Organizational Background

The Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative Education Fund (“MCHI”) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that was created in 1999 to educate all Marylanders about sound ways to achieve quality, affordable health care for all. 

In order to create a comprehensive, economically sound health care for all plan, MCHI organized the state’s largest coalition and solicited input from coalition members and thousands of Maryland citizens in town hall meetings.  National experts at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health and the University of Maryland Law School then worked to incorporate this community input into MCHI’s Health Care for All! Plan.  In 2002, MCHI released its first plan and conducted a statewide campaign to educate people about how the plan would guarantee health care security for all Marylanders.  This plan is currently under revision by the same set of experts that created the original.  After another round of public meetings and stakeholder meetings, we will release a newly revised plan in the Spring of 2008. 

Over 1,100 faith, labor, business, health, and community organizations have joined the Health Care for All! Coalition to support enactment of MCHI’s plan.  This is the largest coalition ever created in Maryland and certainly one of the largest health care consumer coalitions in the country. 

The Coalition successfully advocated for a number of laws that will increase access to care and prescription drugs.  In addition, MCHI continues to work with key state leaders to educate members of our broad coalition about how they can access health care programs now in existence.  In the years ahead, MCHI will continue to educate and activate its powerful coalition to increase health care access in Maryland and educate them about important health care matters. 

Board, Staff, and Volunteers

The board of directors provides broad oversight of the activities of the MCHI and fiscal oversight through regular reports on the budget.  Directors include representatives of our key constituencies.  Four staff people putting in combined FTE’s of 3.375 have overseen all town hall meetings, media activities, trainings, volunteer recruitment, and direct outreach and education throughout the state.  MCHI’s core staff is comprised of the President, Senior Deputy Director, Deputy Director, and a Community Outreach Director.  

In addition, the MCHI provides a student internship option for area colleges and universities and serves as a preceptor site for the University of Maryland School of Social Work.  Throughout the year, at least ten volunteers and student interns are involved in outreach and organizing activities, enabling MCHI to maximize its resources while providing student learning opportunities.  During the summer of 2002, sixty-five medical, college and other students conducted door-to-door outreach for the Initiative (a program we called Maryland Summer).