(a) For an area to receive a designation as a Health Equity Resource Community, a nonprofit community-based organization, a nonprofit hospital, an institution of higher education, a federally qualified health center, or a local government agency shall: (1) Apply to the Commission on behalf of the area to receive the designation; and (2) Include federally qualified health centers or other community- based organizations to provide health or wraparound support services within the Health Equity Resource Community. (b) Subject to subsections (c) and (e) of this section, the application shall be in the form and manner and contain the information that the Commission requires. (c) (1) The application shall contain an effective and sustainable plan to reduce health disparities, reduce costs or produce savings to the health care system, and improve health outcomes. (2) The application shall include: (i) A description of how the plan will expand federally qualified health centers' or other community-based organizations' capacity to provide health care services or wraparound services to address social determinants of health; and (ii) A description of how funding available under this subtitle will be used to address health disparities through evidence-based, cross-sector strategies that may include: 1. Building health care provider capacity; 2. Improving health services delivery; 3. Effectuating community improvements; 4. Conducting outreach and education efforts; 5. Implementing systemic strategies to improve coordination and communication across organizations that provide health care services; 6. Supporting community leadership development efforts; 7. Facilitating policy interventions to address upstream determinants of health; and 8. Implementing scalable approaches to meet the nonmedical social needs of populations identified in the most recent community health needs assessment, such as unstable housing, inadequate food, or job development. (d) The application may include: (1) A proposal to use funding available under this subtitle to provide for loan repayment incentives to induce health care practitioners to practice in the area; (2) A proposal to use innovative public health strategies to reduce health disparities in the area that may be supported by grants awarded under this subtitle, such as the use of community health workers, community health centers, federally qualified health centers, institutions of higher education, and community- based disease management activities; and (3) A proposal to use other incentives or mechanisms to address health disparities that focus on ways to expand access to care, expand access to nonmedical interventions that promote improved health outcomes, promote hiring, and reduce costs to the health care system. (e) The application submitted in accordance with this section shall allocate sufficient funding to cover salary and benefit costs for the evaluator required under § 20-1406 of this subtitle.
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