There's a stirring scene in the film Apollo 13, where the three astronauts are working with Mission Control to return their hobbled spacecraft to earth. Kevin Bacon's character, Jack Swigert, tells Tom Hanks' Jim Lovell that the return trajectory is too shallow and without an adjustment, they will skip off the atmosphere and never return home.

It's Hanks' response that's relevant here: "All right," he said. "There's a thousand things that have to happen in order. We are on number eight. You're talking about number six-hundred and ninety-two."

For a couple of reasons, this scene popped into my head this week as we were working on some General Assembly strategies. For many of our issues, the angle of approach must be subtle and precise, or the point could be lost on legislators who are grappling with many, many complex issues that affect all Marylanders. At the same time, success in Annapolis requires multiple successive, deliberate steps. And with dozens of new faces in the legislature, our early work, "step number eight," has been to focus on education and information.

To help with that effort, MHA is beginning to build a library of infographics - brief illustrations of an issue, usually limited to one page. This way, legislators can quickly absorb the facts and perspectives that support our positions on everything from the Medicaid hospital tax to medical liability, behavioral health, and more. Infographics on behavioral health and the Medicaid tax are now available on MHA's website, and we'll add new ones as they are completed.

On Wednesday, MHA submitted written support for SB37-HB108 Tobacco Taxes - Healthy Maryland Initiative, which would fund tobacco cessation programs by increasing the state's tax on cigarettes, other tobacco products and license application fees. MHA supports using revenues raised from the tax to enhance the Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation Program. Under the state's modernized Medicare waiver, this and other community-based programs are crucial to keeping Marylanders healthy and avoiding unnecessary hospital utilization. Strengthening the program by raising the state's tobacco tax will be key to the ability of hospitals and others to save the state money and keep Marylanders healthier.

MHA also testified Wednesday in support of SB74 Task Force to Study Maternal Mental Health, to establish a task force to study and make recommendations on legislation, policy initiatives, funding requirements and budgetary priorities that can address maternal mental health needs in the state. Addressing maternal mental health needs is a key part of a broader push to examine and improve the state's behavioral health challenges. The safety net for Marylanders suffering from mental illnesses is fraying, with the few dedicated mental health facilities in Maryland routinely operating near or above capacity; the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration has identified dozens of regions in the state that have an inadequate supply of mental health professionals.

On Thursday, MHA submitted written opposition to HB03 Prescription Drug Monitoring Program - Prescribers and Dispensers - Required Query, requiring prescribers (such as doctors) and dispensers (such as pharmacies) to query the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program for prescription monitoring data before every prescription or dispensation of a monitored drug, for every patient. The Prescription Drug Monitoring Program was established by the state to ensure the safe and effective use of prescription drugs, and to help health care providers access up-to-date information on drugs that contain controlled substances and are dispensed to patients. Health care providers use the program to manage the benefits and risks of controlled substance medications, to identify potentially harmful drug interactions, and to query the system when appropriate. However, mandating a query prior to each and every interaction with a patient threatens to create the unintended consequence of delaying or even preventing a patient's access to appropriate medications.