MARYLAND - The Maryland Department of Health has announced a Request for Applications to administer the Abortion Clinical Training Program.
In a press release, the Department said the program will help increase the number of healthcare professionals trained in abortion care, increase the diversity among healthcare professionals with that training and knowledge, and help to identify clinical sites in need of training.
The program is just one aspect of House Bill 937 concerning abortion care access that was passed in the Maryland legislature last year, after then-Governor Larry Hogan’s veto of the bill was overridden. The bill establishes both the training program and its funding.
Current governor Wes Moore officially released that funding in January of this year.
“On my first full day in office, we announced the release of $3.5 million in previously-withheld funding to support Maryland’s Abortion Clinical Training program,” Moore said. “The program will help ensure that Maryland remains a safe haven for abortion and is critical to providing safe and supportive reproductive health care access.”
The Health Department claimed 60 percent of counties in Maryland had no community-based clinics that provided abortions in 2020. The Training Program reportedly aims to expand the number of those clinics, especially in communities where abortions are more difficult to access and where people face discrimination within the healthcare system.
Interested entities are invited to apply for the Training Program via the eMaryland Marketplace. Applications will be accepted through May 15, 2023. The funding period is from July 1, 2023–June 30, 2024.
