Congressman David Trone Secures $2.65 Million for Local Projects in Government Funding Bill

Projects Include Mental and Behavioral Health Centers in Frederick and Washington Counties and Job Training for Communities of Color in Montgomery County

Per Congressman David Trone:

Congressman David Trone (MD-06) announced that he secured $2.65 million for local mental and behavioral health resources and job training for communities of color as part of the FY 2022 Labor, Health, and Human Services funding bill. Trone secured $1 million for a 5G Job Training Bootcamp for Communities of Color in Montgomery County, $850,000 for a crisis stabilization center in Frederick County, $475,000 for a crisis stabilization unit in Washington County, and $325,000 for EveryMind Crisis Prevention and Intervention Services in Montgomery County. The bill will be considered by the Appropriations Committee this week and then head to the House floor for a vote before August.

“Since being elected to Congress, I’ve been working with leaders throughout Maryland’s Sixth District to understand how I can direct federal resources to the most pressing needs in our communities,” said Congressman David Trone.“This federal funding will go to vital job training resources for communities of color as well as mental and behavioral health centers across the district — a need that has only been exacerbated by substantial increase in mental health struggles during the pandemic. These job training and mental and behavioral health resources will be an integral part of building back our communities as we recover from this pandemic.”

“I am grateful to Congressman Trone for his support in advancing this important public health initiative. A Crisis Stabilization Center will save lives in Frederick County. This center will provide the missing piece in our community’s continuum of care for people suffering from mental health and substance use disorder,” Frederick County Executive Jan Gardner said.

“We are very appreciative of the House Appropriations Committee including $1 million of funding for public-private partnership job training in Montgomery County,” said Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich. “We have a great demand from unemployed workers for job training skills and this innovative project would bridge the gap to leverage Montgomery College and WorkSource Montgomery to provide specialized trainings. I’m very proud that our initiative will help diversify the telecommunications work force.”    

“This is the first of many steps in the budget process, but I am encouraged by the support for this win-win jobs training program,” said Gail M. Roper, Director and Chief Information Officer at the Department of Technology and Enterprise Business Solutions. “The County’s strategic vision is for technology innovation to reach all our neighborhoods and to create good-paying jobs for residents.”

“This funding provides a much needed boost to the community’s response to the ongoing opioid crisis by providing another access point for individuals who are experiencing a crisis,” said Earl Stoner, Health Officer for Washington County Health Department. “The goal is to stabilize the crisis and provide individuals with support and a pathway to treatment when they most need it. We can’t allow the ongoing opioid epidemic to continue exerting its negative impact on our community.”

“EveryMind is grateful to Representative Trone for his steadfast commitment to mental health and the championing of community programs that support crisis intervention and suicide prevention. At the onset of the pandemic, EveryMind pivoted quickly to adopt new technology and train our staff across all programs to ensure continued access to our mental health services in the virtual world. Critical funding provided by this bill will enable us to continue meeting the increased demand for our services as we move towards recovery and the long-term mental health impact of the pandemic. Partnering with Rep. Trone’s office highlights the importance of federal support in ensuring greater equity and access to essential mental health services that harnesses future-looking technologies and innovation in service delivery,” said Ann Mazur, Chief Executive Officer, EveryMind.

Trone is a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee and requested funding for these four critical local projects earlier this year. Trone made these requests, otherwise known as Community Project Funding, in order to address the dire need for investment in local projects that will help lead to increased addiction and mental health services and spur economic growth and job creation.

More details of the four projects are below:

Congressman David Trone was elected to the House of Representatives in November 2018 to serve the 6th District of Maryland, which includes all or part of Montgomery, Frederick, Washington, Allegany, and Garrett Counties. Trone serves on the Appropriations, Veterans’ Affairs, and Joint Economic Committees in the 117th Congress and previously served on the Education and Labor and Foreign Affairs Committees. In Congress, Trone is fighting to make progress on issues that matter to Marylanders, including the mental health and addiction crises, criminal justice reform, and funding for medical research.