Maryland Department of Health Announces Request for Applications to Expand Abortion Provider Capacity

Per the Maryland Department of Health (3.28.23): The Maryland Department of Health (MDH) today announced a Request for Applications to administer the Abortion Clinical Training Program. The program will help expand the number of healthcare professionals with abortion care training, increase the racial and ethnic diversity among healthcare professionals with abortion care education, and support the identification of clinical sites in need of training.

“On my first full day in office, we announced the release of $3.5 million in previously-withheld funding to support Maryland’s Abortion Clinical Training program,” said Governor Wes Moore. “The program will help ensure that Maryland remains a safe haven for abortion and is critical to providing safe and supportive reproductive health care access.”

Protecting reproductive rights and expanding access to reproductive health care are top priorities for the Moore-Miller administration. In February, Governor Moore, Lt. Governor Aruna Miller, Senate President Bill Ferguson, House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones and state legislators announced a comprehensive reproductive rights legislative package, taking the first steps towards enshrining reproductive rights in the Maryland constitution. Governor Moore also joined 20 state governors to announce a historic Reproductive Freedom Alliance to protect and expand reproductive rights in their states.

Abortions are considered safe when provided by trained, qualified health providers. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has cited restrictions on the types of clinicians who can perform abortions as barriers to accessing services and improving care quality and safety. Funding for the Abortion Care Clinical Training Program was established in 2022 by the Abortion Care Access Act, which helps ensure access to high-quality, safe abortion care in Maryland by providing a grant for clinical training of abortion care providers and their clinical care teams​.

“Governor Moore understands that reproductive freedom is non-negotiable and that access to safe, legal abortion is an essential health care service in this country,” said MDH Secretary Laura Herrera Scott. “We strongly encourage qualified health providers to respond to the request for applications and implement comprehensive training programs that keep abortion care safe and accessible in Maryland.”

In 2020, more than 60 percent of counties in Maryland had no community-based clinics that provided abortions. Expanding the pool of clinicians who provide abortion care—particularly in communities where abortions are more difficult to access and for patient populations that experience discrimination within the healthcare system—is critical to improving equitable access to care.

Interested entities are invited to apply via the eMaryland Marketplace. Applications will be accepted through May 15, 2023. The funding period is from July 1, 2023–June 30, 2024.

Questions about the program should be directed to: [email protected].  Questions about the funding opportunity should be directed to: [email protected].

For more information about reproductive health programs in Maryland, visit https://health.maryland.gov/phpa/mch/Pages/fp_home.aspx.

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