Prince Georges Afro-American Newspaper December 14 2013

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PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY EDITION

Volume 122 No. 19

DECEMBER 14, 2013 - DECEMBER 20, 2013

Obama Praises Mandela as ‘Great Liberator’

Shanahan May Sit RGIII for Rest of Season Following Ugly Home Loss By Perry Green AFRO Sports Editor Robert Griffin III passed for just 164 yards and was benched in the fourth quarter Dec. 8 as Washington’s NFL team was embarrassed in a 45-10 home loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at FedEx Field in Landover, Md. It was an all-around ugly game from start to finish for Washington as they trailed 17-0 by the end of the 1st quarter, then fell behind 31-7 by halftime. Kansas City scored 24 more points in Continued on A4

President Obama remembers Nelson Mandela at a memorial service on Dec. 10 in Soweto.

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days left to register on MHC for health coverage effective Jan. 1.

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An AFRO Tribute to ‘Madiba’

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By George E. Curry NNPA Editor-in-Chief SOWETO, South Africa (NNPA) – President Barack Obama described Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first Black elected president, as “the last great liberator of the 20th century” and thanked the grieving nation for sharing their beloved former leader with the rest of the world. Speaking Dec. 10 at a rain-soaked memorial service here attended by nearly 100 current and former international leaders, Obama said, “It is a singular honor to be with you today, to celebrate a life like no other. To the people of South Africa, people of every race

AP Photo

and walk of life – the world thanks you for sharing Nelson Mandela with us. His struggle was your struggle. His triumph was your triumph. Your dignity and your hope found expression in his life. And your freedom, your democracy is his cherished legacy.” Mandela died Dec. 5 at the age of 95 after a long illness. The memorial service kicked off a week of celebrations that will culminate Dec. 15 with his burial in his ancestral village of Qunu, in the Eastern Cape region. Flags are flying throughout the country at half-staff. Coincidentally, the memorial service fell on

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Washington’s NFL team was embarrassed in a 45-10 home loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Illinois Pastor, Grieving for Beloved Wife, Kills Self One Year after Her Sudden Death Shortly Follows Suicide Death of Macon, Ga. Pastor Christian Assemblies International in Hazel Crest, Ill., allegedly shot himself inside his home Nov. 30. According to news accounts, his mother and son were present at his home at the time. Montgomery, 48, also a railroad conductor, had been mourning the death of his wife, Prophetess Jackie Montgomery, who died Dec. 6, 2012 of complications from an aneurism. The two were reportedly extremely close. Jackie Montgomery, an ordained minister like her husband, partnered with him to oversee the assembly’s marriage ministry, said the

By Zachary Lester AFRO Staff Writer Pastor Edward Montgomery, a marriage counselor at Full Gospel

Jackie and Edward Montgomery

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Apostle Ron Wilson, Full Gospel’s senior pastor. Montgomery’s death follows by only 20 days the suicide of the Rev. Teddy Parker Jr., pastor of Bibb Mount Zion Baptist Church in Macon, Ga., on Nov. 10. Parker, who was married and had two daughters, killed himself on a Sunday morning as his family and congregation waited for him to go to church to preach. Wilson said media reports that Edward Montgomery told people he had been hearing his wife speak to him and hearing her footsteps were unsubstantiated. He said the Continued on A3

New Prince George’s Hospital Inches Forward By Zenitha Prince AFRO Senior Correspondent

The AFROAmerican Newspaper Prince George’s County Edition is Published weekly as an E-edition. Notification is sent to you via email. You can opt-out of receiving this by selecting the unsubscribe option at the bottom of each email notice.

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Maryland health regulators have begun their review of a plan to create a new acute care hospital in Prince George’s County, the latest development in the county’s long-running attempt to replace the beleaguered Prince George’s Hospital Center. On Oct. 4, Dimensions Healthcare System, which runs PGHC, along with the University of Maryland Medical System filed an application for a Certificate of Need (CON) with the Maryland Health Care Commission. Paul E. Parker, director of the Commission’s Center for Health Care Facilities Planning & Development, verified receiving the application and said the review process has begun.

The current PGHC facility

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“The review process could take an estimated nine months and, if the plan is approved, groundbreaking on the Largo-based facility would take place in 2015.”

“We have requested additional information from this applicant to complete the application. Some of the information has been provided and we are awaiting additional information,” he told the AFRO via e-mail. When the Commission has received all the requested information, the application will be docketed and a 90-day review process would begin. The process would take 150 days if the proposal is opposed by one or more qualified interested parties, Parker said. “The review will focus on the need for the project, the availability of more costeffective alternatives to the project, the project’s viability, its impact and the track record of the applicant in meeting terms and conditions of previously awarded CONs,” he Continued on A3

Health Officials Provide Update on Maryland Health Exchange By AFRO Staff Maryland Lt. Governor Anthony G. Brown held a news conference Dec. 10 to update Maryland residents on the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange, including staffing and technology changes to improve the system, according to a statement released by his office.

“Our #1 focus—our most urgent priority—is doing everything possible to make sure that Marylanders can sign up for affordable health care and get access to the benefits their families need,” Brown said. “As we move forward, that’s going to remain our focus. That’s why the governor and I have made changes by restructuring

the Exchange’s leadership and bringing in additional resources.” Exchange interim Executive Director Carolyn Quattrocki said she has met with Maryland Health Benefit Exchange staff. “They, along with our IT teams, vendors, consumer assistance professionals, brokers and other partners, are

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acutely aware that this is an all-hands-on-deck operation,” Quattrocki said. “Since the launch on October 1, they have gone above and beyond to improve the website and remove the barriers to enrollment. While there is still a lot of work left to be done, we will not stop until we’ve fixed the problems…” State officials said they

have made changes, including stepping up technology, increasing staffing levels and strengthening the organizational structure at the Exchange. Additional workers were also hired to staff the call center and leadership was restructured. The changes, officials said in the statement, have led Continued on A3

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