The following state and federal organizations are committed to family health and well-being and provide the general public with information, research, and additional resources related to family and health policy.

Maryland Public Policy Links

Department of Legislative Services: Staff

General Assembly

House of Delegates

State Senate

Governor's Office

Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Information for Maryland residents regarding:  health, health care programs, medical care programs, press releases, children’s health, senior health, and environmental safety. 

Maryland DHMH is also home to the State Office of Rural Health, which is dedicated to improving health care in rural communities

Maryland Manual On-line: A Guide to Maryland Government

Maryland State Archives

Maryland.gov

Maryland Budget and Tax Policy Institute

Rural Maryland Council

State-Level Data

Children's Defense Fund
A Census information center for data on children and families

Kaiser Family Foundation
Health data; searchable by state or category

Kids Count Data
Indicators of child well-being, demographic change, education, economic condition of families, child health, and children in low-income working families

National Center for Children in Poverty
State efforts to promote the economic security, health, and well-being of America’s low-income families and children

Policy for Results
Presents data on child and family well-being and links the data to strategies for improving outcomes.

Stateline.org
Reports on issues such as: health care, taxes, immigration, social policy, education, energy, environment, criminal justice, transportation and elections.

National Health Literacy Links

Center for Plain Language
The Center's mission is to increase the usefulness and efficiency of government, legal, and business documents, so that the people who use those documents can quickly and easily: find what they need, understand what they find, and act on that understanding. 

Department of Health and Human Services
The United States government's principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves.

DHHS is also home to Healthy People 2020, which is currently in the development stages.  To learn more about Healthy People 2020 and to be involved in the developmental process, please click here.  

National Health Policy Forum
Offers a range of educational programming designed to helpcongressional and federal agency staff become better informed about current health policy issues

National Institutes of Health
Part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the NIH is the primary Federal agency for conducting and supporting medical research.

National Library of Medicine
A division of the NIH, the NLM is the world's largest medical library. The Library collects materials and provides information and research services in all areas of biomedicine and health care.

National Research Center for Women and Families
Promotes the health and safety of women, children, and families, by using objective, research-based information to encourage new, more effective programs and policies.

Advocacy Organizations

Advocates for Children and Youth: Voices for Maryland’s Children
An independent organization that advocates for the needs of the state's children and families in the community, the media and the public policy arena

Child Welfare League of America
The nation's oldest and largest membership-based child welfare organization whose primary objective is Making Children a National Priority

Children’s Defense Fund
 An alliance of national organizations working together to promote public policies which address the needs of low-income and other vulnerable populations

National Partnership for Women and Families                                          
A nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that uses public education and advocacy to promote fairness in the workplace, quality health care, and policies that help women and men meet the dual demands of work and family.

Voices for America’s Children          
A nonpartisan, national organization committed to speaking out for the well-being of children at the federal, state and local levels of government.

Policy Research Organizations or Clearinghouses

American Enterprise Institute
A private, nonpartisan, not-for-profit institution dedicated to research and education on issues of government, politics, economics, and social welfare

American Institutes for Research
Conducts behavioral and social science research in a wide range of substantive areas: education, student assessment, international education, individual and organizational performance, health research and communication, human development, usability design and testing, employment equity, and statistical and research methods.

The Brookings Institution                                                                                     
Nonprofit public policy organization whose mission is to conduct high-quality, independent research and, based on that research, to provide innovative, practical recommendations that advance three broad goals: 1) Strengthen American democracy; 2) Foster the economic and social welfare, security and opportunity of all Americans and 3) Secure a more open, safe, prosperous and cooperative international system

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
One of the leading organizations in the country working on public policy issues affecting low-income families and individuals

Center for Law and Social Policy
A national nonprofit that works to improve the lives of low-income people. CLASP’s mission is to improve the economic security, educational and workforce prospects, and family stability of low-income parents, children, and youth.

CYFERnet
CYFERnet's Web site brings together the best, children, youth and family resources of all the public land-grant universities in the country

Economic Policy Institute
A nonprofit Washington D.C. think tank whose goal is to broaden the discussion about economic policy to include the interests of low- and middle-income workers

Educational Policy Institute                                                                                
A non-profit organization dedicated to the study of issues related to the expansion of quality educational opportunities.

Heritage Foundation                                                                                             
A public policy research organization, or "think tank" that draws solutions to contemporary problems from the ideas, principles and traditions that make America great

Urban Institute
Gathers data, conducts research, evaluates programs, offers technical assistance overseas, and educates Americans on social and economic issues — to foster sound public policy and effective government

Foundations

Annie E. Casey Foundation
Primary mission is to foster public policies, human-service reforms, and community supports that more effectively meet the needs of today’s vulnerable children and families.

The Future of Children (Princeton-Brookings)
Seeks to promote effective policies and programs for children by providing policymakers, service providers, and the media with timely, objective information based on the best available research.

Government Organizations

Administration for Children and Families
Responsible for federal programs that promote the economic and social well-being of families, children, individuals, and communities.

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
The principal advisor to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on policy development, and is responsible for major activities in policy coordination, legislation development, strategic planning, policy research, evaluation, and economic analysis.

University-based Research Centers

Center for Child and Family Policy, Duke University                                              
Works to solve problems facing children in contemporary society by bringing together scholars from many disciplines with policy makers and practitioners to improve the lives of children and families.

Center on Children, Families, and the Law, University of Nebraska- Lincoln
A home for interdisciplinary research, teaching, and public service on issues related to child and family policy and services.

Center for Excellence in Family Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Dedicated to facilitating the interaction of family researchers and policymakers, supporting family outreach by faculty and students, and fostering interdisciplinary family research.

Center for Family Policy and Research, University of Missouri
Provides state and federal policy makers with relevant research to guide policies, particularly as it affects the well-being of families within their own communities.

Children, Youth, and Family Consortium, University of Minnesota
Established to build the capacity of the University of Minnesota and Minnesota communities to use research, inform policy and enhance practice to improve the well-being of Minnesota’s children, youth and families.

Institute for Health Research and Policy, University of Illinois-Chicago
Stimulates and supports a broad range of high-quality research to improve health practices and policies in metropolitan Chicago, throughout the state of Illinois, and beyond by: working in partnership with community leaders and residents to promote health in communities; addressing disparities in health related to race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status; mentoring and training new investigators; and fostering the collaboration of researchers across disciplines

Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University
An interdisciplinary public policy research institute whose mission is to stimulate and support excellent social science research on significant public policy issues and to disseminate the findings widely -- to students, scholars, policymakers, and the public at large.

Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin-Madison
A center for interdisciplinary research into the causes and consequences of poverty and social inequality in the United States.

Jordan Institute for Families, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
A research, training and technical assistance institute that addresses family issues across the lifespan and brings together experts—including families themselves—to develop and test policies and practices that strengthen families and engage communities.

National Center for Children in Poverty, Columbia University
The nation’s leading public policy center dedicated to promoting the economic security, health, and well-being of America’s low-income families and children.