Mayor Bowser Establishes Commission to Help Transform Health Care Delivery

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

June 3, 2019

CONTACT:

LaToya Foster (EOM)

Sward Tondoneh (DMHHS)

Mayor Bowser Establishes Commission to Help Transform Health Care Delivery

(WASHINGTON, DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser established the Mayor’s Commission on Healthcare Systems Transformation to make recommendations on strategies and investments necessary to transform health care delivery in the District of Columbia.

“The District’s health care system is at a critical juncture,” said Mayor Bowser. “While our city is resource-rich in the kinds of health care we can offer residents, utilization of and access to those resources is not equitable. Together, with the support of this commission, we’re going to change that and ensure that Washingtonians in every corner of DC are getting the care they need to live healthy, happy lives.”

While Washington, DC is home to seven acute care hospitals that offer world-renowned services, residents still face challenges in accessing critical services.

The commission’s work will focus on alleviating these challenges by developing recommendations that address the current stresses in the District’s health care system, while specifically targeting the following issues: improving access to primary, acute, and specialty care services, including behavioral health care; addressing health system capacity issues for inpatient, outpatient, pre-hospital and emergency room services; and promoting an equitable geographic distribution of acute care and specialty services in communities east of the Anacostia river.

The Commission on Healthcare Systems Transformation will be composed of 27 members, bringing together the best and brightest to facilitate partnerships between the District and the people who see and do this work every day. The commission, which will be co-chaired by former At-Large Councilmember David Catania and Sister Carol Keehan, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Catholic Health Association of the United States, will develop their recommendations over the next six months and then present them to Mayor Bowser later this year.

Below is a list of the commission’s 27 members:

Voting Members

Co-Chairs

• David Catania
• Sister Carol Keehan

Acute Care Hospitals

• Kimberly Russo, George Washington Hospital
• Kevin Sowers, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Sibley Memorial Hospital
• Oliver Johnson, MedStar Health
• Dr. Malika Fair, United Medical Center
• Dean Hugh Mighty, Howard University Hospital

Specialty Hospitals

• Cory Odol, Psychiatric Institute of Washington
• Denise Cora-Bramble, M.D., Children’s Hospital
• Marc Ferrell, Bridgepoint Healthcare

Community Representatives

• Don Blanchon, Whitman-Walker Health 
• Kim Horn, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan
• Maria Tilden, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield
• Maria Gomez, Mary’s Center
• David Stewart, University of Maryland, Chair of Family Medicine
• Kelly McShane, Community of Hope

Ex Officio Members

• Councilmember Vincent Gray, Chair of Committee on Health for the DC Council
• Rashad Young, City Administrator
• Wayne Turnage, Deputy Mayor, Health and Human Services
• Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, Director, D.C. Health
• Dr. Barbara Bazron, Director, Department of Behavioral Health
• Melisa Byrd, Director, Department of Health Care Finance
• Dr. Faith Gibson Hubbard, Executive Director, Thrive by Five
• Chief Gregory Dean, Chief, Fire and Emergency Medical Services
• Tamara Smith, President, D.C. Primary Care Association
• Oliver Johnson, Executive Vice President/General Counsel, MedStar Health
• Jacqueline Bowens, Executive Director, D.C. Hospital Association

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