Maryland Health - General Section 13-1008

      (a)      (1)      Subject to the other provisions of this section, a local health officer may apply to the Department for a Local Public Health Tobacco Grant.

            (2)      The amount of the Local Public Health Tobacco Grant shall be determined by the Department using the formula established under § 13-1007 of this subtitle.

      (b)      Before applying for a Local Public Health Tobacco Grant, a local health officer shall:

            (1)      Establish a Community Health Coalition, as provided under § 13-1010 of this subtitle; and

            (2)      With the assistance of the Community Health Coalition:

                  (i)      Identify all existing tobacco use prevention and cessation programs in the county that are publicly funded;

                  (ii)      Evaluate the effectiveness of the publicly funded programs identified under item (i) of this paragraph; and

                  (iii)      Develop a Comprehensive Plan for Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation that outlines a strategy for meeting the tobacco use prevention and cessation goals and requirements established for the county under § 13-1007 of this subtitle.

      (c)      A Comprehensive Plan for Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation shall:

            (1)      Include a list of the members of the Community Health Coalition and their organizational affiliations;

            (2)      Include an evaluation of any county program funded with a Local Public Health Tobacco Grant in the prior year;

            (3)      Each year, after the first year of funding, demonstrate that progress has been made toward meeting the tobacco use prevention and cessation goals established for the county under § 13-1007 of this subtitle;

            (4)      Include a budget plan that provides specific levels of funding for each initiative described in the Plan and an explanation as to how each initiative is expected to help meet the tobacco use prevention and cessation goals and requirements established for the county under § 13-1007 of this subtitle;

            (5)      Demonstrate that the county has met the base-year funding requirement established under § 13-1011 of this subtitle;

            (6)      Each year, after the first year of funding, identify all persons who received money under a Local Public Health Tobacco Grant in the prior year and state the amount of money that was received by each person under the grant;

            (7)      Each year, after the first year of funding, state the amount of money that was received by a county under a Local Public Health Tobacco Grant in the prior fiscal year that remained unspent and unobligated at the end of that year;

            (8)      Describe how the Plan will help to reduce tobacco use among women, minority individuals, and individuals under the age of 18 years, with particular emphasis on how the Plan seeks to address the relevant findings and recommendations of the Task Force Report;

            (9)      Describe how the Plan will help to increase availability of and access to cessation programs for uninsured individuals and medically underserved populations, with particular emphasis on how the Plan seeks to address the relevant findings and recommendations of the Task Force Report;

            (10)      Allocate resources in a manner that is consistent with:

                  (i)      The needs of different populations in the county, including targeted minority populations, as identified in the Baseline Tobacco Study and annual tobacco studies; and

                  (ii)      The recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding best practices for a comprehensive tobacco control program; and

            (11)      Contain any data or other information required by the Department.

      (d)      If a Comprehensive Plan for Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation does not allocate resources in a manner that is consistent with the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding best practices for a comprehensive tobacco control program, the Plan shall:

            (1)      State the reason for not allocating resources in this manner; and

            (2)      Identify the extent to which other resources assist the county in meeting this requirement.

      (e)      A local health officer who seeks to obtain a Local Public Health Tobacco Grant shall apply to the Department by submitting a copy of the county's Comprehensive Plan for Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation for approval.

      (f)      Each year, a local health officer, in consultation with the Community Health Coalition, shall update the Comprehensive Plan for Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation.

      (g)      (1)      The Department may designate a person other than the head of a county health department to coordinate a county's tobacco use prevention and cessation efforts if:

                  (i)      The county health department is unwilling to coordinate these efforts;

                  (ii)      The county health department has been unsuccessful in implementing tobacco use prevention and cessation initiatives that satisfy performance standards established by the Department; or

                  (iii)      The county health department lacks sufficient staff or resources to coordinate these efforts.

            (2)      Subject to paragraph (3) of this subsection, the Department shall establish procedures for making a designation under this subsection.

            (3)      If the Department determines that it is necessary to designate a person other than the local health officer to coordinate a county's tobacco use prevention and cessation efforts, the Department may designate the Department as the entity that will coordinate the county's efforts.