For Immediate Release: Tuesday, July 16, 2024

Montgomery County Residents Encouraged to Join State, Local Health Officials for Listening Session on Public Health Priorities on Tuesday, July 30

Maryland’s Commission on Public Health, in partnership with Montgomery County’s Department of Health and Human Services, will host a public listening session for Montgomery County residents from 6:30-8 p.m. on Tuesday, July 30, to share their thoughts and offer ideas related to public health improvements with the commission. The event will be held in the seventh-floor hearing room of the County Council Office Building, which is located at 100 Maryland Ave. in Rockville.

The event will be televised live on County Cable Montgomery and on Facebook.

Community members who attend the meeting in person will be invited to share their comments. Residents wishing to speak should sign up here. Those who attend virtually should also sign up and will have the opportunity to submit comments in advance, following pre-registration. Those comments will be shared with the commission during the meeting and recorded.

This is the last in a series of five regional public listening sessions across the State. This session, and others like it, will help the commission identify opportunities to improve the delivery of public health services across Maryland.

“This listening session is an opportunity for our residents to voice their needs and concerns about public health to state and County leaders,” said County Executive Marc Elrich.” By sharing their thoughts and experiences, residents can help shape a more effective and responsive public health system. It’s crucial for everyone, especially those who may feel their voices aren’t always heard, to participate and contribute to the ongoing efforts to improve our community’s health and well-being.”

The Maryland General Assembly established the Maryland Commission on Public Health to assess the foundational public health capabilities of State and local health departments and analyzing the State’s ability to respond to major public health challenges.

The commission will recommend improvements for public health departments in several areas including:

• Organization: Enhancing the structure and efficiency of public health departments.
• Information Technology: Optimizing IT usage, information exchange, data collection and reporting.
• Resources: Ensuring adequate personnel, funding and effective contracting processes.
• Communication: Improving engagement and communication with community members and groups.

Montgomery County will provide sign language interpreters and other auxiliary aids or services upon request—with as much advance notice as possible, preferably at least three business days before the event. For more information, contact Stella Sharif-Chikiar at 240-777-1603 or send a request to Stella.Sharif-Chikiar@montgomerycountymd.gov.

For more information on the Maryland Commission on Public Health, please visit https://smchd.org/coph/. 

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Media Contact:  Mary Anderson, mary.anderson@montgomerycountymd.gov or 301-529-7669