Advocates hope this is the year to end hospital overstays, other unlicensed foster placements

By: Danielle J. Brown

Outlets: Maryland Matters

Published: March 10, 2026

Words: 1,294

Last Updated: 9 hours, 20 minutes ago

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The day after she was elected Speaker of the House, Joseline Peña-Melnyk (D-Prince George’s and Anne Arundel) drove to the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore and saw the room where foster kids go to wait until state officials can find an adequate out-of-home placement for them.

“Sometimes, days go by, weeks, and no one from the Department of Human Services comes to see that child,” she said. “Oftentimes the nurses are the ones, and …

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