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Message from the Executive Director |
Message from the Chair Thirty years ago, Nixon was in the White House,
the Vietnam War was at its height, Medicare and Medicaid were only
seven years old, and CCI came to life in downtown Rockville. During
those early days, CCI served a primarily young, white, native-born
population, many of whom were students or college dropouts living
away from home for the first time. Today, the reality could hardly be more different.
Maryland’s white population has decreased from 94.5 percent
to 64.8 percent, and its foreign-born population has grown from
3.1 percent to 9.8 percent. Over 4 percent of the state’s population—some
228,000 people—emigrated from another country during the past
12 years. This great regional and global shift has taken place along
with another great phenomenon: the astounding rise in the cost of
health care and the failure of our institutions to keep pace with
it. CCI’s customers come from a great variety
of social and economic backgrounds and speak more than 20 languages.
What they have in common is the need for affordable health care
and a relative lack of access to it. Another thing they have in
common—and share with the U.S. population in general—is
an increasingly high incidence of chronic diseases, such as hypertension
and diabetes. The challenge in community health care today is
how to provide a common standard of quality care for all people,
no matter who they are or where they come from, for as long as they
need it no matter how long that may be. This year’s theme of
“People, Mission, Commitment” reflects our answer to this
challenge. Our People Quality health care is an intimate, person-to-person
operation. It requires good communication, not just for the exchange
of information but for the growth of trust as well. CCI’s staff
provide translation services when patients need them. Our annual
Patient Satisfaction Survey, and other common materials, is distributed
in both Spanish and English. Our Board includes representatives
of the Hispanic, African-American, and refugee communities. All
of CCI’s clinical providers are board-certified in their respective
specialties, and several of them speak more than one language. Our Mission How we fulfill our mission of community health
care has evolved as the community’s needs have changed. During
the last five years, CCI added programs for the care of chronic
diseases, such as diabetes (through our participation in the Health
Disparities/Diabetes Collaborative) and HIV/AIDS. We have responded
to the expanding needs in Montgomery’s down-county area by
opening a new clinic in a highly trafficked Aspen Hill shopping
center. CCI’s Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) service, which
provides nutrition education and food supplements to young children
and mothers, has expanded to include over 16,500 participants—a
significant achievement that will have a measurable impact on the
future health of our community. Our Commitment Commitment is not just a feeling. Commitment is
action. CCI’s initiative to obtain Joint Commission Accreditation
for Health Organizations (JCAHO) accreditation is an example of
our active commitment to fulfill our mission. For the past 18 months
and for the next year, we are working through a complicated process
to achieve the accrediting body’s standards of quality. This
effort, which is over and above our ordinary daily responsibilities,
is touching every aspect of our organization and every member of
our staff. My fellow Board members do more than their share through
the many hours they devote each year to the work of our committees,
their participation in community events and fundraisers such as
the annual “Help the Homeless” Walkathon and Bita’s
Run, and their careful attention at every meeting to the complex
problems facing community health today. Welcome to CCI! On behalf of the Board, I invite you to review this report, contact us with questions if you have them, and pay CCI a visit if you can. CCI’s ability to serve the community will always rely on your active interest and concern for the health of all of our neighbors. |
