Baltimore Jewish Council
Fiscal and Policy Priorities
Capital Budget
Community Primary and Specialty Care Complex at Sinai Hospital $3 million FY17 & FY18
The State of Maryland has entered into a bold five-year health system transformation pilot program that
brings hospitals and their communities closer together to improve health outcomes and reduce health care
costs. Quality-based financial incentives reward providers for effectively managing chronic diseases to
prevent the need for hospitalization, or to provide early intervention. This mission is especially important
for Sinai Hospital because it serves a high-risk population in Park Heights, the center of the area’s Jewish
and African American communities. The complex will reduce preventable emergency room visits by
combining collaborative, multidisciplinary outpatient care at the primary, specialty and subspecialty levels.
In turn, this will lower costs for the state and increase the health of the local community.
Operating Budget
Sinai, Northwest & Carroll Hospital’s Diabetes Medical Home Extender Program $800,000 FY17
The Diabetes Medical Extender Program allows that uninsured and underinsured community residents
with diabetes obtain increased access to care in their homes, reducing the need for hospital and emergency
room visits. Diabetes is third most common cause of Medicaid hospital readmission. This program helps
patients better manage their conditions and avoid hospital readmission by combining the primary care of
internal medicine physicians with the supportive services of community nurses and social workers. Sinai
Hospital and the State of Maryland have saved a combined $1.4 million after two successful years of the
program. This increased funding would allow us to expand the program to Northwest and Carroll
Hospitals, creating new Community Health Worker jobs, increasing savings for Maryland and reducing the
need for hospital admissions.
Northwest Hospital Center’s Domestic Violence Prevention Program- $150,000 FY17 (level)
Maryland has the sixth highest rate of domestic violence in the country, with 23% of all reported state
domestic violence crimes experienced in Baltimore County. The Domestic Violence Prevention Program
(DOVE) educates medical staff and local police to recognize victims of domestic violence. DOVE offers
comprehensive hospital based services, including; emergency shelter, safety planning, strangulation
response, case management and therapy. In 2014 DOVE administered 49% of all Lethality Assessment
Program screenings given by participating hospitals in the state and provided crisis intervention to victims.
The Elder Abuse Center: An Associated Agency Collaboration- $75,000 FY17 (level)
Data from the 2010 National Elder Mistreatment Study indicates that 1 in 10 respondents over the age of
60 reported abuse in 2009. Currently, over 15% of Marylanders are over the age of 60 and the percentage
is steadily increasing. This means that 80,000 Marylanders could be experiencing abuse by a family
member or caretaker every year. The Stop Abuse of Elders Program (SAFE) was established to treat and
prevent elder abuse. This collaboration between agencies of The Associated provides an effective and
coordinated response for victims and their families and supplies prevention education for the community.
Supportive Community Network & Holocaust Survivor Funds - $575,000 FY17 (level)
The Supportive Community Network (SCN) helps Northwest Baltimore residents organize neighborhoodbased cohorts of older adults working together to support each other’s needs and interests. The network
provides enriched supportive services such as transportation, social activities, community health nurses
and social workers, allowing community members to “age-in-place.” Funding is also requested in the
budget to help cover the rising costs for Holocaust Survivors “aging in place.”
Maryland-Israel Development Center - $275,000 FY17 (level)
The Maryland-Israel Development Center (MIDC) is a non-profit economic development organization that
promotes job creation by facilitating bilateral trade, investment, and R&D cooperation between Maryland and
Israel. MIDC was established in 1992 as a partnership of The Associated, Maryland’s Department of Business
and Economic Development (DBED) and Israel’s Ministry of Industry Trade (IMIT). Recently MIDC brought
ELTA, the fourth largest radar manufacturer in the world and maker of Israel’s Iron Dome radar, to headquarter
its North American division in Maryland, creating approximately 100 jobs.
Programs Applicable to the Associated Agencies
In addition to the above agency requests the BJC will advocate to maintain FY 2016 funding levels for statewide
programs that support important work being done by the Associated agencies.
Jewish Community Services (JCS)
JCS, the Associated’s non-profit human services agency, works in partnership with the state through funding
from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Department of Aging and the Department of Human
Resources. JCS provides safety-net services to individuals in crisis, residential and supported-living services to
people with developmental disabilities, aging-in-place services for the elderly, mental health services and
immigration services.
The Jewish Museum of Maryland (JMM)
The JMM is America’s leading museum of regional Jewish history. The Museum serves a diverse constituency
of Jews and non-Jews of varied ages, backgrounds and interests throughout the state. Thanks to our inclusion in
the State Aided Institutions (SAI) budget, the JMM has significantly increased services to students and teachers
from Maryland public schools.
Comprehensive Housing Assistance Inc. (CHAI)
CHAI promotes stable communities for Jewish residents and their neighbors in Northwest Baltimore. Its many
projects help create and maintain affordable housing, improve public spaces, encourage neighborhood
investment and enhance the quality of life for residents. CHAI works in partnership with the state through the
Department of Housing and Community Development. These include the Community Investment Tax Credits,
Community Legacy programs, level funding for Strategic Demolition and funding for Rental Housing works.
Public Policy Issues
Education
With the support of Governor Hogan, we request level funding for Textbooks and Technology and Aging NonPublic School’s Programs. We also support the Maryland Education Credit, which provides a business tax
credit for donations to public and non-public schools.
Earned Sick Leave
There are currently over 700,000 Maryland residents unable to earn paid sick days, leaving them financially
vulnerable when they or a family member becomes ill. Therefore, the Baltimore Jewish Council has joined the
Working Matters campaign for earned sick leave for all Marylanders.
Coalition Work
We will advocate for policy that promotes reducing poverty, increasing affordable housing and bettering the
environment with our coalition partners, including Maryland Alliance for the Poor (MAP), Maryland Interfaith
Legislative Committee (MILC) and Energy Advocates.