In coordination with the Department of Natural Resources, Governor Hogan announced that during the month of April, Maryland hospital and healthcare workers can visit any of Maryland’s state parks free of charge. Healthcare employees will be asked to show their work ID upon arrival at the park to gain admission at no charge.

A portion of the Press Release detailing the event in the video above follows:

“ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Larry Hogan today announced the nine winners of the state’s Healthcare Heroes Poster Competition and welcomed winners and their families to the State House in Annapolis. The competition, launched during last month’s Healthcare Heroes Appreciation Week and organized in partnership with the Maryland State Department of Education, encouraged Maryland students to submit poster designs that depicted the theme “Celebrating Maryland’s Healthcare Heroes.”

The governor was joined for today’s event by First Lady Yumi Hogan and Dr. Jinlene Chan, the Deputy Secretary for Public Health Services at the Maryland Department of Health, who both served as judges of the competition, and Maryland State Superintendent of Schools Mohammed Choudhury.

“On behalf of our entire state, I just want to thank all of you for using your talents to help us honor and show our appreciation for our healthcare heroes,” said Governor Hogan. “I’ve talked a lot over the last two years about what it means to be Maryland Strong—each and every one of you are the definition of Maryland Strong.”

A total of 131 schools from 18 local education districts participated in the competition. Nine winners were selected by Dr. Jinlene Chan and First Lady Yumi Hogan, including three from each of the following categories: elementary school, middle school, and high school.

Each winning student was presented with an official governor’s citation, and the winning posters will be displayed at the University of Maryland Medical Center’s Weinberg Atrium in Baltimore City throughout the month of April.

Healthcare Heroes Poster Competition Winners:

Elementary School
1st Place: Chloe Ma (Diamond Elementary School, Montgomery County, Grade 4)
2nd Place: Elina Yoon (Ilchester Elementary School, Howard County, Grade 3)
3rd Place: Abbigail Marshall (Greensboro Elementary School, Caroline County, Grade 3)

Middle School
1st Place: Samuel Shin (Lakelands Park Middle School, Montgomery County, Grade 7)
2nd Place: Tuan Nhat Minh Le (Benjamin D. Foulois Academy, Prince George’s County, Grade 8)
3rd Place: Caroline Winterstein (Sudlersville Middle School, Queen Anne’s County, Grade 8)

High School
1st Place: Adrianna Hwang (Marriott Ridge High School, Howard County, Grade 11)
2nd Place: Hannah Baker (Rising Sun High School, Cecil County, Grade 12)
3rd Place: Matthew Boehmer (Annapolis High School, Anne Arundel County, Grade 12)

View the winning posters here. “

The Governor also kicked off Public Health Week during the event. Dr. Jinlene Chan accepted the official proclamation recognizing April 4-10 as Public Health Week in Maryland.

Give a shout out to your favorite Healthcare Worker Below!