Nicole Stallings, senior vice president of the Maryland Hospital Association, says the legislative session resulted in several health policy wins that will benefit all Marylanders. In an interview with State of Reform, Stalling breaks down the session successes and explains why they matter. Stallings will also be a panelist in the 2021 Maryland State of Reform Health Policy Conference on May 13.
Shawna De La Rosa: The Maryland Hospital Association supported several health policy bills. How did the pandemic shape the association’s advocacy this year?
Nicole Stallings: “When this session started, our hospitals had been in the fight with COVID for 10 months and we were in the midst of our third surge. It’s fair to say COVID changed everything in regards to MHA advocacy in Annapolis. We revisited our approach. We created not just a hospital agenda, but a health care agenda. We supported bills that we thought could improve the health of the community we serve.”