Maryland Abortion and Reproductive Clinical Health MARCH

The MARCH program aims to close gaps in access and create a sustainable model for reproductive services statewide by preparing physicians and advanced practice clinicians (APCs) to deliver high-quality counseling and abortion care.  

In 2022, Maryland enacted the Abortion Care Access Act to confront disparities in access to care  crisis, positioning the state as a national leader in reproductive health care training and laying the foundation for a pioneering initiative: the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s (UMB) Maryland Abortion and Reproductive Clinical Health (MARCH) program.

When our program officially launched in 2023, there were 9 counties in Maryland with a known trained abortion provider.  As of March 2026, our program has helped expand abortion care access, increasing the number of counties with trained providers to 18. By improving legislative literacy, counseling competence, and patient care  skills, MARCH has played a large role in expanding access, reducing disparities, and ensuring safe, person-centered abortion care across clinical settings.

By training advanced practice clinicians, Maryland is setting a national precedent for expanding provider eligibility.

The MARCH program is effectively strengthening both the technical and interpersonal dimensions of reproductive care and expanding provider capacity through professional education. Fellows consistently give the program high marks, praising its design, expert facilitators, and focus on clinical knowledge, confidence-building, and implementation strategies. They describe the training as empowering, well-organized, and impactful. Following completion of the program, 87-99% reported feeling prepared across key abortion training competencies, including pregnancy options counseling, abortion counseling, obtaining informed consent, pregnancy dating, complication management, and integrating skills into practice. 

The first-of-its-kind Statewide Abortion Training Network fills a critical gap by equipping health care professionals with the skills, knowledge, and clinical experience necessary to provide high-quality abortion and contraceptive care.

Maryland’s first central coordinated abortion training network, the Maryland Clinical Abortion Training Network (MCATN), which consists of 10 clinical partners ready to train future clinicians. 

Two state-of-the-art mobile health clinics provide on-the-ground training for rural health care providers, creating a blueprint for expanding abortion care in medically underserved areas across the United States.

The program is made possible through the partnership of the Maryland Department of Health , with a focus on improving reproductive health outcomes and equitable access for all Maryland communities.