Health Department Seeking Contractors to Assist with Implementation of Opioid Misuse Prevention Program
The St. Mary's County Health Department is seeking contractors to coordinate and to evaluate the Opioid Misuse Prevention Program (OMPP) in St. Mary’s County. The contractors for this program will address the issue of opioid misuse in the community by collaborating with the Behavioral Health Action Team of the local health improvement coalition. Funds for this award are provided from the Behavioral Health Administration within the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. For more information about these requests for proposals, please visit the health department’s website at www.smchd.org/rfp.
Popular Citizens Academy Returns for Second Year
Seven week course provides insight to county government operations
Residents who've ever wondered how or why county departments do what they do can gain knowledge of the inner workings of local government at the second St. Mary's County Government Citizens Academy.
The academy meets on seven Tuesday evenings, between September 8 and October 27 from 6 to 9 p.m. at various county owned locations. It is open to all St. Mary's County residents, 18 years of age and older and is limited to 25 pre-registered applicants. The Academy's purpose is to provide an overview of County programs and services. Participants will gain a better understanding of County government operations and will receive a certificate upon completion.
"The Citizens Academy is a wonderful opportunity for our citizens to learn about county government," says Commissioner President Randy Guy. "People have questions and this is the perfect chance to get answers to the inner workings of county government operations."
The first Academy session will feature an overview of county administration. Subsequent sessions will focus on the departments of Aging and Human Services, Economic Development, Land Use and Growth Management, Recreation and Parks, Public Works and Transportation and Emergency Services and Technology.
"Our Citizens Academy allows citizens to become more engaged with county government and vice versa," says County Administrator Dr. Rebecca Bridgett. "The responsibility of the Academy is to educate and inform about County Government programs and services."
Citizens interested in learning more about the academy, or participating, can go to www.stmarysmd.com/SMCG-Citzens-Academy.asp to download the brochure and submit an application (additional information on how to return a completed application and waivers, along with Academy contact information can be found at the bottom of the application.) Online applications will be available beginning July 1. Deadline to apply is August 21.
Health Department Announces Temporary Clinic Service Closure
The St. Mary’s County Health Department has announced that clinical services at the agency will be temporarily suspended from July 3 – 10 due to scheduled maintenance in the clinic area. Clinic services will resume July 13. Health department clients are encouraged to call the health department at 301-475-4330 to discuss any concerns or to schedule appointments for clinical services.
St. Mary's County Joins Waze Connected Citizens Program as First Emergency Services Provider
Agreement provides first responders real-time road information
St. Mary's County Government has announced a data-sharing partnership with Waze (http://www.waze.com), the real-time crowdsourced navigation app powered by the world's largest community of drivers. As part of the Waze Connected Citizens Program, the two-way data share of publicly available traffic information will promote greater efficiency, deeper insights and safer roads for St. Mary's County citizens.
St. Mary's County is the first emergency services partner to join the Waze Connected Citizens Program, now with over 30 global partners. As part of the agreement, the county will receive a real-time feed of publicly available reports of accidents, traffic and road hazards contributed by the Waze app driver community.
"The partnership with Waze allows us to gain more real-time information on road conditions," said Commissioner President Randy Guy. "This data will help drivers maneuver around any bottlenecks and delays which may occur."
With the addition of county data, Wazers in the region will be even safer on the roads. Users of the Android & iOS app will receive added information delivered in real-time about planned construction, severe weather or anything else that can cause delays or unsafe driving conditions. For rural communities like St. Mary's, real-time information from drivers is essential.
"Ensuring the safety of citizens is a primary goal for the program," said Paige Fitzgerald, Waze Connected Citizens Program Manager. "Thanks to the data St. Mary's County is providing us, Waze users in the area are receiving the most reliable and up-to-date information about what's happening on the roads."
The mission of Waze Connected Citizens is to help Wazers, cities and citizens collaborate to improve their community and answer the question "What's happening on our roads right now, and where?" The program promotes more efficient traffic monitoring by sharing crowdsourced incident reports from Waze drivers. Established as a two-way data share, Waze receives partner
input such as feeds from road sensors, adds publicly available incident and road closure reports from the Waze traffic platform and returns one of the most succinct, thorough overviews of current road conditions today.
"The partnership allows 911 dispatchers and the Emergency Operations Center to improve situational awareness," said Bob Kelly, St. Mary's County Director of Emergency Services and Technology. "This will allow for better response to events that occur within St. Mary's County."
Deep technical knowledge is not required to join the Connected Citizens Program. It is critical that prospective partners prove their dedication to citizen engagement and commit to use Waze data to improve efficiency. Partners are also expected to measure and share their findings with other municipal organizations, developing case studies that serve as keys to a global set of improvements that can be made for collective progress.
To learn more about the Connected Citizens Program visit www.waze.com/ccp. To download the free Waze app for iOS or Android, visit www.waze.com