Look for the helpers
It’s an understatement to say that the past few years have been difficult for public health. As many of you know, I was born and raised in western Pennsylvania (Go Steelers!), near where Mr. Rogers lived and aired his famous Mr. Rogers Neighborhood television show. Mr. Rogers said, “When I was a boy and something bad happened on the news, my mother would tell me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” Hard times require helpers to stand up and do the work. And that’s exactly what I’ve been seeing here in Howard County. In fact, I’ve never been prouder of the unsung heroic work of my Horizon Foundation colleagues, our grantees, partners, and dedicated community leaders like you.
Read this month’s blog from our Chief Program Officer, Dr. Glenn Schneider, about our recent work alongside numerous local and state partners to continue the fight for public health.
We need your help to defend Medicaid and protect our health care coverage!
H.R. 1, passed by the federal government last summer, included the biggest-ever cut to Medicaid in our nation’s history as well as changes to the program, such as work requirements, that are anticipated to cause about 130,000 Marylanders to lose their health care coverage.
We need the General Assembly to 100 health workers to the state budget to help Medicaid enrollees keep their health insurance coverage. Send your message to the General Assembly today: protect Marylanders’ health care coverage!
Housing is heating up in Howard County
The Foundation was excited to support the launch of two housing affordability initiatives by County Executive Calvin Ball. New legislation was announced that would provide funding for the Housing Opportunities Trust Fund and help address the housing shortage in our community. A stronger Trust Fund means more affordable housing options for seniors, people with disabilities, young professionals and working families. The County also announced it has acquired property in North Laurel that will be used for the construction of a mixed-income homeownership community. Thank you County Executive Ball for your leadership!
We were also proud to join our grantee and partner PATH, part of the Maryland Just Power Alliance, at their Howard County Candidate Forum earlier this month. More than 500 people showed up to hear candidates speak about important issues like health, housing, food security, immigration and more and to hear stories from those most affected in our community.
Congrats to our own Dr. G, DrPh, MPH, FNAP!
We are thrilled to announce that our Chief Program Officer, Dr. Glenn Schneider, was named as a Distinguished Public Policy Fellow in the Public Health Academy at the National Academies of Practice! This honor is extended to those who have excelled in their profession and are dedicated to advancing interprofessional education, scholarship, research, practice and policy in support of interprofessional care, and is recommended by a select committee of peers. The Foundation is so proud and lucky to have Glenn (aka “Dr. G”) to help guide our work in the community. Congratulations!
Coming soon: Birth justice RFP
The Foundation will be releasing an RFP in the coming weeks for organizations to join us in our policy and advocacy efforts to improve maternal and infant health, and to build a movement for birth justice. Stay tuned for more information!
First Thursdays – April 2
Let’s keep our great 2026 First Thursdays community conversations going! Our next gathering will take place on April 2 at 10 a.m. at the Horizon Foundation’s office. Please join us and your fellow Howard County residents for connection and community. To join, please RSVP to our Senior Power and Movement Building Officer, Gerardo Benavides, by Monday, March 30. Contact us with any questions!
Staff Picks & Resources: Check out what we’re reading, watching & learning
- Health and Wealth with Baby Bonds (Public Health On Call – Johns Hopkins)
- Welcome to the Era of Relational Intelligence (Stanford Social Innovation Review)
- The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
- 5 words that shape social change (and how they limit us) (Collective Change Lab)
- An Ivy League town faces bitter battle over affordable housing (Washington Post)
