative to Address COVID-19 Health Disparities Among Populations at High-Risk and Underserved, Including Racial and Ethnic Minority Populations and Rural Communities, for the provision of technical assistance and capacity building services to Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), Faith-Based Organizations (FBO’s), and Local Health Departments (LHDs).