Highlights -

The 10th Annual Maryland Rural Summit

Oct. 17-19, 2007 -- Solomons Island, Maryland

The Maryland Rural Summit is an annual gathering of rural leaders in the public, private and non-profit sectors who come together to discuss the major issues confronting rural and non-metropolitan communities. Summit sessions are designed to explore challenges and solutions while taking advantage of the experience and knowledge of all attendees. Lively discussion and interaction among participants and presenters is highly encouraged.

Each year, the Summit is held in a different part of rural Maryland in order to give annual participants a clear understanding of the diversity of rural Maryland which spans from the mountains of the Appalachians to the tidewaters of the Chesapeake Bay. This year, in 2007, the Summit was held in Southern Maryland on Solomons Island, where the Patuxent River meets the Bay.

See the Final 2007 Summit Agenda (PDF - 13M)

Speaker Highlights

Below are some of the Powerpoint Presentations given by various speakers at the Summit. These have been converted to PDF for ease of viewing.

Keynote Addresses:
1. The Impact of Health Care Shortages on Rural America. Presented by Dr. Martin P. Wasserman, executive director, MedChi, the Maryland State Medical Society. (PDF - 4Megs) Dr. Wasserman provided an overview of the major challenges facing rural communities and their standards of living, now and in the future, due to the shortage of primary health care specialists.
2. Keynote 2: Killing Ourselves (and Our Economy) One Forkful at a Time: The Cost of Maryland's Obesity Epidemic, presented by Dr. Kenneth Stanton, cofounder of the University of Baltimore's Obesity Resarch Initiative. Dr. Stanton discussed the rising financial impact that obesity is having on the cost of doing business and on our economic competitiveness. He is the co-author of The Infrastructure of Obesity and the Obesity Epidemic: Implications for Public Policy.
Breakout Session) We're in this Together: A Regional Approach to Rural Prosperity. When organizations and local governments cross traditional boundaries, join forces and work together, they often accomplish more than they ever could alone. Learn about three organizations that do just that.
1. MARBIDCO, (PDF 5.5 Megs) the Maryland Agricultural and Resource Based Industry Development Corporation, presented by Executive Director Stephen McHenry;
2. The 2020 Rural Prosperity Fund, an initiative of the Rural Maryland Council, presented by RMC Executive Director David Jenkins;
3. The Maryland Rural Development Corporation Small Town Circuit Rider and Maryland Community Assistance Project, presented by Executive Director Kevin Brooks.
Curing What We Know Ails Us: Unveiling the Maryland Rural Health Plan and the Challenges and Strategies for Improving Rural Health This session discussed the strategies and recommendations identified in the newly released Maryland Rural Health Plan, as well as implementation strategies. Presented by Rebecca Love, Health Policy Analyst with DHMH, and Jake Frego, Executive Director, Eastern Shore AHEC. For a copy of the Rural Health plan.
Local Health’s Oversight Role with Farmer’s Markets and On Farm Food Sales, presented by Rodney Glotfelty RS, MPH, Garrett County Health Officer. This session discussed how new health department regulations can offer opportunities for economic activity within safety considerations. The session also addressed the importance of transparency and consistency for both regulatory compliance and farm profitability.

The Rural Summit thanks its 2007 sponsors.

Gold Sponsor: The University of Maryland School of Medicine

Silver Sponsors: Maryland Department of Housing & Community Development; the Public Libraries of Southern Maryland; Mid Atlantic Farm Credit; and Constellation Energy