Summer 2022
YEARS
DEAR FRIENDS, CCI has worked tirelessly to make good health within reach for the community over the last 50 years. Today, our efforts to achieve health equity can be seen most notably in the composition of our clinical staff and our attention to the social determinants of health. For decades, CCI has known what research now confirms: it matters who delivers care. Data shows that when patients share the same race or ethnicity as their clinician, the following areas improve: •
Time spent together
•
Adherence to medication schedule
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Shared decision-making
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Wait times for treatment
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Patient understanding and perception of health risks
It also reduces bias, which can make a difference in many areas of patient care, including more detailed and thorough patient notes by clinicians. At CCI, 77% of clinicians represent a racial or ethnic minority group. Social, economic, and physical conditions are the determinants that impact and drive health. More specifically, they include education quality and access, financial stability, social and community needs, neighborhood and built environments, and health care quality and access. These factors impact 60% to 80% of health outcomes. They remain a focus for us because they affect how we begin life, drive how we feel, and affect when and how we die.
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CCI has long known what research now confirms: it matters who delivers care. CCI addresses affordable health care quality and access by offering comprehensive care at multiple locations, transportation assistance, education campaigns, nutrition services, and food distribution. Our extensive prenatal program includes group and individual models of care to limit isolation and build community. In addition, we enhance social and community environments with programs such as Reach Out and Read and maintain an extensive referral network. We also offer mental health services to treat disorders and lift moods. The trust we have built over time with the communities that we serve has allowed us to help our patients on a deeper level to fully address their medical and social needs. This togetherness has the power to ensure health equity happens within our lifetime. Sincerely,
Sonya Bruton, Psy.D., MPA President and CEO CCI Health Services
WIC AS A
Health Equity Tool
WIC at CCI will continue to bridge the gaps for our most vulnerable neighbors, now and for decades to come.
By: Jose Luis Diaz, WIC Director The COVID-19 pandemic brought to light many of the disparities that exist within health care in a way seldom seen in public health. From the early days of the pandemic until now, underserved communities have been disproportionately affected by alarming health outcomes. Injustice in the health care system may have come as a surprise for some, but advocates and community health workers have long known that health inequity has been a persistent issue for generations. The pandemic served as a wake-up call for many, and there is a growing demand for interventions that effectively address access to care and improved health outcomes. Started in 1972, the special Supplement Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) can help achieve both goals and offers a unique opportunity to help bring about a more equitable health care system.
What is WIC?
ACCESS TO NUTRITIOUS FOODS
WIC focuses on decreasing malnutrition rates experienced by millions of families living with low incomes. The program is effective in improving several metrics in child and maternal health, including:
WIC provides supplemental nutritious food accessed via an EBT card for use in local stores, farmers markets, and vendors. The food packages seek to supplement the dietary needs of participants to ensure good health and proper development. Each package is tailored to the participant’s needs and includes fruits, eggs, milk, cheese, beans, fruits, and vegetables.
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reduced premature deaths
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increased average in birthweight
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reduced fetal and infant deaths
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increased nutrition for moms-to-be
REFERRALS TO ADDITIONAL SERVICES
How Does WIC Work? NUTRITION EDUCATION AND BREASTFEEDING SUPPORT WIC participants receive individualized counseling from trained nutrition professionals. The counseling techniques are culturally competent and seek to address implicit bias and gender fluidity. Peer counselors who breastfed for at least six months and were former WIC participants themselves provide breastfeeding support. Participants receive guidance on lactation, demonstrative techniques, and personalized advice from their peer counselor.
Every WIC participant receives referrals to additional services as recommended by counselors. The most common referrals are for health care providers, immunization services, specialized counselors, and housing assistance.
WIC at CCI CCI’s WIC program boasts 50 full-time staff members, including registered dietitians, international board-certified lactation consultants (ICBLCs), nutrition counselors and assistants, and peer counselors. Together, these talented and dedicated individuals have advanced the program’s mission to safeguard the health of women, infants, and children living in poverty and at risk of undernutrition.
Wide-spread poverty, institutional racism, and discrimination foster health inequity, and solving them is a complicated and long-term endeavor that requires a collaborative effort. The WIC program can serve as an example and a tool for achieving health equity. Purpose Newsletter, Summer 2022 | 3
New Headquarters
TOUR By: Kevin Bruton, Marketing Assistant
After undergoing a rebranding in 2022, it was time for CCI to revamp our facilities. Our new headquarters – located at 8665 Georgia Ave. – represents growth to us. We purchased the building to as a show of commitment to our patients and the greater Silver Spring community. The building has a storied history. It once served as the Silver Spring District Court and acted as the headquarters for several companies within the area. Most notably, though, it once served as a county jail. “There was a time when this building was seen as a place of loss, hopelessness, and misdirection,” said Dr. Sonya Bruton, CCI’s President & CEO. “We are going to change that notion. This building will soon be known as a place for hope, growth, and opportunity in the community.”
There was a time when this building was seen as a place for loss, hopelessness, and misdirection. We are going to change that notion. This building will soon be known as a place for hope, growth, and opportunity in the community. Dr. Sonya Bruton CEO of CCI Health Services
Stepping into the new space, onlookers would be none the wiser about the building’s history. The top floor consists of offices and meeting rooms, accommodating most administrative staff members. On the main floor resides cubicles and office space, and the newly designed CCI logo at the end of the corridor. Finally, the basement hosts a complete kitchen, furnished conference room, and a wellness area. We stationed banners on each floor to continually remind ourselves of our three central tenets: Choose Community, Choose Culture, and Choose Care. Photos from our ribbon cutting event for our new headquarters in Downtown Silver Spring.
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CHOOSE
Community
is our commitment to Montgomery and Prince George’s counties.
CHOOSE
Culture
reflects the collaborative, diverse, and compassionate workplace culture we have created together.
CHOOSE
Care
spotlights the many services we offer and above all, our promise to our patients.
Photos from our ribbon cutting event for our new headquarters in Downtown Silver Spring.
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Erika Portela Solis
Aastasshia Lacy
Dr. Jessica Petros
Lead behavioral health consultant Erika Portela Solis spoke with FOX 5 DC about coping with grief on Mother’s Day.
Maternal and Child Health Director Aastasshia Lacy interviewed with WJLA about Black maternal health in Maryland.
Associate Chief Medical Officer Dr. Petros discussed the COVID-19 antiviral Paxlovid with Montgomery Community Media.
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CCI is always thrilled to celebrate professional growth on our team. We want to shout out a couple of special staffers who were recently honored with appointments for two leading health care organizations.
Alexandrea McIntosh-Ogunfolu, CCI’s Infectious Disease Program Manager, was recently appointed to the Academy Community Advisory Group with the American Academy of HIV Medicine. The Academy Community Advisory Group is a diverse collective dedicated to ensuring the educational services and programs developed by the Academy serve health care professionals effectively and efficiently while driving the creation of timely innovative strategies to end HIV.
“HIV has severely impacted our region and the world. Anything I can do to educate people about HIV will go a long way in ending the epidemic. I just want to do my part.” — Alex
Family Planning Program Manager Darnielle Williams was elected to the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association Board of Directors this past spring. The National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association represents the broad spectrum of family planning administrators and clinicians serving the nation’s low-income and uninsured women and men.
“I want to ensure that every person can access high quality, culturally competent, affordable sexual and reproductive health care that allows them to feel heard, seen, informed, affirmed, and supported. Right now, everyone doesn’t have that privilege—and I won’t stop until they do.” — Darnielle
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How We Contribute to
HEALTH EQUITY By: Jessica Wilson, Chief Strategy Officer
CCI delivers health services to tens of thousands of patients annually. But there is much more to our work than just serving through care. Achieving health equity in our community and beyond is a significant part of our mission. Health care disparities exist for many neighbors in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties. Inequity prevents underserved communities from receiving the essential care they need to live well. We don’t believe that a person’s income, race, ethnicity, gender identity, disability, or education level should determine whether they receive accessible patient-centered care. CCI takes a stand against health inequity through our work every day. Here is how we contribute towards creating a more just health care experience for everyone.
We reach out to our neighbors Awareness plays a critical role in increasing health equity. At CCI, we don’t wait around for our patients to find us. Instead, we make an effort to introduce ourselves to the community and educate future patients on how we can help them meet their needs.
Patient receives first dose of Moderna vaccine at CCI’s vaccination event held in April 2021.
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CCI’s outreach team coordinates and participates in local events to promote our services and deliver preventative care on-site to attendees. We also invest in advertising campaigns on social media platforms and run bus ads to further our reach throughout the area. And we are always thinking about new and innovative ways to let our neighbors know we are here for them.
We offer comprehensive care Navigating health care isn’t easy for anyone, and it can be especially challenging for neighbors who benefit the most from community health care. Centralized services mean improved patient health outcomes and fewer access barriers. Each CCI health center offers several health services in-office, enabling patients to receive comprehensive care without juggling referrals or commuting to specialists. For example, a CCI patient can come in for their annual check-up with their primary care doctor and then have a brief check-in with a behavioral health consultant afterward. They can also schedule a dental cleaning for a later date and leave our health center with educational materials in their language. We can also accommodate major life changes for patients, including providing prenatal support and offering infectious disease management.
Left photo: Patient at our Gaithersburg medical site. Top photo: Medical Assistant, Luis Lobos, with patient at our Takoma medical site.
We won’t turn anyone away Cost continues to be a significant barrier to achieving health equity. Most of our patients live well below the poverty line and lack insurance or are inadequately insured. Standard health care would simply be unattainable for the majority of CCI patients in most instances. But we do things a little bit differently here. CCI maintains a sliding scale model for payment which asks patients to only pay depending on their annual income. As a result, many patients pay only a fraction of what their services would normally cost. Our payment model opens doors for families living with limited means and serves as an example of how health care can and should be. Health equity won’t happen overnight. It will take years to change a system that has left many behind. But it starts with how health organizations and clinics respond today. CCI is committed to doing its part to realize health equity through example, and we inch closer and closer towards the goal with each new patient. Purpose Newsletter, Summer 2022 | 9
HUMAN RIGHTS
CAMPAIGN DESIGNATION In April, the Human Rights Campaign selected CCI for inclusion in the 2022 Healthcare Equality Index (HEI.) The HEI is an annual survey that serves as a benchmarking tool for evaluating health care facilities’ policies and practices related to the equity and inclusion of LGBTQ+ patients, employees, and visitors. CCI received recognition in the Foundational Policies for LGBTQ+ Healthcare category, which highlights organizations that demonstrate foundational policies to promote inclusion and a commitment to training in LGBTQ+ competent care. This year’s HEI marks CCI’s first appearance in the survey, which is a great honor for us. Our team comprises LGBTQ+ community members and staunch allies dedicated to serving the community. This designation serves as validation of our efforts and a motivator to continue doing everything we can to support our LGBTQ+ neighbors further. Visit https://cciweb.org/campaign/choose-love/ to learn more about our work to promote health equity in the LGBTQ+ community.
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Give Locally. Give Health. Give to CCI. By: Jennifer Pusatere, Development Director
FOR 50 YEARS, CCI has been serving the community and doing our part to make health care more accessible. One of the most significant barriers to health equity is language proficiency. More than half of CCI patients do best when they receive care in a language other than English. And while many of our staff members are bilingual, we also rely on external interpretation services (telephonic and video) for our patients. Interpretation services help provide peace of mind for both our clinicians and patients. Interpreters convey complicated yet necessary information quickly, allowing our clinicians the time to focus on what they do best, and that’s delivering exceptional care that better the lives of our neighbors in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties. At CCI, we believe that every person deserves access to quality and affordable health care. Offering professional interpretation services is just one example of how CCI breaks down health care barriers.
WIC Nutrition Counselor, Barbara Reyes, dancing with her daughter at CCI’s Block Party held at our Greenbelt site.
But we will only be able to achieve health equity if caring individuals such as yourself join us on our mission. By becoming a monthly CCI donor, you can help us ensure that everyone in the community has access to our life-changing services. To donate, please visit cci-health.networkforgood.com, fill out and send back the attached envelope, or simply send me an email at jennifer.pusatere@cciweb.org. Thank you for your compassion. Sincerely, Jennifer Pusatere Councilmember Evan Glass visits our health center in Takoma Park for National Health Center Week 2021.
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Our Latest Outreach Campaigns Public awareness and educational campaigns are fundamental to achieving health equity. When our patients and supporters are empowered through knowledge, they can take control of their wellness and help us move the needle towards a better health care system. We have run many campaigns over the last six months covering many important issues in public health. Here are three that demonstrate what we do best.
Mental Health Awareness We believe mental wellness should be a priority for everyone. Unfortunately, shame often prevents many of our neighbors from receiving necessary treatment. For Mental Health Awareness Month in May, CCI sought to break the stigma of mental health care by offering self-care tips and sharing staff testimonials on how impactful counseling can be to one’s well-being.
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Black Maternal Health Week Health disparities for Black moms-to-be are real and can result in serious health issues for the population. CCI participated in Black Maternal Health Week from April 11 – 17 to raise awareness of inequitable health care for Black women. We shared facts to educate on the health crisis and promoted initiatives that help keep Black women and their children healthy, such as the CenteringPregnancy® program.
National Public Health e W ek
CCI’s HIV/ID Program Manager and Lead Nurse, Alex McIntosh and Camesha Thompson, sit down to discuss Racism as a Public Health Crisis.
Each year, CCI participates in National Public Health Week, asking our team to contribute their knowledge and experience towards advancing public health. This year, we created a video series covering each theme for the week, spanning everything from climate change to racism. We finished the week with an open letter to health organizations everywhere, challenging them to join us in ending inequity for the disability community. Make sure to follow us @CCIcares on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more health resources and ways you can help the community we live in happier and healthier.
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AS RAIN DESCENDED UPON THE ASPHALT, the CCI staff prepared the parking lot of the Greenbelt health center for the second annual Block Party. But the showers didn’t dampen the mood, thanks in part to the energy of Washington Mystics hype man Kyleonthemic and the music spun by DJ Dre.
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Attendance grew from the previous year, with over 700 people participating in the festivities, half of which comprised the target audience of youth in the community. Partygoers were introduced to many groups and resources, including Job Corps, Prince George’s Community College, and the YWCA. And just like last year’s event, health was at the forefront. The team administered 200 dental kits and screened 22 attendees for HIV. We also distributed 100 bookbags filled with supplies for the upcoming school year. “It was so exciting to see the kids just be kids, and for the parents to have a one-stop-shop for everything they may need,” said Kyara Green, Block Party volunteer.
Many attendees didn’t know that these organizations existed or even how to find them. I’m glad we were able to give our community a unique experience. Thank you to our Block Party Sponsors!
Jessica Gutiérrez CCI’s Family Planning Program Coordinator
Some popular activities included a dance competition, a kids’ area complete with tug of war matches and potato sack races, and free haircuts. Mission BBQ provided food and Hungry Harvest offered fresh produce for attendees at no cost to attendees. And a few lucky winners even went home with season passes to Six Flags, a set of Apple AirPods, and an iPad! “Many attendees didn’t know that these organizations existed or even how to find them,” said Jessica Gutiérrez, CCI’s Family Planning Program Coordinator. “I’m glad we were able to give our community a unique experience.” We can’t wait for next year’s event! Follow @CCIcares for the latest updates on the 2023 Block Party. Purpose Newsletter, Summer 2022 | 15
Fresh and Healthy
RECIPES
FOOD IS MEDICINE. The right diet keeps us healthy, alert, and thriving. It doesn’t have to cost a lot to eat well, either. We asked some of our staffers if they have any healthful yet affordable recipes to share with the community. Here were some of our favorites!
Avocado Salad
BY: JOYCE MARTINEZ, DENTAL HYGIENIST
This recipe is easy to throw together with no cooking required. A healthy side that’s perfect for lunch or dinner.
INGREDIENTS • 2 cups chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 ripe avocados cubed
• 1 lime
• 1/4 small red onion sliced
• Salt & pepper
• 1/4 cup minced cilantro • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes PREPARATION In a large salad bowl, place the tomatoes, avocado, and cilantro. Drizzle with olive oil, lime juice (I always add extra for a more tangy taste), pepper flakes, and salt & pepper to taste. Gently toss. Serve immediately or cover with plastic wrap in the fridge for up to two hours.
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Cinnamon Apple
BY: KRYSTAL MOON, HEALTH CENTER MANAGER
The cinnamon helps stimulate your internal organs to cleanse themselves, as the apple provides you with an allnatural source of vitamins. INGREDIENTS • 1 sliced tart apple • 1 teaspoon of sugar • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon PREPARATION Place apple, sugar, and ground cinnamon in a resealable plastic bag. Toss to combine, then let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or refrigerate for up to six hours.
Blueberry Smoothie
BY: PARKER PILLSBURY, STAFF WRITER
This recipe for a blueberry smoothie is very easy, healthy, and delicious! INGREDIENTS • ½ ripe banana (the riper, the better!) • ½ cup oats
• 1 ½ cup unsweetened vanilla plant-based milk (use sweetened for a more milkshake flavor)
• 1 cup frozen blueberries PREPARATION Add the ingredients to a blender and blend well. I like how simple this recipe is, but feel free to add more ingredients. Some ideas are flax seeds, chia seeds, frozen mango, or protein powder. Enjoy! Purpose Newsletter, Summer 2022 | 17
MEET OUR BOARD DELLA COX CCI Board Secretary Della Cox provides a unique perspective for CCI: her two sons are patients of ours. Her eldest son has been a patient since he was just a week old. Cox considers her children to be her prime motivation, and CCI’s role in their primary care solidified her decision to become a board member in 2015. “My reason for pushing through is my children,” says Cox. “I want to be the best mother to my children. Why not help the organization that saved my child’s life?” Cox believes that CCI is an ever-changing pillar in the community. She spoke about our mission of serving underserved and underrepresented communities and what that means to her.
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Della’s primary motivation to serve on CCI’s board
I want to be the best mother to my children. Why not help the organization that saved my child’s life? “CCI has a unique and specific mission: providing affordable and accessible health care to all who need it in our community. If CCI wasn’t there for me, I don’t know what I would have done for health care. I didn’t have any options.” She is very optimistic about CCI’s future and is proud to work alongside Dr. B and the team to change lives in the community.
October 1, 2022 | 7:30AM | Wheaton Regional Park
#RunBabyRun5K
For more information visit, www.cciweb.org @CCIcares
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WAYS TO GIVE
Donate online or make a gift by mail. DONATE ONLINE www.cciweb.org/ get-involved/donate/
GIFT BY MAIL Attn. Jennifer Pusatere 8665 Georgia Avenue Silver Spring, MD 20910
Visit us online at cciweb.org for more!
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