July 06, 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 6, 2022

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

Congressman David Trone Secures Over $10 Million for Frederick County in Appropriations Bills

Rep. Trone and Regina LaBelle, Acting Director of National Drug Control Policy, visited Frederick County last August to discuss funding for its Crisis Stabilization Center, which is now slated to receive nearly $700,000 in federal funding for equipment.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman David Trone (MD-06) announced that he secured $10,013,926 in Community Project Funding (CPF) in Frederick County for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023. After their approval by the House Committee on Appropriations – of which Trone is a member – the bills now advance to the U.S. House for passage in the coming month.

The funding includes:

• $4,000,000 for the East Street Trail Liberty Road Bridge Crossing for the City of Frederick
• $4,000,000 for a STEM workforce development program at Mount St. Mary’s University
• $1,315,843 for refurbishments and upgrades for the City of Frederick’s Permanent Supportive Housing, Food Distribution Center, & Soup Kitchen
• $698,083 for the purchase of clinical equipment for the Frederick County Government

Congressman Trone will be visiting the East Street Trail Liberty Road Bridge Crossing this coming Friday to discuss the funding and additional plans with city leaders.

Overall, Congressman Trone was able to procure over $30 million in Community Project Funding for Maryland’s Sixth District in the federal government’s FY 2023 funding bills.

The funding will be used to complete Phase III of the East Street Rails with Trails: Shared-Use Pathway, which includes the construction of a bridge crossing to carry the East Street shared-use pathway over Liberty Road/MD 26. This project is a key component of the City’s Shared-Use Path and On-Street Bike network expansion, designed to facilitate safe travel throughout the City of Frederick without the need or use of an automobile. The Shared-Use Path system plan consists of over 25 miles spanning six corridors connecting transit nodes and activity hubs: Carroll Creek, East Street, Fredericktown Village, Monocacy Boulevard, Monocacy River, and Rock Creek.

The funding will also 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.

The funding go toward upgrading the Frederick Community Action Agency (FCAA) Soup Kitchen and Food Bank facilities to facilitate production, storage, and distribution of fresh, healthy foods onsite. In addition, renovations to the permanent supportive housing structure adjacent to the FCAA Soup Kitchen and Food Bank Facilities will address deterioration and ensure ADA compliance. These comprehensive renovations will upgrade outmoded and aging facilities to better serve individuals and families in the Frederick community who are in need of assistance.

The funding will help procure medical and other much-needed equipment for the County’s Crisis Stabilization Center (CSC). The funding will enable responsive and appropriate care that will result in better outcomes for the individuals served, efficiencies in caregiving, and benefits to the community as a whole. Crisis stabilization closes a crucial gap in the continuum of care for individuals in distress, providing immediate, supervised care, and connecting them to ongoing care, while relieving the burden by first responders and local hospitals by diverting these individuals from emergency rooms.

For more information on Community Project Funding throughout the district, you can visit this page.

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.”

“We know Frederick County needs a crisis stabilization center to provide care and a safe place for people with mental health and substance abuse issues while they wait to connect to other long-term care services,” Frederick County Executive Jan Gardner said. “Advancing this center is a priority of my Administration. I am grateful for the support of Congressman Trone and our entire Federal delegation on this project so we can provide this missing piece of our behavioral health care continuum.”

“The City of Frederick appreciates the strong support we continue to receive from Congressman Trone regarding projects that advance important goals in our community,” said Frederick City Mayor Michael O’Connor. “The East Street Rails and Trails project, including the bridge over Route 26, will create an important connection for bicyclists and pedestrians improving transportations options for everyone. Our Housing and Human Services renovations at 100 South Market Street will enhance service delivery to our residents most in need and while recognizing the changes needed to meet our customers in post-COVID.”

“Mount St. Mary’s University is grateful to Congressman Trone for his support of the university’s expansion and renovation of our STEM research facilities to support American competitiveness in high demand fields such as computer science, data science, cybersecurity, neuroscience and biological, environmental, and physical sciences, as well as contribute to a highly trained STEM workforce for the state of Maryland,” said University President Timothy E. Trainor, Ph.D. “We are honored to be blending superb classroom instruction with research mentored by top-tier scientists in educating diverse and ethical STEM students who will help lead the STEM-oriented U.S. economy in the decades ahead.”

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.

###