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2005 Rural Achievement Awards Announced

Four rural organizations and five rural leaders (including two state legislators) were recognized for their outstanding efforts to improve the quality of life in rural Maryland during the Annual Rural Awards Luncheon held during the 8th Annual Maryland Rural Summit on October 28. The Rural Awards and the Annual Rural Maryland Summit are sponsored by the Rural Maryland Council, the Maryland Rural Health Association, the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Office of Primary Care and Rural Health, and the state’s five rural regional planning and development councils. Award winners – all of whom are nominated by their colleagues – are listed below:

Outstand Rural Legislator Award
The Outstanding Rural Legislator Award recognizes outstanding leadership in promoting legislation that benefits rural communities. Two equally deserving rural legislators -- one from Western Maryland, the other from the Eastern Shore -- were chosen to receive this award.

Delegate Robert McKee. from District 2A in Washington County, is chairman of the Western Maryland Delegation, and co-chair of the Maryland General Assembly’s Rural Caucus. From his perch as a senior minority member of the House Ways and Means Committee, Delegate McKee tenaciously led the charge to provide substantial and ongoing sources of funding for both the MAERDAF and MARBIDCO programs during the 2005 legislative session. MAERDAF, the Maryland Agricultural Education and Rural Development Assistance Fund, was a RMC and Rural Caucus initiative, passed in 2000, that provides grant funding to rural nonprofits and community colleges involved in agricultural education, and rural business and community development. Delegate McKee tirelessly lobbied to get House Bill 1029 passed, which provides for an alternative source of special funding for the MAERDAF Program. MARBIDCO, the Maryland Agricultural and Resource Based Industry Development Corporation, was created by the Governor and General Assembly in 2004. MARBIDCO -- which is modeled on other state development corporations that help the technology and manufacturing sectors -- is slated to provide much-needed financial, business planning, and marketing assistance to Maryland’s agricultural, forestry and seafood businesses. Delegate McKee joined fellow Delegates Dave Rudolph and Norm Conway – and the entire Rural Caucus – in sponsoring House Bill 1594 which was enacted. This bill authorizes the Governor to put up to $5 million each year in the State Budget for MARBIDCO.

Delegate David Rudolph, from District 34B in Cecil County, is a senior member of the House Health and Government Operations Committee and chairs its Pharmaceuticals Subcommittee. In addition to playing a vital role in pushing for MARBIDCO funding during the 2005 Session, Delegate Rudolph championed rural prescription drug access. Delegate Rudolph and his committee led the debate in the House of Delegates, and ultimately House Bills 1143 and 1287 were signed into law. The new Maryland Prescription Drug Program is designed to achieve significant savings on the cost of prescription drugs for state employees and retirees. Delegate Rudolph was also recognized for his leadership on two other bills. (1) House Bill 1143 redefines eligibility for the Maryland Pharmacy Discount Program whereby low income Marylanders not covered by Medicare and lacking prescription drug coverage will receive assistance covering their medicine costs; and (2) House Bill 324 creates the new Senior Prescription Drug Assistance Program to help cover a portion of the costs of Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage premiums and deductibles.

Outstanding Rural Economic Development Award
The Outstanding Rural Economic Development Award was presented to the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission. The SMADC was honored for developing an array of programs that help the five-county region (i.e., Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Prince George’s and St. Mary’s Counties) make the transition from a tobacco-based economy to one supported by the production and sale of healthful farm-grown products. The scope of the commission’s programs is broad and includes: Agricultural Land Preservation, a Marketing Southern Maryland Initiative, Agribusiness Development and Agritourism, and Leadership and Entrepreneurial Education components. For instance, the commission has partnered with neighboring counties to leverage funds to preserve nearly 15,000 acres. The commission’s initiative to market Southern Maryland by way of the “So Maryland, So Good” (SMSG) program seeks to directly link farmers and buyers, add value to local agricultural products through the use of an identifiable logo, and to educate consumers about the benefits of buying from and supporting local products. The marketing campaign includes an information-packed website, as well as printed materials, including the coveted Harvest Guide, which educate the public about the importance of buying locally and direct consumers to restaurants and farmer’s markets where the produce can be purchased and enjoyed.

Outstanding Rural Community Development Award
The Outstanding Rural Community Development Award was presented to the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy. The Eastern Shore Land Conservancy’s mission is to sustain the Eastern Shore’s rich landscapes through strategic land conservation and sound land use planning. Since 1990, ESLC has preserved 196 properties totaling 36,405 acres in the six mid- and upper-shore counties of Dorchester, Caroline, Talbot, Queen Anne’s, Kent and Cecil. The conservancy envisions an Eastern Shore where towns are vibrant and well defined: farms, forests, and fisheries are thriving and scenic; historic, natural, and riverine landscapes are maintained. Working with the local county governments, local mayors, farmers, citizens and experts, the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy is moving toward that vision. The six counties showed great leadership by passing a resolution of support for Eastern Shore 2010, which included four important goals: (1) Strive to protect Eastern Shore land outside of locally designated growth areas from development through the use of voluntary preservation programs by 2010; (2) Recognize the resource-based economy as a key part of the Eastern Shore heritage and integrate it into each county’s economic development plan by 2005; (3) Work with existing communities to guide at least 50 percent of new annual development into designated growth areas by 2005; and (4) Develop a regional transportation plan that integrates the use of public transportation and alternative modes of transport within and among communities by 2010. The ESLC has a web site, which allows the region’s planners and citizens to learn more about how to preserve the rural way of life.

Outstanding Rural Health Program Award
The Outstanding Rural Health Program Award was presented to Garrett County Health Department Dental Care Program The Garrett County Health Department responded to an enormous lack of dental care by taking the lead role in developing “Something to Smile About,” a network of community dentists. In setting up the program, the health department negotiated a higher rate of reimbursement, assisted network dentists with claim submission, guaranteed payment for valid claims, initiated a public health dental clinic, and renewed efforts in community health education around dental issues. These improvements resulted in the more dentists seeing MCHP and MA patients; however, it also resulted in more patients seeking care. To meet the demand, the health department opened a dental clinic in the health center and established a dental surgery center at Garrett County Memorial Hospital. The network also advocated for fluoridation of community water supplies and for an increase in oral health education in the public schools. The program has resulted in many improvements in oral health data in Garrett County. In 1998, 41 percent of children registering for kindergarten had untreated dental decay compared to just 18 percent in 2005. Today, more than 68 percent of families have access to fluoridated water. Additionally, 1,504 children received dental care in 2003, up from the 517 who received care in 2000.

Outstanding Rural Health Achievement Award
The Outstanding Rural Health Achievement Award was presented to the Wicomico County State’s Attorney’s Office for the Wicomico EXILE Program. Wicomico County has the third highest gun-crime rate per capita in the state, just behind Baltimore City and Prince George’s County. A weed and seed initiative, funded through the Department of Justice, was designed to “weed” out violent crime while “seed” in social services and economic revitalization. A task force was developed to enhance and broaden that collaborative effort and created the Crime Prevention Program, and, most significantly, the Wicomico EXILE program, which informs high-school aged youth about the consequences of gun possession and gun crime and to give them guidelines for making positive life choices. Since the majority of gun crimes in the area are committed by individuals ages 15-22, the EXILE program is an important aspect of the community’s efforts to reduce crime. Since the inception of the Wicomico EXILE in July 2003, 260 firearm cases have been prosecuted, leading to a total of 726 years of felony convictions.

Outstanding Rural Health Practitioner Award
Outstanding Rural Health Practitioner Award was presented to Michael A. Stevens, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Allegany County.Mr. Stevens has been instrumental in designing and administering programs focused on the delivery of services to at-risk populations in Allegany County for more than 30 years. He helped design and administer service delivery through the county’s Patient and Family Caregiver Support Program. Mr. Stevens has also administered the Senior Care Program for the past 30 years, which provides in-home assistance and funding to low-income persons aged 65 and older, with the goal of preventing premature nursing home placement. This program also provides financial assistance and in-home providers, which allows families to manage their loved ones in the community for as long as possible. Mr. Stevens also established The Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Support Group and volunteers much of his time in planning and leading Alzheimer’s awareness activities. The programs that Mr. Stevens has initiated or influenced during the last 30 years have exhibited longevity and integrity, as well as lending hope and compassion to Allegany County residents.

Outstanding Rural Volunteer Award
The Outstanding Rural Volunteer Award was presented to Annie Kronk, Ph.D, who retired in 2001 as The Johns Hopkins University’s director of state and local affairs and special assistant to the president, a position she held for nearly 20 years. This award is given to an individual for leadership, dedication, and noteworthy volunteer achievement beyond the call of one’s professional duties Since her retirement, Annie spends much of her free time volunteering with the Rural Maryland Council, where she serves as First Vice Chair and Chair of the Health Care Working Committee. She remains active in the Maryland Rural Health Association, where she served on the board of directors for many years, and in numerous civic, church and community organizations. Over the past 18 months, Annie led her colleagues on the RMC’s Health Care Working Committee and the Maryland Rural Health Association’s Legislative/Policy Committee in researching issues related to Medicare Part D, the new federal prescription drug program and its impacts on Maryland’s state pharmacy programs. Two well-received public forums on access and issues in medicines for Marylanders helped focus the health community on changes in state-funded pharmaceutical programs made during the 2005 Legislative Session. In addition, Annie occasionally teaches courses in politics and policy, and regularly consults with higher education organizations and others on educational and rural health policy issues. She has co-authored books and articles, and currently researches, writes, and consults regularly with the Maryland Association of Community Colleges.


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