 | January 2024 | Issue No. 21 |
| Introducing New PCC Board Chair Kevin Sexton Kevin J. Sexton took the helm of the Primary Care Coalition’s 17-member Board of Directors for a two-year term at the Board’s end-of-year meeting in December. He has been a Board member since June 2019 and was vice chair in 2023. “The Board’s job is to keep the Primary Care Coalition’s mission front of mind and to help the organization accomplish its goals,” said Sexton. “Leslie Graham is an outstanding leader with an excellent staff. The PCC does a great job managing and coordinating programs and building good systems.” According to Sexton, the Board’s challenge for 2024, beyond its usual responsibilities, is to update PCC’s Strategic Plan for the next three years. |
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| | PCC Names Alma Aviles as its Mary C. Jackson Award Winner Each year, the Primary Care Coalition presents its Mary C. Jackson “Good Works, Done Well” Award to the employee or volunteer whose efforts have significantly improved access to healthcare for the community’s most vulnerable residents. The award winner for the 2023 year is Alma Aviles, client services supervisor for the Care for Kids program. She has worked for the Primary Care Coalition for the past eleven years. “Alma embodies all of the qualities we look for in a Mary C. Jackson award winner,” said PCC President and Chief Executive Officer Leslie Graham. “She is committed to the needs of the underserved in our community, and she has made a vast difference in the lives of so many families by securing access to high-quality health care for their children. Hers is the epitome of ‘Good Works.’ And, she has done this so well. As the number of children in the Care for Kids program has risen every year, it is through her leadership that her small but mighty team has stretched what it can accomplish to keep up with the needs of enrolling so many families.” |
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|  |  | Early Success with Dental Outreach Pilot The Primary Care Coalition and partners held a mobile dental clinic for uninsured residents on December 18. The all-day clinic provided 20 low-income residents with dental cleanings, x-rays, fillings, fluoride treatments, and tooth extractions. The services were provided by a licensed dentist and hygienist. At least a quarter of the patients were scheduled for follow-up visits for additional procedures. The mobile clinic is part of a pilot program to provide oral health care for two high-need communities in the 20904 and 20906 zip code areas with funding support from the Delta Dental Community Care Foundation. The December event was held in a parking lot behind the Global Mission Church at Georgia and Hewitt Avenues in Silver Spring. The next clinic is planned for March 2 at a location to be determined. The Delta Dental program is operated in conjunction with Action in Montgomery (AIM) and the American Diversity Group (ADG). |
|  | PCC Staff Starts the New Year with Pop-Up Mammogram Clinic Staff from the Primary Care Coalition’s Breast and Cervical Cancer Program (BCCP) volunteered to set up and operate a successful pop-up breast cancer screening for local uninsured residents on January 6 from 8 a.m. to 12 noon at Community Radiology Associates in Silver Spring. “I’m proud of our staff for taking the initiative and organizing this important event on their own time,” said Dr. Veronica Vela, Senior Director of Healthcare Access for the Primary Care Coalition. “In Maryland, approximately one in eight women are ultimately diagnosed with breast cancer, and about 85% of them have no family history of it. Early detection makes treatment easier, less costly, and significantly increases survival rates.” |
| | | Inaugural CoAct Concluded with Three Action Items The Primary Care Coalition (PCC) held its final CoAct convening to improve services for residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) on December 7, 2023 at The Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Inter-Generational Center in Downtown Silver Spring. A diverse group of stakeholders, including ranging parent advocates, government agency representatives, and direct service providers (DSPs) gathered to translate the learning and conversation process into defined next steps: -
Providing parents of individuals with IDD group opportunities for support and connection. -
Connecting DSPs with Montgomery College to explore offering field experience placements as a workforce pipeline. -
Advocating for a local START pilot to provide more appropriate behavioral health crisis response for individuals with IDD. These next steps build on existing community resources to address concerns raised by participants. |
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 | January 25, 5:30-6:30 p.m., American Sign Language Beginner Class for teens and adults. Germantown Library, Germantown. January 29, 2:00-3:30 p.m., I Am Prepared, hosted by Independence Now via Zoom offers best practices for emergency preparedness for individuals with disabilities. January 29, 6:00-7:00 p.m., Yoga, instructor-led class suitable for those new to yoga as well as those interested in working on the basics. Brigadier General Charles E. McGee Library. February 3, 9:00-10:00 a.m., Kensington Parkrun, free weekly 5K walk/run, strollers and dogs welcome, Rock Creek Trail, Beach Drive, and Cedar Lane. The course map is available. Register for a personal bar code that gives you access to any parkrun anywhere. February 5, 10:30 - 11:00 a.m., Bilingual Family Storytime in English and Spanish. Chevy Chase Library. Free tickets will be distributed on a first-come basis at the information desk 30 minutes prior to the start of the program. Through February 25, Next to Normal is playing at Round House Theatre. The Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical is about a suburban mom who is struggling with bipolar disorder, her exhausted husband who is trying to keep everything “normal,” and the overachiever daughter who is ready to snap. The family learns to connect and see each other as they are – an empathetic and cathartic story set to soaring rock music. Buy tickets here. |
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| | Meet Cupcake! Meet January’s Pet of PCC, Cupcake. Holding true to her namesake, she is as sweet as can be! Cupcake is a beloved member of the family for Stephanie Narayanan, who serves as PCC’s Director of Development and External Relations. Dad joke via We Are Teachers. |
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