Maryland Governor Larry Hogan just announced that the Maryland Department of Human Resources (DHR) was awarded $195 million in federal funding to build a technology platform called “Maryland Total Human-services Information Network (MD THINK) to transform the ability to deliver vital human services to state residents.
MD THINK is a cloud-based data repository that will break down traditional silos and data barriers between state agencies and provide integrated access to programs administered by agencies including DHR, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Department of Juvenile Services, and the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation.
MD THINK is the product of two years of work by DHR and other agencies to develop an innovative design and project plan to modernize the state’s human services technology infrastructure and customer service process.
The platform’s scalable pay-as-you-go cloud-based platform is expected to deliver significant cost savings, streamline program operations, and increase agency productivity. Enhanced data analytics will enable state agencies to deliver the highest level of services to state residents.
Phase one of MD THINK will focus on revolutionizing service delivery for vulnerable Marylanders including children in foster care, disconnected youth, and families in need. For the first time, caseworkers will be provided tablet devices enabling them to provide services in the field without returning to a central location to input data.