Marisol Ortiz is the Primary Care Coalition’s Director of Family Centered Care and—with 24 years of service—one of the organization’s most senior employees. She oversees the Care for Kids (CFK) program, ensuring PCC and partners meet healthcare needs for more than 6,000 children each year (CFK had more than 10,000 participants in FY24!). She coordinates with partners, listens to patient and community needs, anticipates immigration trends, coordinates with stakeholders, addresses program compliance issues and environmental impacts, and manages budgets, data, and reports.
“I love my job,” said Ortiz. “Working with children and families and giving them peace of mind by providing them with the health care they need impacts their lives in a meaningful way.”
Ortiz was born and raised in Puerto Rico, where she still has family. After earning her political science degree, she came to this area for an internship with Univision’s Washington News Bureau. Ortiz found the news business exciting, but marriage and family soon took priority when she unexpectedly fell in love. She eventually found a job at PCC that suited her interests and skills and allowed her the flexibility she needed to raise her two sons and a daughter.
“I have been able to use my skills here to help people,” said Ortiz. “I understand policy and how decisions are made, and I know how important it is to gather community input to fully understand the depth of the needs. I see the whole spectrum, so my degree and previous experience have helped me with my job.”
“I want to be a voice of the community,” said Ortiz. “I want to ensure we implement programs and policies that really help people. Sometimes, programs and policies aren’t as successful as we want them to be because we haven’t listened deeply enough to what the community needs and how they want it and will use it. Making sure that that happens is what I like best about my work. It feels good to improve the health and lives of the people in the community.”
As an immigrant herself, Ortiz says she is driven to help others struggling to figure out life in a new country while overcoming a language barrier. She points to the powerful impact of services for children. She notes that a mother recently expressed gratitude for the behavioral health services that saved her daughter’s life. The ripple effect of those services likely saved the family, too, and impacted all those in the community who knew that child.
“This is a good example of why it is so important to focus on children’s health needs,” said Ortiz. “There is a return on investment, and we can break the cycle and get where we need to be, with everyone healthy and well.”
Colleagues may not know that Marisol Ortiz is a self-proclaimed romantic who enjoys listening to music in her spare time and watching Netflix K-Dramas because they are beautiful. She also enjoys reading romantic novels.
The Ortiz family also has a cat named Kaira, the featured Pet of the Month in the “Pets of PCC” section of the September Pulse.
As a storyteller in PCC’s first Storytelling Show in 2019, Marisol’s story still lives online and in PCC’s FY19 Annual Report. Her colleagues will share new stories at this year’s “Best Kept Secrets Storytelling Show” event on November 7. The Storytelling Show is the Primary Care Coalition’s annual fundraising event supporting healthcare services for the community’s neediest residents. It is a good cause and one of the most enjoyable evenings around, leaving guests entertained and inspired. Buy a ticket today so you don’t miss out.
“I love my job,” said Ortiz. “Working with children and families and giving them peace of mind by providing them with the health care they need impacts their lives in a meaningful way.”
Ortiz was born and raised in Puerto Rico, where she still has family. After earning her political science degree, she came to this area for an internship with Univision’s Washington News Bureau. Ortiz found the news business exciting, but marriage and family soon took priority when she unexpectedly fell in love. She eventually found a job at PCC that suited her interests and skills and allowed her the flexibility she needed to raise her two sons and a daughter.
“I have been able to use my skills here to help people,” said Ortiz. “I understand policy and how decisions are made, and I know how important it is to gather community input to fully understand the depth of the needs. I see the whole spectrum, so my degree and previous experience have helped me with my job.”
“I want to be a voice of the community,” said Ortiz. “I want to ensure we implement programs and policies that really help people. Sometimes, programs and policies aren’t as successful as we want them to be because we haven’t listened deeply enough to what the community needs and how they want it and will use it. Making sure that that happens is what I like best about my work. It feels good to improve the health and lives of the people in the community.”
As an immigrant herself, Ortiz says she is driven to help others struggling to figure out life in a new country while overcoming a language barrier. She points to the powerful impact of services for children. She notes that a mother recently expressed gratitude for the behavioral health services that saved her daughter’s life. The ripple effect of those services likely saved the family, too, and impacted all those in the community who knew that child.
“This is a good example of why it is so important to focus on children’s health needs,” said Ortiz. “There is a return on investment, and we can break the cycle and get where we need to be, with everyone healthy and well.”
Colleagues may not know that Marisol Ortiz is a self-proclaimed romantic who enjoys listening to music in her spare time and watching Netflix K-Dramas because they are beautiful. She also enjoys reading romantic novels.
The Ortiz family also has a cat named Kaira, the featured Pet of the Month in the “Pets of PCC” section of the September Pulse.
As a storyteller in PCC’s first Storytelling Show in 2019, Marisol’s story still lives online and in PCC’s FY19 Annual Report. Her colleagues will share new stories at this year’s “Best Kept Secrets Storytelling Show” event on November 7. The Storytelling Show is the Primary Care Coalition’s annual fundraising event supporting healthcare services for the community’s neediest residents. It is a good cause and one of the most enjoyable evenings around, leaving guests entertained and inspired. Buy a ticket today so you don’t miss out.
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