Douglas R. Abbott
Governor Larry Hogan appointed Douglas R. Abbott to serve on the Bay Restoration Fund Advisory Committee for a four-year term. Abbott currently oversees the Water, Wastewater, and Engineering Departments for Easton Utilities and has over 40 years of experience in the industry. “I am honored to join this committee and look forward to serving the State of Maryland in this capacity,” stated Abbott.
Established in 2004, the Bay Restoration Fund provides funding for various environmental expenses including the costs of sewage disposal systems, Bay restoration fees, and upgraded technology at wastewater treatment facilities. To meet the financing needs of the Fund, the nineteen-member Committee annually recommends whether the assessed restoration fees are adequate for meeting Fund expenses in the following fiscal year. In addition, the Committee analyzes the cost of nutrient removal from wastewater treatment facilities; advises the Department of the Environment on components of an education, outreach, and upgrade program; and advises the Secretary of the Environment on the adoption of regulations.
Easton Utilities is a community-owned, not-for-profit utility and telecommunications company operating the Electric, Natural Gas, Water, Wastewater, Cable Television, and Internet services for the Town of Easton and portions of the surrounding area. Visit eastonutilities.com for more information.
“We are excited to support the efforts of Cureate and Baltimore Community Lending as they launch this initiative focused on supporting small business entrepreneurs who are focused on building local food eco-systems in some of our most food and income insecure communities,” said Mohan Suntha, MD, MBA, President and Chief Executive Officer of UMMS. “A goal of our grant-making efforts is to directly support positive outcomes for individuals beyond the physical walls of our hospitals and serve as an engine to help drive economic and societal change in Maryland’s communities in which we are privileged to serve.”
Channel Marker, Inc., a local non-profit dedicated to providing wellness services to individuals diagnosed with mental illness, is pleased to announce the receipt of a $125,000 matching grant from the Rural Maryland Council and the Rural Maryland Prosperity Investment Fund. The grant was used for the construction of a new eight-bed Crisis Facility. The new Crisis Bed Program under Maryland’s Behavioral Health Administration will double the bed capacity on the Eastern Shore. Crisis Bed stabilization programs serve individuals suffering from an urgent behavioral health crisis who require facility based crisis services in a safe structured setting. The programs provide continuous 24-hour supports for individuals who do not require intensive clinical treatment in an inpatient psychiatric setting and would benefit from a short-term structured stabilization setting. The Crisis Bed model offers substantial benefits when compared to psychiatric inpatient hospitalization—namely, comparable outcomes, comparable client satisfaction, and substantially lower costs.