Project Access - Specialty Care

Project Access is a specialty care referral network administered by the PCC. It is composed of a dedicated group of health care specialists, local hospitals, and diagnostic facilities that participate in a coordinated effort to provide specialty care to low-income, uninsured community members.

Project Access receives referral requests from 10 clinic organizations and secures timely and appropriate access to specialty care services for patients with the highest priority needs. Project Access volunteers help these individuals gain timely access to needed specialty care, potentially preventing more serious medical problems or complications, avoiding acute hospitalizations, and reducing expensive medical bills.

Patients participating in Project Access are referred from Montgomery Cares safety-net clinics or Nexus Montgomery and continue to receive primary care through their home clinic.

Project Access relies on the contributions of a dedicated network of approximately 100 local specialists who agree to see low-income, uninsured patients. We also partner with all six hospitals in Montgomery County to schedule surgeries and other hospital-based procedures.
We also need 1 or 2 Spanish-speaking volunteers who have clinical knowledge to help with our internal team. CNA [certified nursing assistants] Schools, high school students in a medical program, etc... 

If you are interested in joining the Project Access Specialty Care Network, please contact Yvette Hammond, RN, MSN at:
Specialists wanted in the following areas:
  • Cardiology
  • Cardiovascular Surgery
  • Vascular Surgery
  • Surgical ENT
  • Neurological diagnostics
  • Nephrology
  • Dermatology
  • Endocrinology
  • Ophthalmology
  • Physical
  • Occupational, & Speech Therapy
  • Radiation Oncology
  • Urology
  • Rheumatology
  • Orthopedic Surgery ​

Donate today to support our efforts to make sure every patient gets the health care they need!

The need for specialty care services is greater than Project Access can presently meet. Local specialists can help by committing to see a few uninsured patients each.

1,500+ individuals served each year an over 3,000 appointments.

Provider Resources

Clinics participating in Montgomery Cares provide primary care to these patients. Once the primary care provider (PCP) determines the patient’s need for specialty care, the clinics refer the patient to Project Access, which coordinates an appointment with a specialist in our network.

Services Offered

Project Access staff evaluate each referral and arrange specialty care based on the urgency and severity of the case. The specific services Project Access provides vary based on the specialty areas of the participating specialists and may include:
  • Audiology/Otolaryngology
  • Cardiology
  • Dermatology
  • Endocrinology
  • Gastroenterology
  • General Surgery
  • Hematology
  • Nephrology
  • Neurology
  • Orthopedic Surgery
  • Ophthalmology
  • Physical Therapy
  • Podiatry
  • Pulmonology
  • Rheumatology
  • Thoracic Surgery
  • Urology
  • Vascular Surgery

Resources for Patients

Eligibility
Project Access patients must be referred from their Montgomery Cares home clinic. We do not accept direct requests from patients. Eligible patients: Patient Responsibilities
To receive care through Project Access patients must agree to certain responsibilities described on this information card.

Clinic Locations
Locations of primary care clinics that can make referrals to Project Access can be found in here. 

Project Access is administered by the Primary Care Coalition and funded by Nexus Montgomery and Montgomery County. Core funding is augmented by in kind contributions of volunteer physician specialists and diagnostic facilities as well as grants and donations secured by the PCC.
This web page has not been reviewed or approved by the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services or the Nexus Montgomery Board of Managers.

The Primary Care Coalition is a 501©3 nonprofit organization. Donations to PCC are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.
​ A copy of our current financial statement is available by contacting the Primary Care Coalition. Documents and information submitted to the State of Maryland under the Maryland Charitable Solicitations Act are available from the Office of the Secretary.