When Maryland's Public Health Services Administration approved its Strategic Plan in May 2024, it signaled more than just a policy update. It marked a turning point in how the state approaches the fundamental systems that protect and promote the health of its 6 million residents.

At the heart of this plan lies Public Health Infrastructure. An ambitious commitment to rebuild, modernize, and reimagine how public health works across Maryland's diverse communities. Read on to see how Maryland plans to approach this massive undertaking. 

Public Health Data Modernization

Maryland's infrastructure plan includes clear, time-bound goals for data modernization. Why does this matter?

Consider a pregnant woman in Baltimore who's identified as high-risk through a Medicaid Prenatal Risk Assessment. Ideally, she should be seamlessly connected to perinatal care coordination services, potentially enrolled in the Maternal, Infant, Early Childhood Home Visiting program, linked to WIC benefits, and connected with a community doula, all while her healthcare providers coordinate care.

But in a world where data lives in disconnected systems, each of these handoffs becomes a potential failure point. A referral gets lost. A form doesn't get faxed. Someone falls through the cracks. Modern data infrastructure ensures information flows where it needs to go, when it needs to get there.

When someone struggling with substance use is ready to seek help, can they be quickly connected to harm reduction services, MOUD providers, and housing support? When a diabetes screening shows prediabetes, does the system automatically facilitate enrollment in a prevention program? Infrastructure makes these connections possible.

Public Health Infrastructure That Makes Everything Else Possible

Here's what makes public health infrastructure so crucial: it's the foundation that enables Maryland's other strategic priorities to succeed.

Want to reduce chronic disease through increased diabetes screening and prevention? You need a workforce trained to provide culturally competent care and data systems that can identify high-risk populations and track referrals to prevention programs.

Aiming to improve women's health outcomes and reduce maternal mortality disparities? You need community doulas, home visitors, and care coordinators who can communicate seamlessly across agencies and healthcare providers.

Trying to reduce overdose deaths and improve substance use outcomes? You need systems that connect people who use drugs with harm reduction services, housing support, and evidence-based treatment, often requiring coordination across multiple agencies and community organizations.

Working to prevent violence and address its root causes? You need data systems that can reveal where violence is concentrated, track the effectiveness of interventions, and support community-based programs.

Infrastructure isn't glamorous, but it's what makes everything else work.

A Connected Future

As Maryland works toward 2027, the vision is clear: a public health system where information flows seamlessly, where the workforce reflects and understands the communities it serves, where quality is consistently high across all 24 jurisdictions, and where individuals can easily access the services and support they need.

As Maryland rebuilds its public health foundation, technology partners like Blooming Health are helping make this transformation real on the ground. Blooming Health’s AI-assisted engagement platform enables local health departments and community organizations to:

• Connect residents across systems with multilingual, multichannel communication (voice, text, and email) that ensures no referral or follow-up is missed.

• Automate screenings and referrals, linking people to programs or harm reduction services with real-time updates and closed-loop tracking.

• Modernize data exchange with interoperability, helping agencies share information securely and act quickly when someone needs support.

• Empower the public health workforce through automation that reduces administrative burden and frees up time for direct community care.

In short, Blooming Health helps turn Maryland’s data and workforce modernization goals into everyday reality, building the connected infrastructure that ensures every Marylander can access the care, resources, and support they deserve.