Fall/Winter 2023
2 | Purpose, Fall/Winter 2023
Dear Friends, We have reached the time of year that can lead to the winter blues or a sense of isolation and loneliness. The U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy has issued an advisory on the healing effects of social connection and community to keep these conditions at bay. We have always known that humans are social creatures and ongoing connection is as vital to our survival as water, food, and shelter. However, his report reveals that the consequences of social isolation and loneliness are extreme: • Lacking social connection is as dangerous as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day and presents an increased risk of death by as much as 29%. • Poor social relationships (social isolation, poor social support, and loneliness) are associated with a 29% increase in the risk of heart disease and a 32% increase in the risk of stroke. • Immune response may be reduced when exposed to infectious disease for people who are less socially connected. • Chronic loneliness and social isolation can increase the risk of developing dementia by 50% in older adults. • Among children and adolescents, loneliness and social isolation increase the risk of depression and anxiety.
The good news is that these things can be mitigated through social connections! In this issue of Purpose, we discuss some of the community events that we sponsored and the ways that we use our resources to bring people together. I am thrilled to share that CCI’s existing efforts amplify the aims of pillars 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 found in the Surgeon General’s advisory (see right). The events and education plans for 2024 continue to build on this practice, and we are motivated by the Surgeon General’s report to do even more. Sincerely,
Sonya Bruton, Psy.D., MPA CEO & President CCI Health Services
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The Six Pillars to Advance
SOCIAL CONNECTION 1
STRENGTHEN SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE IN LOCAL COMMUNITIES • D esign the built environment to promote social connection • E stabilsh and scale community connection programs
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ENACT PRO-CONNECTION PUBLIC POLICIES
MOBILIZE THE HEALTH SECTOR
• A dopt a “Connection-in-AllPolicies” approach
• T rain health care providers
• A dvance policies that minimize harm from disconnection
• I nvest in local institutions that bring people together
• E stablish crossdepartmental leadership at all levels of government
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5
• A ssess and support patients • E xpand public health surveillance and interventions
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REFORM DIGITAL ENVIRONMENTS
DEEPEN OUR KNOWLEDGE
BUILD A CULTURE OF CONNECTION
• R equire data transparency
• D evelop and coordinate a national research agenda
• C ultivate values of kindness, respect, service, and commitment to one another
• E stablish and implement safety standards • S upport development of pro-connection technologies
• A ccelerate research funding • I ncrease public awareness
• M odel connection values in positions of leadership and influence • E xpand conversation on social connection in schools, workplaces, and communities
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Free Health Care for Pregnant Immigrant People For many pregnant immigrant people in Maryland, growing a family came at a cost since access to quality health care was limited depending on their citizenship status. With no access to health insurance, pregnant immigrant people often found themselves delaying prenatal care, seeking routine care in emergency rooms, and being left with large medical bills. However, that all changed on July 1, 2023, when Maryland’s Healthy Babies Equity Act went into effect. The new law now extends Medicaid health coverage to pregnant and postpartum individuals regardless of immigration status. This was a huge victory for health equity advocates because it expanded life-saving health coverage to thousands of pregnant immigrant people. This includes DACA recipients and those with an undocumented status or on visas that would otherwise make them ineligible for Medicaid. At a time when maternal mortality is increasing in many communities, access to prenatal care, dental care, essential lab work, and more is critical to ensuring safe deliveries and healthy families. CCI has seen firsthand how this change impacts the communities we serve. Not only has enrollment in our prenatal care program increased, but expecting parents have shared sighs of relief knowing that their care will be covered without any out-of-pocket expenses.
“Out of the ten, seven are fully insured, and three are waiting for their insurance to arrive. So we have a fully insured group now compared to what we didn’t have, which is really good because now they don’t have to worry about anything,” said Sherlyn Hernandez, CCI’s Maternal and Child Health Program Coordinator for WAMU 88.5. In August, the Washington, D.C. NPR station, WAMU 88.5, visited CCI’s Greenbelt location to learn about our group-based prenatal care program.
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CCI WIC Receives Award from the USDA In September, our WIC team was honored to receive the 2023 WIC Breastfeeding Award of Excellence for Exemplary Breastfeeding Support in Practices from the USDA. Even better, we were one of just 11 organizations nationwide to receive the Premiere designation! The award recognized CCI’s leading breastfeeding initiation rate and effective service delivery. 2022 marked the third consecutive year CCI’s WIC program maintained the highest rate in Maryland at 88.6%, 14% higher than the national average. That means a reduced risk of common infections and illness and a greater opportunity for healthy development for thousands of babies in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties. Congratulations to our amazing WIC team! Thank you for your hard work.
“The whole WIC team is immensely grateful to receive this prestigious recognition. Understanding the importance of breastfeeding during the formative years of life, our team takes great pride in offering a robust and effective program that improves health outcomes for our youngest neighbors. It’s an honor to receive validation from the USDA, which holds WIC agencies to high standards.” — Jose Luis Diaz, CCI’s WIC Executive Director
6 | Purpose, Fall/Winter 2023
Summer Madness at CCI The summertime is an eventful time at CCI as we hold many of our annual events. The combination of bright skies with the sun beaming across faces always brings our communities together for fun and cheer. Take a look at our events held this year!
Our annual events are all about giving back to the communities we serve. To help us continue these events bigger and better in 2024, consider donating or becoming a sponsor!
SUNSET SOIRÉE August 9 In an intimate foodie experience, chefs Kevin Tien and Tim Ma of Chefs Stopping AAPI Hate and Marylandnative Ari Augenbaum, executive chef of Soul Taco Restaurant and JewFro, curated small, delectable bites for guests. Raising more than $10,000, this was CCI’s first fundraiser of its kind, but definitely not the last.
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BLOCK PARTY August 12 To kick off the school year, we held our annual Block Party at our Greenbelt health center. More than 900 neighbors joined us for a fun afternoon of dancing, prizes, free food, and health resources.
RUN BABY RUN September 30 More than 100 individuals registered to race along the trail at Wheaton Regional Park in support of parents enrolled in our prenatal care program.
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CCI in the
COMMUNITY As the summer days started to dwindle, the excitement for the upcoming school year filled the air. Back-to-school events became the backdrop of preparedness for children and parents to embark on the journey of a new school year. CCI passionately participated in these events, offering school supplies, backpacks, immunizations, and medical information to make sure kids start the school year off right. Here’s a recap of where we were in the community!
From left to right, top to bottom: National Night Out (New Carrollton) Montgomery College Shaw Center Community Resource Fair (Germantown, Rockville, Silver Spring) Long Branch Festival (Silver Spring) Buckets & Beats: Silver Spring Youth Block Party (Silver Spring) Takoma Park Street Festival (Silver Spring)
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City of Greenbelt’s Back-to-School Mini Family Health Fair (Greenbelt)
At CCI, we understand getting kids excited about the new school year is not merely a matter of enthusiasm—it plays a pivotal role in their educational journey and personal development. Here’s why igniting this excitement is so crucial:
1
Fostering a positive attitude
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Enhancing engagement and participation
3
Boosting confidence and self-esteem
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Strengthening parental involvement
10 | Purpose, Fall/Winter 2023
Q & A with Population Health
While the population health department at CCI is not new, the team recently underwent a restructuring to increase its impact and service to patients. Since then, they have organized and participated in numerous outreach events to close gaps in patients’ health care. By using data from various sources such as a patient’s Electronic Health Record (EHR), pharmacy records, hospital utilization, and social determinants of health, the team is able to understand patient population trends, characteristics, and barriers. In turn, they use this information to tailor outreach programs that improve health outcomes, reduce the cost of care, and enhance the overall patient experience. Here we talk with the team about their critical work.
WHAT IS POPULATION HEALTH?
“We work with the clinical staff to meet gaps in care. Many patients aren’t aware of care gaps, we bring patients into their care.”
Gilbert Rose Population Health & Patient Panel Coordinator
“The heartbeat or pulse to get patients back to care.”
Candeth Gravette Clinical Care Coordinator
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HOW DO YOU GET PATIENTS CONNECTED TO CARE TO CLOSE HEALTH GAPS?
“We have help from everyone. It’s a team effort. CCI patient representatives and medical assistants will call me and say, ‘Hey, I have a patient. Can I give you their information?’” Lisa Anderson Population Health & Patient Panel Coordinator
“Our community health workers will coordinate rides, appointments, referrals, and make connections outside of CCI to address barriers to care.”
“We use various methods to try and outreach our patients. We call, we text, and we try to engage them while they are at the health center. But we are really excited to start and step outside the clinic and leverage spaces where our community members live, work, and play!”
Camesha Thompson Associate Population Health Director
La Tasha Barnwell Director, Population Health & Quality
For Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the population health team partnered with UnitedHealthcare and Breast Care of Washington Mobile Mammogram Van to provide 3D mammogram services for neighbors with or without insurance outside of CCI’s Greenway health center.
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Meet Our Board
RACHEL PAGÁN Rachel Pagán, a recent addition to the Board, believes she brings a fresh, new perspective: that of a patient. “Being a recipient of the services, I can relay the message from a patient perspective. I experience the services regularly,” says Pagán. “As a patient, I very much embody the CCI mission, which is to provide affordable, quality health care. I have had a lot of experiences that put me right at the mission.” Her vision for CCI’s future is not far off from where we are currently. “I want to see drug treatment services expand, perhaps an outpatient program. Having a more dedicated drug treatment program would be beneficial to CCI, considering the substance use issues in this area.”
Born and raised in Montgomery County, Pagán attended Magruder High School. She would later be drawn by the sun and palm trees of Los Angeles and attend the University of Southern California, where she graduated with a BS in Music Industry. Upon graduation, Pagán saw the music industry begin to favor streaming. As a result, she moved back east to work for her family’s business, Rockville Window & Door Co. She currently serves as the general manager. A staunch advocate for mental health and substance use treatment, Pagán sees herself as the quintessential patient for CCI’s services. Outside of her role as a board member, Pagán spends most of her time with her young son. “My son is my why, my purpose, the reason I wake up in the morning. He is the piece I didn’t know I was missing.”
Her mantra comes from a Red Hot Chili Peppers track: It’s better to regret something you did than something you didn’t do.
Scan here for more information about joining our Board of Directors.
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Employee Highlight
INGRID MORENO Ingrid Moreno manages the billing department at CCI. With support from the billing team, Ingrid ensures CCI receives prompt reimbursement from insurance companies so we can continue to provide service to our uninsured and underinsured patients.
My favorite thing about CCI is the amazing people who work here, who are passionate about helping the community.
Before Ingrid transitioned to billing, she worked as a Patient Representative at our Greenbelt health center. Now in her eighth year at CCI, she credits her team for always working hard to meet the organization’s revenue goals. “Congratulations to our billing team and the teammates who form a chain of success. We deposited $1.8 million in cash for September. This is up $500,000 since Ingrid assumed leadership of the area. This money helps keep our programs going so we can continue to provide quality care to our community.” — Sonya Bruton, Psy.D., MPA CEO & President of CCI Health Services
THIS COULD BE YOU! Have a passion for public health and service? Explore our career opportunities at cciweb.org/careers.
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A Call for Sustainable & Modern Funding in Community Health By Marisol Euceda Director of Marketing and Communications
September 30 each year marks an important date for community health centers (CHCs) like CCI, closing the federal fiscal year and charting a path for the next. Unfortunately, it’s also a date rife with anxiety and uncertainty from not knowing where we stand. CHCs rely on federal funding for much of our work. In 2022, more than 30% of CCI’s budget encompassed funding from the government. That’s always been the case for us. In fact, that’s been the case for every CHC dating to our early years as a movement in the 1960s. Community health and federal funding go hand in hand, and that’s not a bad thing. It’s an investment in health equity. Even more, it’s a show of confidence in this movement, encouraging CHCs to accept anyone in need of care and worry less about the capacity or resources to do so.
But there are a couple of problems that we have to address. First, funding has never been guaranteed. It’s dependent on reauthorization, which itself depends on consensus within an increasingly divided Congress. Second, the amount earmarked is not keeping up with the times. Although the number of dollars has increased over the years, there’s no accounting for inflation, causing headaches for CHCs already balancing a tight budget amid rising costs. These two obstacles, coupled with an increasing demand for our services, put CHCs everywhere in a precarious position that requires evaluating and reimagining funding.
WIC participant at CCI’s WIC Back to Work Shower
MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS Passionate CHC advocates work publicly and behind the scenes to ensure funding is a mainstay in the annual federal budget. So far, so good. CHC funding is a uniquely bipartisan issue that has long enjoyed support from across the aisle. However, it’s at the mercy of a larger budgetary discussion that can quickly become politicized, as witnessed this year. We all heard that dreaded “s” word: shutdown. Talk of a shutdown may make great political drama and riveting headlines, but it can upend plans for many, especially those who visit a CHC. Take WIC, for example. More than 30,000 neighbors counted on CCI’s WIC program for breastfeeding counseling and nutrition support in 2022. Research proves that WIC is remarkably effective in keeping families healthy and nourished.
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WIC funds are discretionary, which means that if a federal budget doesn’t pass, the program doesn’t receive funding, and services essentially halt for every agency. Our WIC program could continue uninterrupted for a week or two without additional funding, but there’s a limit. Eventually, we’d lack the resources necessary to operate at the same level. The consequences would be dire; think hungry families and financial debt.
HERE’S HOW WE CAN ACHIEVE IT First, you’ll hear CCI talk a lot about voting going forward. We won’t be about endorsements or choosing sides, though. Rather, we’ll be about empowering our patients and participants to recognize the power contained in their vote. Helping them understand that they must exercise their rights to realize their interests. We’ll also remind everyone in our community that complacency will never result in change.
MORE DEMAND THAN DOLLARS CHCs routinely struggle with underfunding despite a growing service population. Given the number of patients and participants served, the results achieved, and the taxpayer money saved, one would presume that CHCs have everything they need to thrive. But without inflation-adjusted assistance, we’re really just getting by. CHCs like CCI have proven efficacy for decades, though I think the last three years have been extraordinary. Our movement was a lifeline for historically underserved neighbors during the COVID-19 pandemic. And not just for direct services, either, but for supplemental resources and public health updates, as well. How about the mpox outbreak in the summer of 2022? RSV affecting children and seniors right now? Whether crisis or checkup, it’s the CHCs who are always there to care. And you can’t discuss the value of CHCs without focusing on the clinicians and support personnel serving the vision. The high appeal for their skills within the health care sector means they could work anywhere, yet they’ve chosen to dedicate their careers to the movement. That could change if they continue to find themselves in funding limbo. Even the most committed would likely seek new opportunities with greater job security rather than deal with annual whispers of shutdowns, service interruptions, and defunding. Open vacancies will mean closed opportunities for patients and participants—and health outcomes will suffer accordingly.
THE PATH WE’LL TAKE TOGETHER The era of hoping and waiting for Congressional support must end. Of course, I’m not calling for the end of funding itself; CHCs need those resources to serve the millions of families who visit us for care each year. Instead, I’m suggesting a new perspective on funding, one that values sustainability and certainty. A given, not a gift. It’s not out of reach.
Emmett V. Jordan, Mayor of Greenbelt, at CCI Greenbelt
We’ll also call on your enthusiasm for our mission to help advocate for guaranteed funding for CHCs and other initiatives that will improve public health. That could mean signing a petition or sending a persuasive email. In each case, your representatives will be eager to hear how passionate you are about community health. We hope you will join us in this campaign that leads to healthier, more empowered families in our neighborhoods. But the most important thing you can do as an ally in this shared cause? Become a monthly CCI supporter. Scan here or visit cciweb.org/donate to join our mission today.
Get Involved CCI’s efforts to achieve equity start from the inside out. We are as diverse as the community we serve because we are from the community. Here are some ways you can be a part of our team of public health professionals: Explore our Job Openings
Join our Board of Directors
Scan here for more information about our volunteer opportunities. Choose Community. Choose Culture. Choose Care. Choose CCI. 8665 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910 301.340.7525 | 301.495.0318 | www.cciweb.org | info@cciweb.org Follow us on social media @CCIcares
