Prince George’s County Residents Urged to Sign Up For Health Coverage During Open Enrollment

Posted on November 2, 2017 by Camp Springs Civic Association

Prince George's County: Subscribe MyPGC

Open enrollment for 2018 health insurance under the Affordable Care Act begins November 1 and ends December 15, 2017. Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker III today urged residents who are un-insured or are underinsured to take advantage of the upcoming health enrollment period and enroll into a health plan.

“This is an extraordinary time. Over the last several months, we have seen numerous attempts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. The recent Executive Order threatens the stability of the marketplace and may cause residents with affordable health coverage to lose their tax credits and eligibility for cost sharing reductions. While the Affordable Care Act is still the law of the land, with each attempt to attack the Affordable Care Act, we have come to see how vital it is to have access to health care, now! Without coverage, there is no clear pathway to prevention, wellness and improving health outcomes. I urge all Prince Georgians who are not covered, please get coverage now. This is the time,” said County Executive Baker.

Since the start of the Affordable Care Act in 2013, Prince George’s County has reduced the uninsured rate from approximately 15%% to slightly below 9%. It is estimated that as many as 78,000 residents remain uninsured. While many of the uninsured are not eligible to enroll in the State’s insurance marketplace, due to their immigration status, there are an estimated 30,000 or more residents who likely are eligible for a plan that fits their budget and meets their needs.

Prince George’s County Health Connect, a program of the Prince George’s County Department of Social Services, is funded by Maryland Health Connection, the State of Maryland’s health insurance marketplace. One of eight connector programs in Maryland, Prince George’s County Health Connect is helping residents, Get Covered, Get Seen and Get Healthy! This effort goes beyond enrollment in health coverage to educate everyone on the importance of establishing a relationship with a primary care provider and using their coverage appropriately.

According to Gloria Brown Burnett, Director of the Prince George’s County Department of Social Services, “the lack of adequate health coverage is one of the key social determinants of health. The opportunity to remove this barrier significantly enhances residents’ ability to improve their health status. The Department of Social Services recognizes how important it is to help strengthen our families; and to do that, barriers must be removed,” said Brown Burnett.

Managed by the Department of Social Services, Prince George’s County Health Connect provides trained, certified, bilingual navigators, who offer free, one-on-one consumer assistance with health insurance enrollment. Currently, nine out of 10 Marylanders, qualify for subsidies and discounts.

Prince George’s County Health Connect experts are located at all Department of Social Services sites; at two storefront locations, including the Hampton Mall in Capitol Heights, LaUnion Mall in Langley Park; and at two community-based organizations, CASA and Sowing Empowerment & Economic Development, Inc. (SEED), in Prince George’s County. The program also works with Maryland Children’s Health Program (MCHP), based in the Health Department.

For information on the locations, hours of operation at enrollment sites, or to schedule a free appointment to see a navigator, call the Prince George’s County Health Connect Call Center at (301) 927-4500; or visit,www.pgchealthconnect.org.

Posted in Prince George's County News | Leave a comment

SEE AND BE SEEN ON HALLOWEEN WITH MDOT SHA REFLECTIVE VESTS

Posted on October 30, 2017 by Camp Springs Civic Association
Close encounter with a zombie? Hungry vampires at the chase?  Goblins on your heels?  The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) is offering recommendations for pedestrians coping with these Halloween vices: look up, look out, walk calmly, use crosswalks and follow traffic signals. Because every day and especially on Halloween, everyone needs to follow the rules of the road, see and be seen.
 
Protect your witches, wizards, fairies, pirates and other creatures taking to Maryland streets this Tuesday, October 31, with a reflective vest courtesy of MDOT SHA’s annual “Vests for Visibility” Program. Designed to be worn over clothing, the reflective vests help increase the visibility of pedestrians. The vests will be available in all counties, at most MDOT SHA maintenance facilities, during the days just before the holiday.
Parents can pick up vests between Thursday, October 26 through Tuesday, October 31 from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. The reflective vests will be issued on a first come, first served basis and need to be returned by Friday, November 3.
 
“The Vests for Visibility program is one way that we are stressing how critical it is for pedestrians to stay visible and for drivers to look for pedestrians, on Halloween night and every evening,” said MDOT SHA Administrator Gregory Slater. “With the upcoming time change and nightfall coming earlier in the day, we want to make sure that drivers and pedestrians are looking out for each other, underscored as part of our overall Look Up, Look Out pedestrian safety campaign.”
“Even if you’re unable to borrow a vest, please make sure little ones stay visible on Halloween with glow sticks, lights or other reflective materials. Use this opportunity to have a conversation about walking and crossing the street safely,” continued Administrator Slater. “It is imperative that drivers stay on guard and expect to encounter pedestrians crossing the street.”
Safety Tips:

FOR MOTORISTS:

  • Stop for pedestrians – Maryland law requires motorists to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks and intersections.
  • Stay alert – park the mobile phone.
  • Obey the speed limit. Speeding only makes it more difficult to stop unexpectedly.
  • Motorists should be more cautious during peak trick-or-treating hours 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
  • Enter and exit driveways slowly. Use caution when turning at intersections.
  • Be alert for children darting across the street and crossing between parked cars.
  • When driving children to and from different activities, make sure all seat belts are fastened and let children out of the car on the curbside.
  • Never drink and drive. Designate a sober driver.

FOR PEDESTRIANS:

  • Look left, right, and left again before crossing the street.
  • Cross at crosswalks or intersections.
  • Be sure to see and be seen. Avoid dark clothing, wear bright colors and use reflective devices such as vests and blinking lights.
  • Avoid costumes that may impair vision.
  • Make eye contact with drivers when crossing the street.
  • Stay alert and be on the lookout for cars traveling above the speed limit.
 
2017 Vests for Visibility Participating SHA Maintenance Shops -interactive map available by click here:
Posted in Local News, Prince George's County News, Public Safety, Youth News | Leave a comment

3 children rescued & resuscitated from Camp Springs house fire

Posted on October 30, 2017 by Camp Springs Civic Association

Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department

Firefighters rescued 3 young occupants of a Camp Springs home fire this morning.  Just after 7:00 am, Sunday, October 29, 2017 firefighters and medics were alerted to a house fire in the 4700 block of Alcon Drive.  A 911-call taker received an emergency call from a female stating that her house was on fire and her children were trapped on the 2nd floor of the home.  The children were unable to escape due to the thick smoke and high heat in the hallway.  This information was relayed to responding firefighters by dispatchers at Public Safety Communications.

First arriving firefighters from the Silver Hill Fire/EMS Station 829 arrived with smoke showing from the house.  A rapid circle check of the house revealed to the officer-in-charge, Fire Lt. Michael Perritt, that there was a fire located in the 1st floor kitchen.  With a crew of five firefighters on board the engine Lt. Perritt was able to split his crew.  He directed a firefighter to advance a hose line to the first floor kitchen and extinguish the fire while Perritt and 2 other firefighters went to the 2nd floor to search for the trapped occupants. 

Despite high heat and near zero visibility the crews located 2 children in one room and an infant in another.  The 3 children were brought down through the interior stairwell to the exterior where firefighters initiated immediate rescue breathing on 2 and cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the infant.  All 3 children responded to the life-saving efforts and started breathing on their own. The fire was extinguished within 2 minutes of arrival with search and rescues occurring shortly thereafter.

An adult male escaped the 2nd floor by jumping out of a window.  He was not injured.  A secondary search of the house found that all other occupants had escaped prior to the fire departments arrival.

A total of 4 occupants between the ages of 17 years of age and 4 months old were transported to a hospital suffering from heat and exposure to smoke.  They were transported in serious but stable condition.

 A working smoke alarm could be heard by firefighters as they entered the structure.

There were 8 occupants inside the house this morning.  A total of 9 normally reside there and will be displaced.  They are being assisted by the County Citizen Services Unit and the American Red Cross.   

The cause of the fire is undetermined and fire loss is still being estimated.  No additional injuries were reported.

The Fire/EMS Department believes the working smoke alarm alerted and awoke the sleeping occupants.   Occupants stand a 50% better chance of surviving a home fire if you have working smoke alarms. 

This upcoming weekend, when we adjust our clocks back 1 hour we also need to change the batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms as well.  Smoke and CO alarms should be tested on the Safety First Day of every month to ensure they are working.

A new law will go into effect on January 1st, 2018 requiring all battery operated smoke alarms to be a 10-year, sealed battery, model.  10-year smoke and CO alarms eliminate the need to change batteries.  Firefighters frequently find smoke alarms not working due to dead or missing batteries.  As many as two-thirds of residential fire fatalities occur in homes with non-working smoke alarms or no smoke alarms at all.  The Maryland State Law will require homeowners to install 10-year smoke alarms on every level of your home, primarily just outside of sleeping areas.  Smoke alarms also need to be installed in every bedroom and we encourage everyone to sleep with their bedroom door closed.

Additionally, families need to plan an escape plan, which identifies 2 ways out of every room in the house and a safe meeting place outside.

If any County resident is in need of a working 10-year smoke alarm and cannot afford to purchase one themselves to call 311.  A firefighter will come to your home and install 1 alarm for you, free of charge.

 

Any family requiring assistance in planning an exit drill in your home can contact our Community Risk Reduction program at 301-883-5250.

Source: pgfdpio.blogspot.com

Posted in Camp Springs, Local News, Prince George's County News | Leave a comment