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Message from the Executive Director Quality Improvement Committee Report
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Message from the Executive Director This past year has been very eventful. It
began with the contract renewal for the Women, Infants, and Children
(WIC) nutrition education and supplemental food program and the
selection of the program’s new director. WIC celebrated its
fifth anniversary at CCI, and five original staff still with us
were honored for helping to make the program a resounding success.
For the fifth consecutive year, staff continued to meet the demand
for WIC program services and increased the number of women and children
participating in the program to more than 16,000. In addition, the
WIC staff is engaged in preparing for the implementation of a new
computer system. When it becomes operational next year, the system
will streamline the participant enrollment process and improve the
customer’s experience. To prepare for the new system, staff
members have formed a transition team to evaluate all aspects of
the current program, make recommendations, and test the changes. One of the high points of last year was
the dedication of CCI’s Gaithersburg health center in the memory
of Peter and Ginny Solomon. The Solomons were very active in the
Gaithersburg community and fervently believed that everyone should
have access to primary care. Peter, who served on CCI’s Board
of Directors, was instrumental in obtaining funding from the Gaithersburg
city government and was the prime advocate for opening a CCI health
center in the city. The Board and staff are very pleased to honor
the Solomons who championed CCI’s mission. Over the past three years, CCI has re-engineered
its primary care staff model, improved facilities, upgraded telephone
systems, and installed a new practice management information system
for primary care services. This year, CCI’s Silver Spring health
center staff is piloting a service delivery effort that will redesign
the patient visit, which includes the flow of patients and how care
is delivered to each. The redesign is part of a national collaborative
sponsored by the Bureau of Primary Health Care and the Center for
Disease Control to improve outcomes for patients with diabetes and
cardiovascular disease. CCI is one of only 16 agencies located in
the northeastern United States to participate in the collaborative. Three of CCI’s health centers (Gaithersburg,
Silver Spring, and Takoma/Langley Park) participated in a cholesterol
screening program conducted by Suburban Hospital, where more than
75 people were tested. In addition, the same centers are participating
in the “We Care” study conducted by Georgetown University.
The voluntary study measures depression in minority women and provides
free counseling, testing, and medication for women diagnosed with
the illness. The “We Care” study is an excellent example
of how a collaborative effort has provided valuable new services
to CCI’s patients and clients. Staff also participated in more
than 15 community outreach activities by providing information about
CCI services or performing health screens. CCI’s corporate partner program continued
to grow with support from Meridan Investments, Inc., Mid-Atlantic
Coca Cola Bottling Company, B.J. Pumpernickel’s, and 7- Eleven,
Inc. These partners helped subsidize the daily operations of our
programs. Other partners, such as the Kiwanis of North Bethesda,
provided much-needed support in the form of gifts and equipment,
and the Montgomery General Hospital Health Foundation raised money
by sponsoring Bita’s Run, a special community event. The hard work of CCI’s partners, board, and staff has a singular purpose: to improve the quality of care and raise the satisfaction of our customers. What makes our work rewarding are the people we serve. As one patient said, “If there were no clinic, I’d be in trouble. I have no insurance. I’m working now and can’t get Medical Assistance. It’s hard but I’m making it.” I am confident we will achieve what we set out to do. |
