MedStar Health Welcomes Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger and Senator Chris Van Hollen

State and federal funds presented for Youth Violence Prevention Program

BALTIMORE— MedStar Health welcomed U.S. Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger and Senator Chris Van Hollen at MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center Sept. 30th, to announce a robust Youth Violent Offender Prevention program, made possible with generous federal and state funding and philanthropic support.

The Honorable Congressman and Senator presented Stuart M. Levine, MD, FACP, and addiction psychiatrist Corneliu Sanda, MD, chief of the hospital’s Behavioral Health department, with a check for $963,000 to expand services.

“We appreciate your support, your dedication to health care and mental health in particular,” said Dr. Sanda. “This program is incredibly valuable because with the funds, we can change the way we address behavioral health in the community. We figured out a long time ago in healthcare, that it's easier to prevent than treat, once it's already happened. And this is what we're going to do with this generous support.”

The funds will be appropriated into three areas:

• Community education and awareness to include community workshops
• Expanding MedStar Health’s Multi-Visit Patient Program (MVP) which targets patients who seek emergency care at least three times in a 90-day period, to address the driving cause(s)
• Grow the Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) teams in all the Baltimore MedStar Health hospitals’ emergency rooms, to offer solutions to patients in the throes of addiction

“The healthcare professionals at MedStar Health are working hard every day to keep the citizens of Baltimore healthy, including young people who are suffering from behavioral health issues, substance use disorders, and the effects of violence in our communities,” Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger said. “This federal funding will help them treat more patients and save more lives – it is exactly the type of smart and strategic investment the taxpayers expect and deserve. I want to thank my fellow appropriators for recognizing the need for this funding and including it in the 2024 funding bill.”

“Access to quality mental health and addiction services is essential to helping young people struggling with substance use and behavioral health needs. We fought to deliver this federal funding to provide MedStar with the tools to support Baltimore youth facing these challenges. By addressing these issues, we can create a safer and healthier environment for families across Baltimore City and County,” said Senator Van Hollen, a member of the Appropriations Committee.

We are so proud and thankful that our federal and state governments see these issues as a priority for us here in this community,” said Dr. Levine. “Putting resources into our youth, and preventing problems before they happen, and we think in an innovative way, honors those patients, their families and our community, we know we will be in a better place. I'm just so proud of this organization.”

MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center has one of the only adolescent behavioral health units in the state, and one of the largest emergency department-based crisis intervention units in the region.