Center for Health Equity Launches MACCHE (Part 1)

Researchers, community organizers, healthcare providers, and policymakers gathered in person and online on March 29, 2023, to officially launch the Mid-Atlantic Center for Cardiometabolic Health Equity (MACCHE). Building on the research of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Equity (CHE), MACCHE aims to advance health equity in Maryland by tackling disparities in cardiometabolic diseases in partnership with the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore (UMB) and collaboration with Morgan State University and other local institutions. 

MACCHE includes 3 research projects: 

• Healthy for Two – Home Visiting (H42-HV) 

• UNLOAD Heart Failure 

• LINKED-HEARTS

Welcome and Overview

The launch opened with remarks from MACCHE’s Co-Principal Investigators Lisa Cooper, MD, MPH, and Deidra Crews, MD, ScM, who provided an overview of cardiometabolic health disparities in Maryland. Cooper and Crews co-direct MAACHE, and their opening remarks included an exploration of the implications of the Center’s programs for practice and policy to advance health equity.  

Maryland Delegate Joseline A. Peña Melnyk also provided a pre-recorded video. She said that findings gathered by MAACHE researchers could help the state of Maryland advance its health equity agenda. 

Drs. Lisa Cooper and Deidra Crews opened the MACCHE launch with an overview of cardiometabolic health disparities.

Panel Discussions 

Following the opening remarks and project overview, Dr. Crews moderated a panel of organizational partners: 

• Ms. Megan Wojtko, Choptank Health System 

• Ms. Randi Woods, Sisters Together and Reaching  

• Ms. Alex Solano-Umana, Lourie Center 

• Mr. Donald Eaddy, YMCA 

• Mr. Jonathan Eldridge, Johns Hopkins Medicine Office for Population Health 

During this panel discussion, organizational partners shared considerations for successful implementation of the MACCHE studies and ways to make the programs sustainable, if they proved effective. Panelists discussed their experiences implementing the new programs in the past and collaborating with researchers to develop, enact, and evaluate new initiatives. They also shared some of the challenges they have encountered in their efforts to sustain programs and processes for determining which aspects of an intervention/program should be kept. 

Following the first panel, Chidinma Ibe, PhD moderated a panel of organizational and individual program users and implementers: 

• Mr. Gregory Rogers, Health Care for the Homeless 

• Dr. Natalie Spicyn, University of Maryland 

• Dr. Samantha DeMarco, Johns Hopkins Outpatient Pharmacy 

• Mr. Keith Daye, Patient Advocate 

Panelists provided diverse perspectives on important considerations for the successful implementation and sustainability of the MACCHE studies. The panel addressed some of the factors that influence patients’ ability to participate in programs, and explored ways in which MACCHE projects can be responsive to these issues. Panelists also shared their experiences delivering new interventions, including new protocols for interacting with patients or clients.  

Follow-Up

After lunch, attendees shared ideas, concerns, and potential solutions, and hopes for MACCHE. The launch concluded with breakout sessions on the three center MACCHE programs where participants worked together to identify potential problems and ways to mitigate them. 

The MACCHE launch proved to be a remarkable success and provided the team with a wealth of information to help guide researchers. In the coming weeks, look for more stories on the panel discussions and small group exercises! 

Lauren RohrsApril 12, 2023