 | April 2024 | Issue No. 24 |
|  | Meet Oge Okeke
Director for Cancer Program Ogechukwu (Oge) Okeke, MPH, is the Primary Care Coalition’s director for cancer programs. She joined the organization in late 2022, attracted by the opportunity to provide care to uninsured residents and work with women. “I love constantly being at the forefront of improving health care for the vulnerable. When I first came to the U.S., I was an international student with few resources and health insurance that came at a high price for my parents. That perspective makes me appreciate being part of the solution now,” said Okeke. “And I love working with women because when you train a woman, you train an entire community.” In her role at PCC, Okeke works with a program manager and a team of passionate and dedicated women to increase breast and cervical cancer screening rates and diagnoses. They coordinate with state partners to ensure patients receive life-saving treatments and work directly with clinics and patients to schedule follow-up screenings. |
| |
|
|  |  | PCC Workforce Capacity Program Hosts Meet and Greet with Local Hospitals The Primary Care Coalition’s Workforce Capacity Program hosted its first meet-and-greet event last month with local hospitals for students who will soon be completing — and a few who are just starting — their certification programs at Montgomery College to become nursing assistants, pharmacy technicians, and phlebotomy technicians. The hospitals that participated in the event included Suburban, Johns Hopkins, Adventist Healthcare, Holy Cross, and MedStar Montgomery. The 44 certification candidates who attended the event received scholarships through PCC’s Department of Labor-funded grant program. They met with hospital representatives and learned about job opportunities, benefits, and career paths in healthcare systems. Most candidates brought their resumes to share with hospital hiring teams and made plans to apply officially after completing their certification programs. Hospital representatives expressed appreciation for the enthusiastic audience and excitement about the opportunity to fill entry-level job vacancies in the next few months. The Ethiopian Community Center in Maryland and the Muslim Community Center attended the meeting and encouraged the scholars. These organizations conduct outreach and support activities to local communities as partners on the PCC-DOL grant. Until early 2025, PCC will have DOL scholarship funds available to support low-income, culturally diverse individuals attending certification programs at Montgomery College. For more information, contact Program Director Liza Greenberg at Liza_Greenberg@primarycarecoalition.org. |
|  | County Budget Proposal Includes $180,000 For Uninsured Teen Pregnancy Prevention The County Executive’s FY25 Operating Budget proposal, under County Council consideration, includes $180,000 for the Care for Kids program to improve reproductive healthcare access for uninsured teens. Motherhood can significantly impact the health, well-being, and life trajectory of young women and their babies, and parents under the age of 18 have lower mental health scores than teens who delay having children. The Care for Kids program is administered by the Primary Care Coalition and funded by the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services. The program currently serves 8,648 uninsured youth from 75 countries. Forty percent of the participants are over 14, and nearly three-quarters are from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. |
| | | PCC Supports Move More Month April is National Move More Month, which encourages everyone to incorporate more physical activity into their day to reduce cardiovascular disease and other threats to good health. Created by the American Heart Association, Move More Month's principles are supported by Primary Care Coalition staff during April and throughout the year. Dr. Veronica Vela, PCC’s senior director of Healthcare Access, and Mindy Pierce, senior director of Nexus Montgomery and Population Health Programs, host walking meetings as part of their schedule to allow staff to move around. |
| |
|
 | May 5, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., With Parks in Mind: Mental Health Awareness Event, Germantown Town Center Urban Park. Join the annual outdoor celebration of wellness and nature hosted by Montgomery Parks in collaboration with EveryMind. Activities include a nature scavenger hunt, gentle yoga, dance yoga, laugh yoga, guided meditation, crafts, and meeting adoptable dogs from PetConnect Rescue. May 7, 5-6:30 p.m. – Event Series: Living Positively with Chronic Pain, peer support group meetings open to individuals directly affected by chronic pain, hosted by Independence Now on Zoom, every month through August on the first Tuesday. Register here. May 9, 1:30-3:00 p.m. – Health Affairs Lunch and Learn: The 20th Anniversary of the ONC. A conversation on health IT progress and the still to do list. Register here. May 16, 6-8:30 p.m. – Service Design: A Panel Discussion on Where We Are and What's Next. Dr. Veronica X. Vela, PCC's Director for Healthcare Access, joins panelists from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Google, and Capital One to discuss what a shifting environment means for their field's future. Register here; $15 entrance fee. 2300 Clarendon Blvd., Arlington. May 29-30 – CMS Health Equity Conference. The second-annual CMS event includes official changes and emerging solutions. In-person registration is full, but register here for virtual attendance. |
| | | | | |
|
|
|
| | Meet April's Pet of the month: Mr. Coco Say hello to the newest furry friend of Blanca Cuervo, our Supervisory Behavioral Health Care Manager! With his irresistible sweetness, playful spirit, and exceptional cuddling skills, Mr. Coco is sure to steal your heart. Dad joke via Country Living. |
|  |  | |
|
| |
|
| | | |
|
|
