Record funding for public health in Howard County’s FY 2024 budget
On May 24, the Howard County Council voted to approve the FY 2024 budget, which includes critical investments in several important public health and racial equity initiatives. These include a new record level of funding for complete streets, $1.7 million for maternity care, funding for school-based mental health supports and more. We would like to thank County Executive Dr. Calvin Ball for his leadership and commitment to good health for all, as well as our County Councilmembers for their work and partnership to build a healthier, safer, more connected and more equitable community.
Howard County wins Best in the Nation for Complete Streets policy
AMAZING news! Howard County’s Complete Streets policy ranks as the best in the country, according to a new report from the National Complete Streets Coalition, a program of Smart Growth America. The Coalition analyzed 150 recently adopted safe-streets policies across the country and gave Howard County’s Complete Streets policy a score of 100, the highest possible score and the best in the nation.
“We are extremely proud that Howard County’s Complete Streets program is being recognized as the best in the nation by Smart Growth America,” said Nikki Highsmith Vernick, President and CEO of the Horizon Foundation. “Members of the community made it clear that they want to transform Howard County streets. Our county elected officials responded by passing a best-in-class policy and providing the necessary funding to make our streets safe and usable for everyone.”
“This is a win-win for Howard County and the nation. We are proud that the Howard County Complete Streets policy prioritizes equity to ensure that projects are being built in communities that have traditionally been overlooked,” said Jennifer Arice White, Policy and Community Engagement Director at the Horizon Foundation.
Read the report>>
Read our full press release>>
Watch our video on our complete streets journey>>
Thank you for a fantastic community summit!
We had a blast last month at our community summit, Reimagining Good Health for All: Dismantling Systemic Racism in Howard County. Thank you to our wonderful keynote speaker, Soledad O’Brien, for her insights and inspiration. Thank you to all of our speakers, community partners, vendors and all of you who helped make this event a success and contributed to such a rich discussion about how we can fight systemic racism and health disparities in our community.
Not able to attend? There are still opportunities to work with us and have your voice heard in the coming months before the Foundation launches its new strategic plan later this year. Learn more about our strategic planning process and get in touch with us with your thoughts about how we can make good health achievable for all. Keep an eye out for announcements in the coming months about our work moving forward and how you can participate.
Staff picks: what we’re reading, watching and listening to
- Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am (Netflix)
- What a Black man discovered when he met the White mother he never knew (CNN)
- Angel City (HBO)
- Leading with Questions: How Leaders Discover Powerful Answers by Knowing How and What to Ask, 3rd Edition, by Michael J. Marquardt and Bob Tiede
- AIR (Amazon Prime)
- Why Maternal Mortality Increased During the Pandemic (1A – NPR)
