LEONARDTOWN, MD (August 31, 2026) – The St. Mary’s County Health Department (SMCHD) has been awarded $3,530,907 through the Maryland Rural Health Transformation Program to launch St. Mary’s 360: Connected Care Everywhere, a countywide initiative to improve access to care and health outcomes for St. Mary’s County residents.

St. Mary’s 360 is designed to make it easier for residents to connect with healthcare, behavioral health, oral health, wellness services, digital health supports, and community resources that support better health.

“People should not have to figure out the health system alone,” said Dr. Meena Brewster, St. Mary’s County Health Officer. “St. Mary’s 360 brings partners, technology, and trusted local services together so residents can get connected and stay connected – to health care, to wellness support services, and to better health.”

The initiative will use community-integrated care coordination, mobile and community-based outreach, digital health supports, and the St. Mary’s County Health & Wellness Portal to strengthen connections between residents, healthcare providers, public health programs, and community partners.

How St. Mary’s 360 Works

St. Mary’s 360 will bring services and supports closer to where residents live, learn, work, and receive care. Key components include:

• Community-Integrated Care Coordination: Dedicated care coordination staff will be located across clinics, schools, community programs, and other local access points to help residents navigate services, complete referrals, and stay connected to ongoing care and support services.
• Health & Wellness Portal: The initiative will expand use of the St. Mary’s County Health & Wellness Portal as a local directory, referral, and care coordination tool to help connect residents with health, wellness, and community-based services.
• Digital Health Supports: Eligible participants may receive digital health supports such as help using telehealth, remote monitoring tools, and health devices such as blood pressure cuffs or other home monitoring equipment.
• Mobile Outreach: A Mobile Integrated Health team, working with local emergency services partners, will provide home-based and community-based outreach for residents who have difficulty accessing care, experience repeated emergency service use, or need additional support connecting to ongoing community services.
• Prevention and Wellness Services: St. Mary’s 360 will strengthen connections to primary care, chronic disease prevention, wellness programs, behavioral health supports, oral health services, and other local resources that help residents stay healthy.

Project Partners and Supporting Organizations

St. Mary’s 360 builds on existing local services and partnerships rather than creating a stand-alone program. Key partners include:

• Greater Baden Medical Services
• St. Mary’s County Ambulance and Rescue Squad Association
• St. Mary’s County Department of Emergency Services
• St. Mary’s County Detention and Rehabilitation Center
• St. Mary’s Family YMCA
• University of Maryland Horowitz Center for Health Literacy
• WellCheck

“This award is an investment in the health of St. Mary’s County,” said Dr. Brewster. “It gives us the opportunity to build a more connected local system – one that meets people earlier, supports them longer, and helps them reach the care they need.”

Learn more about SMCHD’s programs and services at smchd.org.

To learn more about the Maryland Rural Health Transformation Program, visit Maryland’s Rural Health Transformation Program webpage.

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The Maryland Rural Health Transformation Program is supported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award to the Maryland Department of Health totaling $168,180,837.61 with 100 percent funded by CMS/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by CMS/HHS, or the U.S. Government.