Washington Adventist Hospital and Mary’s Center
Announce Partnership to Meet Community Demand
Collaboration Creates New Primary Care Center for Under-served Community
Montgomery County, MD – Washington Adventist Hospital is pleased to
announce a new partnership with Mary’s Center for Maternal and Child
Care, a federally qualified comprehensive health center based in Washington,
DC. The two organizations will collaborate to create a primary care center
to provide health care services to local families.
“Washington Adventist Hospital’s Vision for Expanded Access is
working to improve access to health care for members of our community. We are
pleased to begin this important partnership with Mary’s Center for Maternal
and Child Care—an organization that is also deeply committed to providing
health care to local families. We believe that the primary care center will
further expand access to health care services for families. We look forward
to working with Mary’s Center for Maternal and Child Care to strengthen
the region’s health care safety net,” noted Jere Stocks, President
of Washington Adventist Hospital.
In late 2005, Washington Adventist Hospital announced its Vision for Expanded
Access, a strategic vision that includes seven key elements that are designed
to enhance access to care for the community and provide improved health care
facilities and services (www.ExpandedHealthAccess.com). The new partnership
with Mary’s Center is just one of the ways that Washington Adventist
Hospital is carrying out this important vision.
“At Mary’s Center for Maternal and Child Care in DC we serve many
who reside in Maryland, traveling the distance to receive quality and culturally
appropriate services. It is an honor to serve families in their own community
and to increase healthy outcomes for families and communities. Our 18 years
of experience has taught us that a healthy, well supported family with strong
literacy skills will be civically engaged and will always strive to live in
a safe and peaceful community,” states Maria Gomez, president and CEO
of Mary’s Center.
Washington, DC-based, Mary’s Center for Maternal and Child Care works
to build better futures for local residents through programs that deliver health
care, education and social services, regardless of ability to pay. As a federally
qualified comprehensive health care center, Mary's Center demonstrates how
improved access to prenatal and pediatric care, coupled with sensitivity to
culture and family, lead to healthy mothers, healthy children and healthy families.
In addition, the Center’s numerous programs provide a dynamic child development
curriculum, intensive home visits for vulnerable families, case management
for teen pregnancy prevention and planning, educational training to prevent
school dropout, employment referral and placement, and HIV testing and prevention
.
Both organizations are currently finalizing plans for the new primary care
center, including its location. Additional information will be announced once
plans are finalized. The center is expected to open in the spring of 2007.
Washington Adventist Hospital is a 285-bed, state-of-the-art acute care facility
located in Takoma Park, Maryland. Washington Adventist Hospital is Montgomery
County's only complete cardiac center, performing 650 open-heart surgeries
and more than 7,000 heart catheterizations each year. Washington Adventist
Hospital is part of Adventist HealthCare, an integrated health care delivery
system based in Rockville, Maryland, that is one of the largest employers in
the state of Maryland. Adventist Healthcare includes Washington Adventist Hospital,
Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, Potomac Ridge Behavioral Health System, Adventist
Rehabilitation Hospital of Maryland, Adventist Senior Living, Adventist Health
Careers Training Center, Hackettstown Community Hospital and Adventist Home
Health. For more information, visit www.adventisthealthcare.com
Mary’s Center for Maternal and Child Care is a federally qualified health
care center serving the DC Metro area residents. The mission of Mary’s
Center is to build better futures through delivery of health care, education
and social services. Mary’s Center saves lives, strengthening communities
one family at a time. www.maryscenter.org
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