In September 2020, the City of Baltimore, along with local and national organizations, created the Baltimore Health Corps (BHC) to help contain the spread of COVID-19 and to address the social needs of vulnerable residents. 

This is a first-of-its-kind model that equitably provided employment to trusted community members who conducted contact tracing and care coordination across Baltimore City. The initiative trained and employed over 300 residents in a time of record unemployment, generated long-term career paths, and at the same time supported the city’s public health response to COVID-19. 

A partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development (MOED), Baltimore City Health Department, Baltimore Corps, and HealthCare Access Maryland, HealthCare Access Maryland hired 43 team members to focus on the community health worker arm of the initiative. Our Community Health Workers were trained to support the social needs of Baltimore City residents, such as food access, health insurance, and social isolation needs, of those dealing with COVID-19. 

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, HCAM became a lead partner in the Baltimore Health Corps initiative to address the social needs of Baltimore City residents impacted by COVID-19. Here are some highlights from the Baltimore Health Corps program: 

• The BHC team assisted over 4,000 Baltimore City residents impacted by COVID-19 
• Assisted 2,362 clients with Amazon food boxes 
• Processed and distributed 1,701 COVID-19 wellness kits to Baltimore City residents 
• 3,000 resource bags assembled and provided to community members experiencing homelessness 
• Assisted clients in gaining access to 8,415 different social need resources 

To read more about BHC’s impact, check out HCAM’s blog post and Annual Report.