Maryland Senator Antonio Hayes Named Finalist in National Policy Ideas Challenge
By The Baltimore Times
Maryland State Senator Antonio Hayes has been named one of twenty finalists in the 2025 National Ideas Challenge, a nationwide competition organized by the NewDEAL Forum to highlight innovative policies that strengthen communities across America. Hayes is one of only three finalists in the category “Health: Delivering Care in Communities.”
The annual Ideas Challenge recognizes state and local policymakers developing bold, practical solutions to improve people’s lives. This year’s competition focused on six key policy areas — Housing, Health, Education, Youth Investment, Public Safety, and Democracy — with more than 50 entries reviewed by a panel of nationally recognized policy experts.
Senator Hayes was recognized for his Health Equity Resource Communities (HERC) initiative, a statewide effort designed to channel resources into community-based coalitions that deliver both health and social services where they are needed most. The program emphasizes equity, cultural competence, and place-based care. In West Baltimore, for instance, HERC funding supports nurse-led clinics, mobile health units, behavioral health services, and social supports that address underlying issues such as food access, housing stability, and employment — not just medical conditions like hypertension or asthma.
“It is an honor to be named a finalist in the NewDEAL Forum’s Ideas Challenge on such an important issue,” said Sen. Hayes. “I’m proud to see HERC recognized as a powerful example of transforming public health through place-based, people-powered innovation. This program shows how government and communities can partner to deliver real results by investing directly into trusted local coalitions to meet residents where they are and build healthier communities.”
Jonathon Dworkin, Executive Director of the NewDEAL Forum, praised Hayes’ approach: “The job of good policy is to create an environment where families and communities can thrive, and Senator Hayes’ effort to deliver health care where it is needed most is a great example of taking an innovative, pragmatic approach to that goal.”
Other finalists in the “Delivering Care in Communities” category include Mayor Cassie Franklin of Everett, Washington, for her Emergency Mobile Opioid Team, and Mayor Lee Harris of Shelby County, Tennessee, for his Community Health Hubs initiative.
The winners of the 2025 National Ideas Challenge will be announced later this October and featured in Governing magazine.
To learn more about Senator Hayes’ Health Equity Resource Communities initiative, visit https://newdealleaders.org/idea/health-equity-resource-communities.
