Last week’s tragic shooting outside a Maryland hospital was yet another reminder that health care facilities — seen as safe harbors — are not immune to the violence that plagues our communities.​ That message also was driven home during a recent hospital visit, when executives told me that a spate of multiple-victim shootings in their normally quiet county had truly shaken associates and affected their work performance. The CEO of another hospital lamented countless assaults on hospital staff by both patients and visitors.

Maryland is a national leader in health care, Governor Larry Hogan proclaimed during Wednesday’s State of the State address.​ He held up Maryland’s success under its unique health care financing model against what he described as the health care failures at the federal level.​

The new Total Cost of Care Model presents ambitious targets for hospitals and health systems. And as you well know, the hospital field cannot meet them alone.​ That is why leaders in Annapolis and elsewhere must become fully informed about the model – its aims and the challenges our hospitals face – and how they can support your efforts. ​

Gov. Larry Hogan’s proposed fiscal year 2020 budget, released Friday, includes investments that support your mission of care, the health of all Marylanders, and the goals of the new Total Cost of Care Model.​

No matter your political leanings, it is obvious that Washington, D.C., is plagued by dysfunction and gridlock. The ongoing partial government shutdown, which began in December, is the third to have occurred in 2018 and, as of Saturday, is the longest in our nation’s history.​

When the General Assembly reconvenes in Annapolis Wednesday for the start of the 2019 legislative session, their docket will include many topics that affect your health systems, your patients, and your communities.