Frequently Asked Questions

Mary’s Center is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., and Maryland, with more than two decades of experience providing medical, social, and education services to families throughout the region. To learn more, visit About Us.

Medical services include:

• Annual exams for the entire family
• Chronic diseases control--diabetes, high blood pressure, heart diseases, etc.
• Pediatrics
• Immunizations
• Prenatal care
• GYN and family planning
• Dental services

Social services include:

• Counseling
• Case management and referrals
• Mental health
• Home visitation
• Early intervention for children with special needs
• Parenting education
• Prenatal classes
• Teen after-school program to improve academic achievement

Educational services include:

• Family literacy: English and computer training
• Employment skills training
• Civic education
• Early childhood education
• Community playgroups
• Childcare licensing program

Other services include:

• WIC program
• Mama & Baby Bus--mobile clinic
• Health promotion--HIV testing and counseling, diabetes/other chronic disease screenings, breast cancer and asthma prevention and screening
• Enrollment in public benefits including health insurance, food stamps, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

To learn more, visit Programs and Services.  

Mary’s Center accepts phone calls from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Please call 202-483-8196 to make an appointment.  Make sure you tell the operator if this is your first visit. We also accept walk-ins but strongly recommend making an appointment. To learn more, see How to Make an Appointment.

To apply for Medicaid or D.C. Healthcare Alliance you need to come to our Adams Morgan site located at 2333 Ontario Road, N.W., and sign up to see the insurance representative who will help you fill out the form. You will need to bring a proof of address (for instance, a utility or phone bill), proof of income, and a photo ID. 

See the list below, organized by location.

Washington, D.C. Sites (Ontario Road N.W., Georgia Avenue N.W., and Kennedy Street N.W.)

We encourage patients who live in Maryland to apply for Maryland Medicaid or see the insurance representative at the Maryland site, who will assist you with other County health plans. You will need to bring a proof of address (for instance, a utility or phone bill), proof of income, and a photo ID.

Maryland Sites (Flower Avenue and Adelphi)

If you don’t have money to pay for your appointment, we will set up a payment plan so you can pay according to your ability.

If you need to reach your provider for a non-urgent reason, please call the main number: 202-483-8196. Leave a message with your name, date of birth, and phone number. Your provider or his/her medical assistant will contact you as soon as possible.

• For medication refills: Leave your pharmacy name and phone number, your medication name and dosage, and your phone number.
• For referrals: Leave your referral information including the date of your appointment, the hospital/doctor’s office name and phone number, and the reason for your appointment. Please note that referral requests may take 1-2 weeks to process.
• If you have an emergency and need to talk to our providers after hours (after 5 p.m. on weekdays, weekends, and holidays), call the numbers listed below.

After Hours:

• For teens and children, call 202-487-9074
• For adults, call 202-607-4093
• If you are pregnant, call 202-269-7000 and ask for the OB on call

No. You and your children can enroll in our family literacy and/or social services programs even if you are not a patient. Please call 202-797-7337 for educational programs and 202-483-8196 for social services.

No, we prefer that you visit the site that is located in the state in which you live.  That will make it easier for us to help you with resources that are available to you as a resident of that state.

Mary’s Center provides services to all family members of any age.

Back in 1988, Maria Gomez, Mary’s Center President and CEO, was working as a nurse at the D.C. Department of Health (DC DOH) and along with other community advocates saw an increase in the number of Central American women who had escaped war and civil unrest and were seeking prenatal care services. Many of them had been raped when crossing the border into the United States. The DC DOH did not have the capacity to serve this new population, given other urgent public health needs such as D.C.’s very high infant mortality and teen pregnancy rates and the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Marion Barry, mayor at the time, asked that a family center be opened to fulfill the needs of this vulnerable population from Central America. The Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs allocated $250,000 to launch Mary’s Center. To learn more, visit History. 

No, when Mary’s Center was founded it focused on maternal and child care for immigrant women from Central America.  For many years, the Center has provided primary health care and other services to individuals born in the United States as well as immigrants from more than 40 different countries.  

Mary’s Center’s 2012 annual budget is $25.8 million.

Mary’s Center funding comes from a variety of sources including federal and local dollars, grants from foundations and corporations, major donors, fundraising events, and individual contributors. 

Mary’s Center is a local nonprofit serving individuals throughout the D.C. metropolitan region.

Mary’s Center has four sites, three in D.C. and one in Maryland.

The D.C. sites are located at 2333 Ontario Road, N.W. (our headquarters in Adams Morgan), at 3912 Georgia Avenue, N.W and at 508 Kennedy Street, N.W. (at this site we only house our Call Center and our Early Intervention Program). The Maryland site is located at 8709 Flower Avenue, in Silver Spring.

Mary’s Center also has a mobile unit called the Mama & Baby Bus that visits several D.C. wards and provides free HIV and pregnancy testing to anyone in the community. The bus also provides health promotion and health insurance information. To learn more, see Locations and Hours.

In 2010 Mary’s Center served close to 19,400 clients from 91 different countries through its various programs.

Mary’s Center employs more than 240 staff members who come from 32 different countries and speak 29 languages.