The Maryland Department of Health is awarding $10 million to increase fresh produce access in high-poverty communities including the Eastern Shore, $400,000 of which is earmarked for the Center for a Healthy Maryland  which serves Caroline and Dorchester Counties.  State health officials say the goal of the funding is to improve health outcomes for Marylanders and address food insecurity.  The Produce Rx initiative includes produce prescriptions, which is a medical treatment for a diet-related conditions, such as high blood pressure. Upon determining that produce is an appropriate and impactful intervention for a condition, a provider or other professional would “prescribe” produce to a patient, and the patient will  then receive free produce to add to their daily meals.  In Caroline and Dorchester County, the Center for a HealthyMaryland’s coalition will unite MedChi physicians, NourishedRx, and ENOUGH Community Quarterbacks to deliver fresh, culturally tailored Maryland-grown produce and expert nutrition counseling to qualifying adults. 

The Commissioners of Oxford voted to pursue $300,000 in state funding from the Maryland Department of the Environment alongside remaining federal ARPA funds to cover a $512,511 stormwater project.  The decision regarding the project at The Strand parking lot has sparked intense opposition from several local residents.  A group of residents with engineering and construction backgrounds argued that a simpler $50,000 road maintenance fix would suffice.  Some community members pointed out that the project focuses on internal stormwater drainage rather than addressing the much larger threat of sea level rise and tidal flooding along the shoreline. Commission President Katrina Greer emphasized that the project utilizes grant money rather than local tax dollars. While it does not fully solve the larger sea-level rise problem, officials argue it is a necessary start to managing localized flooding.