Advocating for Children and Youth

Pat Salomon, MD, represented the Trachtenberg Office at a forum held on May 5, 2010 by Maryland’s Advocates for Children and Youth. At the forum, Uma Ahluwalia, the Director of Montgomery County’s Department of Health and Human Services showcased a system under development, called NO WRONG DOOR. Under this plan, Montgomery County DHHS is providing holistic care to our families in crisis. At the time a family presents for any type of help, a 14 point assessment is made to define what range of services are needed for this individual and their family. A plan is then made to access all the services needed. Multiple appointments are generated, the most urgent first, but with follow-through for all the necessary services. Then the entire team of providers continues to interact until the family is out of crisis and sustaining itself. Making all the services systems interoperable, and linking them technologically is a tall order, especially in the midst of a budget crisis, but the County’s DHHS is providing unique leadership across the country, to develop a coordinated response to families in crisis.

Trachtenberg Office Supports Welcome Back Initiative

The Trachtenberg Office was represented at the celebration of the Welcome Back Initiative, in Wheaton, on Wednesday, April 28, 2010. This program, launched through DHHS’s Latino Health Initiative, assists foreign trained health professionals to in Montgomery County, Prince George’s County and Frederick County to become fully licensed in the State of Maryland. Program participants study English as a Second Language, licensing exam preparation and are offered practice placements with the many cooperating hospitals and laboratories that are partners in this effort. This program is one of six across the country and expands the capacity of the counties involved to provide culturally diverse care of our community, which can only positively impact our health outcomes. Special kudos to Sonia Mora of the Latino Health Initiative, who brought the program to our County. She, along with County Executive Ike Leggett, was on hand to personally congratulate the 11 newest professionals completing the program. For more information, check out http://www.welcomebackinitiative.org/

Trachtenberg Office Attends Peace Youth Leadership Conference

On Saturday, May 1, 2010, the Trachtenberg Office was represented at the Peace Youth Leadership Conference sponsored by PeaceAction Montgomery, and Montgomery College Peace and Global Justice Studies, Mxd Unity and Contagious Love Experiment. Attendees heard reports from the participants on their recommendations to promote peace in their lives and in the County. Students from local high schools and colleges participated in workshops on youth gang violence, food justice, the Middle East, street harassment, the costs of war, and youth empowerment. They also heard from ex-prisoners, and young people who had grown up amidst the violence of Sierra Leone. Some had participated in service projects to decrease plastic water bottle use, and salvaging food waste in the county. The overwhelming response to the conference was that the experience of working together for the day to discuss how peaceful communities are created was invaluable and should continue.