You go to the hospital to get health care.

You go to school to get an education.

You go to the library to get a book.

In each instance, there are outside factors that affect how you benefit benefit from the service provided.

Preventive care will keep you out of the emergency room.  And delay your return.

A pillar of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future is to “clos[e] deeply entrenched opportunity and achievement gaps to ensure that all students, from advanced learners to those who are struggling and have been historically underserved, receive the necessary support in order to reach their full potential.”

In addition to books, Enoch Pratt Library branches provide a host of services, such as “Social Worker in the Library.”

Our committee hearing today was prompted by the fact that Maryland has the longest average time per visit to the emergency room among the 50 states.

What are the causes?  High occupancy rates for inpatient beds, employee vacancies, patients with behavioral health needs, and the length of time needed for guardianship decisions by the courts.

The fancy term: social determinants of health.

I know that from my efforts to prevent lead poisoning.