July 05, 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 5, 2022

Contact: Sasha Galbreath, Sasha.Galbreath@mail.house.gov 

Congressman David Trone Secures Over $1.3 Million for Garrett County in Appropriations Bill

Rep. Trone visited the Garrett Regional Medical Center (GRMC) in April to discuss the challenges faced by rural hospitals. In March, GRMC was named a Top 20 Rural and Community Hospital in the U.S. for the second year in a row.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman David Trone (MD-06) announced that he secured over $1,348,848 in Community Project Funding, formerly called “earmarks,” for Garrett County in Fiscal Year 2023. After its approval by the House Committee on Appropriations – of which Trone is a member – the project funding now advances to the U.S. House for passage in the coming month.

The funding includes:

• $698,848 for the purchase of equipment for the Garrett County Government
• $650,000 to purchase a new electronic health record system for the Garrett Regional Medical Center

The funding will be used to purchase emergency radio equipment to support public information alerts and warnings in coordination with the capabilities from the Emergency Operations Center. These interoperability capabilities are core functions of an Emergency Operations Center and are delineated in the emergency support functions outlined by Garrett’s Emergency Operations Plan. This request will allow the Emergency Operations Center to have 2-way radio communications and effectively communicate via radio with local, state, and federal agencies. The equipment will allow the Emergency Communications Center to operate as a fully functional backup 9-1-1 center in the event of a situation or failure at the primary site.

Additionally, the funding will be used to install an Electronic Health Record (EHR) system that will enable the rural medical center to connect easily and seamlessly with the large health system with which it is affiliated, West Virginia University Medicine, and to provide better, more coordinated care for the people of its service area. The grant would also cover the “community connect” for two surgical practices that provide surgical services at the hospital. This funding will reduce the cost burden of the EHR project on the hospital and clinics allowing more resources to go towards patient care for an underserved population.

Congressman Trone is a member of the powerful Appropriations Committee and requested funding for these 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 better community-provided resources and spur economic growth and job creation. 

“As a businessman, I know how vital it is to work with folks on the ground to get the best results. After working with state and local leaders over the last year, we identified projects that will have the highest impact in our communities and help the folks most in need,” said Congressman Trone. “These funding recipients – many of which I’ve visited myself – are vital to the day-to-day lives of Marylanders and will enhance the quality of life across the district. In Congress, our number one job is to equip our constituents with the tools they need to succeed. These investments in our communities will do just that.”

“The EPIC Electronic Health Record system is imperative in order for Garrett Regional Medical Center (GRMC) to continue to provide the best quality care possible for the people in our 8-county service area,” said Mark Boucot, President & CEO of the hospital. “EPIC will enable our medical staff to seamlessly and quickly share patient records with specialists at WVU Medicine and other larger medical facilities, and will also allow GRMC to produce reports needed to assess patient care and the delivery of services. Our existing Electronic Medical Record system is over 20 years old, and the technology is very dated. We’re grateful Congressman Trone has chosen GRMC to be part of the  Community Project Funding program.”

“Congressman Tone’s support for Garrett County and his commitment to include this project as one of 15 Community Projects will enable Garrett County to purchase radio equipment and consoles in order to support public information, alert, and warning coordination capabilities from the Emergency Operations Center,” said Chairman Paul Edwards. “This equipment will also serve as back-up emergency communications equipment in the event of a 9-1-1 Center failure, ensuring redundant communications capabilities with first responders in the field from the Emergency Operations Center.”

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 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.

Follow Congressman Trone at @RepDavidTrone for updates on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

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