Terry Forde,
interim president & CEO of Adventist HealthCare, based in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and
Kevin Young, president of Adventist Behavioral Health, joined Montgomery County
government officials, local health leaders, and Healthy Montgomery
community partners on April 7 to announce Montgomery County’s action plans to
address behavioral health and obesity.
Launched in
2009, Healthy Montgomery’s vision is to ensure the health and well-being of
every Montgomery County resident. The release of the new action plans on
behavioral health and obesity marks a call for implementing strategies that can
tackle two of the most prominent health issues.
County
Executive Isiah Leggett, County Councilmember George Leventhal and County
Health Officer Dr. Ulder J. Tillman, kicked off the news conference with
opening remarks emphasizing the importance of active participation and
collaboration between community partners and health-care providers in building
an integrated system of care to improve population health.
“This
approach will ensure there is ready access to the various behavioral health
programs and support services offered in our county and increase communication
between an individual’s primary care provider, behavioral health provider, and
other caregivers,” said Kevin Young of Adventist Behavioral Health, who also serves on the Healthy Montgomery Behavioral Health
Work Group. “More importantly, an integrated system of care will lead to
earlier identification and treatment of mental illness.”
Through its
two new action plans, Healthy Montgomery calls for the expansion and
enhancement of prevention programs and services that can help improve access to
care, especially for vulnerable populations most at risk for poor health.
“Healthy
Montgomery’s initiatives directly align with Adventist HealthCare’s commitment
to addressing community needs and priorities through disease prevention
and improvement of health status,” said Terry Forde of Adventist HealthCare, the first and
largest health-care provider in Montgomery County. “The release of Healthy
Montgomery’s Obesity and
Behavioral Health Action
Plans is a powerful springboard to collaborate with other health-care providers
to transform the health of our community.”
Learn more about Healthy Montgomery’s
action plans by visiting www.healthymontgomery.org.
