In the last blog, I discussed how this April 18, 2024, session was exciting and informative. However, I didn’t discuss how much I learned about investments in filling gaps in medical care and also the investment in AI in health care.
Baltimore won one of the 31 national Tech Hub federal grants from the Biden Administration to create a partnership of several organizations (led by the Greater Baltimore Committee) to create opportunities for diverse organizations. At this session, representatives from the Greater Baltimore Committee, Fearless, UpSurge Baltimore Conscious Venture Partners, LLC, and Coppin State University. They are now preparing the Phase 2 applications for $70 million. Equity is embedded as a core concept in these programs. What is exciting is that they won the first grant – out of hundreds of applications. This go-round will be able to feature the accomplishments of the first grant and how this funding will continue the efforts. Listening to Ron Williams, PhD, Director of the Center for Strategic Entrepreneurship, speak about the goals of these grants – to move away from the “big organizations” and move to more grassroots development — was inspiring.
Then hearing about the “thinking” within the Maryland Department of Health was informative and lent a very different approach to how the Department is working to identify disparity gaps that often not considered at the depth needed to make a difference. This was a forward-thinking discussion with meaty points and challenges being faced.
My bottom line was partly disappointment. The information given in this April 18th meeting was so much more than I expected (realizing I wasn’t sure what to expect) but the number of hospitals participating was too low – meaning that many will not be knowledgeable about what is happening in Maryland. Let’s see if we can broaden the number of attendees for next year!
This blog post was created and shared by: Charlotte L. Kohler, President.
