Councilmember At-Large Laurie-Anne Sayles has spent the past week touring health and human services facilities throughout Montgomery County as she prepares to set the agenda as the newly appointed council chair of theHHS Committee. Sayles was appointed chair of the committee following former Councilmember Gabe Albornoz’s resignation earlier this month.
She spoke with staff at homeless shelters, county offices, health clinics, nonprofits and senior centers. Her goal was to gain insight, assess operational challenges, strengthening partnership, and shaping her committee’s agenda and priorities, said Sayles.
On Friday, she spent time at the county’s Early Childhood Services offices on Rockville where she was briefed on health insurance options, Medicare and services for children from birth to five years old. There are about 1,200 childcare centers and home-based care in Montgomery County.
“At a time when healthcare in our country remains inaccessible for too many and health outcomes still depend on race, income, and geography, Montgomery County cannot afford to wait for national solutions,” said Sayles when she was first appointed. “We will become the model for what is possible.”
Prior to becoming an elected official, Sayles was a health program manager at Kaiser Permanente and public health educator at Prince George’s County Health Department.
“I am committed to driving data-driven policies that strengthen our safety-net services, protect our seniors, expand behavioral health support, advance reproductive and maternal health equity, and ensure that every resident, regardless of income, race or ZIP code, can access the care they deserve,” said Sayles.
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