By Annice Cody, President and CEO
When we began our strategic plan in January 2025, we knew we were embarking on a construction project. It had all the hallmarks of a restoration-plus-expansion project: updating key systems, framing additional square footage, and reworking the flow. And like any good build project, we expected to deal with change orders, unexpected delays, and a layer of construction dust—especially since we knew we were taking on a major project at a time of major change. Attempting to lay foundations in the middle of an earthquake was an unexpected pivot, but we built anyway, making real progress in all three of our strategic goal areas: improve what we do, expand our reach, and strengthen our core. Here are some examples.
Improve what we do – Access to Care planning
Over the course of the year we worked with approximately 30 people from the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the Montgomery County Council, health centers, Care for Kids (CFK) providers, and hospitals to think about how we can enhance our services. We'll finalize our Access to Care roadmap early this year and begin work to improve efficiency, develop more comprehensive primary care, tighten the relationship between hospitals and primary care for uninsured patients, and make access to services easier.
Expand our reach – Navigation as a primary function
We secured funding to begin navigation of Montgomery Cares and CFK patients and uninsured emergency department patients to the most appropriate site of care. We are also exploring opportunities to support local social service organizations to measure cross-organizational impact and improve cross-organizational care coordination.
Strengthen our core – Rules and tools for management efficiency
As of December 2025, we have a new governance structure with updated bylaws, committee charters, membership expectations, and agenda planning to increase our Board of Directors’ focus on strategic opportunities, financial performance, and risk management. To support more efficient operations at the staff level, we have implemented a new financial management system and prepared configurations for a new case management system. That unified case management system will continue rolling out across programs in FY27.
This work will become increasingly visible in our fiscal year ahead, as our framing and systems become new community spaces. Expect to see:
The most essential common thread in this work: greater connectivity for a coordinated community effort. If that thread sounds painfully simple, we agree. A friend recently described his health habits overhaul as: “It’s simple, but it’s hard.” That may be the most accurate summary of our efforts, too. Identifying the work that needs to happen is only part of the challenge; translating it into load-bearing structures is the true test. We’re excited for the work ahead.
When we began our strategic plan in January 2025, we knew we were embarking on a construction project. It had all the hallmarks of a restoration-plus-expansion project: updating key systems, framing additional square footage, and reworking the flow. And like any good build project, we expected to deal with change orders, unexpected delays, and a layer of construction dust—especially since we knew we were taking on a major project at a time of major change. Attempting to lay foundations in the middle of an earthquake was an unexpected pivot, but we built anyway, making real progress in all three of our strategic goal areas: improve what we do, expand our reach, and strengthen our core. Here are some examples.
Improve what we do – Access to Care planning
Over the course of the year we worked with approximately 30 people from the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the Montgomery County Council, health centers, Care for Kids (CFK) providers, and hospitals to think about how we can enhance our services. We'll finalize our Access to Care roadmap early this year and begin work to improve efficiency, develop more comprehensive primary care, tighten the relationship between hospitals and primary care for uninsured patients, and make access to services easier.
Expand our reach – Navigation as a primary function
We secured funding to begin navigation of Montgomery Cares and CFK patients and uninsured emergency department patients to the most appropriate site of care. We are also exploring opportunities to support local social service organizations to measure cross-organizational impact and improve cross-organizational care coordination.
Strengthen our core – Rules and tools for management efficiency
As of December 2025, we have a new governance structure with updated bylaws, committee charters, membership expectations, and agenda planning to increase our Board of Directors’ focus on strategic opportunities, financial performance, and risk management. To support more efficient operations at the staff level, we have implemented a new financial management system and prepared configurations for a new case management system. That unified case management system will continue rolling out across programs in FY27.
This work will become increasingly visible in our fiscal year ahead, as our framing and systems become new community spaces. Expect to see:
- More intuitive and coordinated healthcare access systems as the Access to Care work transitions from a roadmap to implementation.
- More support for patient transitions from emergency care to community health services.
- More visibility into the ways multiple organizations support individual households, so they can operate as an ecosystem rather than discrete services.
The most essential common thread in this work: greater connectivity for a coordinated community effort. If that thread sounds painfully simple, we agree. A friend recently described his health habits overhaul as: “It’s simple, but it’s hard.” That may be the most accurate summary of our efforts, too. Identifying the work that needs to happen is only part of the challenge; translating it into load-bearing structures is the true test. We’re excited for the work ahead.
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