Dear friends and colleagues:

I would like to take this opportunity to inform you about an exciting change at the Center for Health Program Development and Management. Effective July 1, we will have a new name.

First, a little history. We were established in 1994 in partnership with the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Our original name was chosen based on the activities we performed at the time: developing and managing selected health care programs for Maryland's Medicaid program.

Our work has evolved in many ways since 1994. Not only has our work in Maryland changed, but we also perform a much wider variety of health services research activities for a broad national array of governmental and non-profit clients.

As a result, in the fall of 2007, we began a process to choose a new name. Eventually we came home to our location on Hilltop Circle at UMBC, and our roots as a university-based, solution-driven organization. We also re-affirmed our mission:

We work with public and non-profit community-based agencies at the national, regional, and local levels to improve the health and social outcomes of vulnerable populations in a manner that maximizes the impact of available resources.

With this backdrop, I am pleased to announce that our new name will be:

Through research, analysis, and evaluations, we at The Hilltop Institute will continue to provide our valued clients with the information they need to make informed and evidence-based health policy decisions to better serve the individuals who depend on them.

Our new address will be www.hilltopinstitute.org.