Standing with Our Community

By Antonio Caro, Development OfficerLike you, we’ve been trying to make sense of these difficult times. Having to make extreme adjustments in our lives and priorities is no easy task – especially for people who are unemployed, uninsured, and unfa...

Delivering Lasting Change

By Sara Hourwitz, Assistant Director of Individual Giving Delivering lasting change to communities doesn’t happen overnight; it takes hard work every day of the year. But thanks to the monthly support of community heroes like Dr. Mary Fairba...

Census 2020: You Matter. Get Counted.

The 2020 census is here! Starting this week, you and every resident in the United States will receive a notice in the mail asking you to complete the census. This questionnaire is sent from the Census Bureau and collects important information eve...

Empowering Through Knowledge: A Conversation About HIV/AIDS

By Magali Ceballos March 10, 2020 is National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. The day sheds light on the impact that HIV/AIDS has on women and girls around the country, and supports those who are living with the in...

Family Acceptance of LGBT+ Youth

By: Ayla Badell, LCPC "The most difficult problems facing LGBT Latino youth are related to negative responses to their LGBT identity. Concern about family acceptance is the top problem identified, and having their families accept and support t...

Let’s Eat the Rainbow!

By Carolina Sierra, Nutrition Services Coordinator Learn how with your Nutritionists at Mary’s Center! In observance of National Nutrition Month in March, those of us who provide nutrition counseling and education at Mary’s Center, including our ...

David Chalker: A Champion for Mary’s Center

By Sara Hourwitz, Assistant Director of Individual Giving At Mary’s Center, we are grateful to all of our kind supporters, whether they help us through in-kind donations, monetary contributions, volunteerism, or community advocacy. We are espe...

Should We Worry About Coronavirus?

By Dara Koppelman, Chief Nursing Officer As media coverage of the Coronavirus outbreak increases, we continue to receive more questions from our participants. Understandably, people wonder if they need to worry about this outbreak, and what th...

Holiday eating: Let’s enjoy mindfully!

By Carolina Sierra, Nutrition Services Coordinator Putting restrictions on foods that we love and grew up with can be a source of distress. Part of your holiday self-care routine can include allowing yourself to enjoy your favorite foods in th...

#MyGivingStory – Meet Kathya Soto

By Antonio Caro, Development Officer “We aren’t meant to be alone. In every stage of life, you need some form of support. Whether it’s a hug, a smile, a mentor or financial assistance, kind gestures both big and small help us move forward. It ...

Flu Shot: Know before you say “No”

By: Dr. Dana Mueller, Director of Adult and Family Medicine. As a primary care doctor, I recommend almost all my patients get vaccinated against Influenza (or Flu). Young, old, pregnant, healthy, or chronically ill – ev...

Is a Healthy Brushing Routine a Part of your Senior Lifestyle?

By: Jillian Hartman, Hygienist A healthy senior lifestyle today requires more than a regular game of pickle ball or a walk in the park. It should include attentive oral health care and a healthy brushing routine follo...

If You Leave your Abusive Partner, You will Not be Alone

By: Arianna Rodriguez, Domestic Violence Advocate As the Domestic Violence Advocate at Mary’s Center, I’ve seen how abusive relationships are often cyclical in many ways alternating between tension, explosion, a honeymoon phase, forgiveness, ...

Understanding Sexual Health: A Conversation with LaKeisha

For Sexual Health Awareness Month, Mary’s Center’s LaKeisha Agnew, Community Outreach and Prevention, sat down to answer questions about sexual health she often hears from community members and staff. LaKeisha has experience with education, preve...

Let’s Talk About Loneliness

By: Austyn Holleman, MSW MPH LGSW, Manager of Senior Mental Health Project This September, Mary’s Center is commemorating Healthy Aging Month by talking about one of the biggest health concerns facing seniors today: loneliness. It may seem su...

Know Your Rights: Understand Public Charge

By Maria Gomez For those of you who are not familiar with public charge, this rule has existed for over a hundred years to identify individuals who may depend on government public benefits as their main source of support. With good rea...

Immunizations: Give Your Child A Great Start in Life!

At Mary’s Center, we love children, and we want to see them happy and healthy. Vaccines play an important part in child health. In commemoration of National Immunization Awareness Month in August, one of our pediatricians, Dr. Christian...

Why Mary’s Center is One of the Washington Post’s Top Workplaces…Again

Back in 2016, Mary’s Center joined some of the top workplaces in the Washington, DC metro area and was recognized as one of the top employers in the region. I had only been at Mary’s Center a little over year and I was, admittedly, taken abac...

Proud to be Rooted in Our Community

By: Maria Gomez In commemoration of National Health Center Week, Mary’s Center is excited to celebrate being “Rooted in Communities,” a National Association of Community Health Centers’ (NACHC) campaign which emphasizes the fact that...

Breastfeeding: Empowering Parents to Overcome Challenges

By: Lisle Cole, WIC Nutrition Associate, CLS, and BPC Last week, a mother of a one-month old baby girl called the WIC office at Mary’s Center to speak with one of our Breastfeeding Peer Counselors because she was worried about not having enoug...

Introducing Our New Brand Look

“With this rebranding, we are not changing Mary’s Center’s philosophy—we are making sure every person knows that we are here to serve them. This rebranding is an opportunity to truly demonstrate our values of inclusivity, support, and connection,...

5 Ways To Support A Loved One Addicted To Opioids

The statistics are simply staggering. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every day more than 115 Americans die after overdosing on opioids. Addiction to opioids — including prescription painkiller, h...

8 Tips to Boost Your Reproductive Health

Are you trying to get pregnant? Here are some tips from one of Mary’s Center’s reproductive health experts 1.    Take Prenatal Vitamins. Prenatal vitamins are an important tool to reduce the risk of certain birth defec...

Tips to Spring Clean Your Diet

Spring is a great time to adopt some new habits and set yourself on the path to a long and healthy life! Here are some simple suggestions from two of Mary’s Center’s dietitians, Jessie Lupo and Megan Mauer, to get you started. H...

5 Facts You Should Know About Child Vaccinations

Millions of parents immunize their children each year, but others still have doubts, because of misinformation and misconceptions. It is very important for you to know the truth about vaccines. Your child’s life depends on it. One of our pediatri...

Transgender Services at Mary’s Center: Supporting You on Your Health Journey

From a small basement clinic offering prenatal care in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of DC in 1988, Mary’s Center has grown into an all-encompassing community health center offering medical, dental, behavioral health, education and social service...

From Stigma to Strength: HIV Wellness & the Mary’s Center Social Change Model

On World AIDS Day, we invite you to read this blog by Ben Siegelman of our Health Promotion team on how Mary’s Center is making a difference. “Every time I take my medicine, I cry. Every day, I have to take this little pill and remem...

DON’T FALL FOR THESE MYTHS ABOUT YOUR CHILD’S ORAL HEALTH!

Pediatrician Dr. Maria Marquez is passionate about children’s oral health. In this blog, Dr. Marquez, who is also the Medical Director of Mary’s Center’s new site in Fort Totten, Washington, DC, dispels some myths about dental health and shares s...

Neighbors Helping Neighbors: 7 Things You Can Do to Help Our Vulnerable Communities

In recent weeks,  Mary’s Center  has heard from so many of you expressing concern for the communities we serve and wanting to help our participants as they face uncertainty during these trying times due to recent executive orders. First...

Say “Stop” to Bulling!

Twenty-two percent of US students say they have been bullied, according to the National Center for Educational Statistics1. We asked Mary’s Center School-Based Mental Health therapist Vanessa León about this distressing phenomenon ...

Getting the Most Out of Your Doctor’s Visit

Doctor’s visits are much shorter than they used to be many years ago. As a patient, you have to be prepared in order to make the most of your visit and leave the doctor’s office with all your questions answered. Here are a few tips: The day be...