Montgomery Cares Goes Before the County Council on October 22

Montgomery Cares, the county’s safety net program that funds primary care for low-income, uninsured adults, will be in front of the County Council’s Health and Human Services Committee on October 22, when Kathryn Kelly, M.D., presents on behalf of the program. Dr. Kelly is the current MCMS Vice President, co-chair of the MCMS Public Health Committee, and the current chair of the Montgomery Cares Advisory Board.

For physicians across the county, it is a window into how the program that cares for so many of our uninsured neighbors is funded and where it is headed.

Montgomery Cares supports primary care for thousands of county residents through a network of community clinics and the physicians who volunteer with them. When the HHS Committee reviews the program, the funding and priority decisions that follow shape who your practice can refer and how quickly those patients are seen.

The meeting is open to the public, though it will not take public comment. You can watch live or on demand through the Council meetings and agendas page or on the Council’s YouTube channel, where committee sessions are also posted within about a day. Check the agenda page for the exact start time.

If you refer uninsured patients to safety net care, keeping Montgomery Cares information within reach at the point of care means a patient who qualifies can be connected without delay. MCMS will keep following the program and share ways for members to get involved. Questions, contact Farhana Arastu at farastu@montgomerymedicine.org.