The St. Mary’s County Health Department (SMCHD) hosted the Maryland Department of Health Deputy Secretary of Public Health Services, Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman, on Monday, December 11, 2023. 

“Our local health department team welcomed Deputy Secretary Kalyanaraman and highlighted our county’s efforts to advance health and wellness,” said Dr. Meena Brewster, St. Mary’s County Health Officer. “Collaboration between local and state health departments helps to coordinate resources and make our public health system more responsive to the needs of our community members.”   

The visit featured a meet and greet with SMCHD team members and tours of both the St. Mary’s County Health Hub and the Spring Ridge Middle School-Based Health Center. The Health Hub offers a wide range of services, including behavioral health screening, crisis counseling, a jail diversion program for substance use treatment and recovery, financial literacy education, and primary care medical services. The School-Based Health Centers - located at Spring Ridge Middle School and Margaret Brent Middle School - offer routine and urgent medical care, rapid testing and treatment for colds and chronic illnesses, sports physicals, and treatment of minor injuries for SMCPS students and employees during school hours and for all community members after school dismissal.

“It was wonderful to visit with the St. Mary’s County Health Department team,” said Dr. Kalyanaraman, Maryland Deputy Secretary of Public Health Services. “Local resources like St. Mary’s County Health Hub and the School-Based Health Centers are critical to improving health care access and positive outcomes for Marylanders.”

To learn more about the St. Mary’s County Health Hub, visit hub.smchd.org.

To learn more about the School-Based Health Centers, visit smchd.org/sbhc.