Mary's Center staff also provides educational services to low income adults and families.

By Zachary Davidson
Washington, DC—Mary’s Center celebrated the grand opening of a new facility, May 18, on Georgia Avenue in Ward 4, near the Georgia Avenue-Petworth Metro Station. The new site replaces the Mary’s Center Kennedy Street facility.
The third such center in the District, with one in Maryland, is expected to serve 11,000 participants. In addition, the 26,000-square-foot facility is equipped with 22 exam rooms and five dental rooms.
Founded in 1988 by President and CEO Maria Gomez, Mary’s Center focuses on educating and maintaining the health of the District communities it serves, by providing free services and flexible low-cost payment structures. Mary’s Center places an emphasis on maternal and prenatal care, but has also declared war on urban diseases such as diabetes and hypertension through supportive educational services. Gomez claims that services like these will have a lasting impact on the District. According to its website, Mary’s Center receives most of its funding from grants. Because of this the Center turns no one away based on their inability to pay.
In attendance at the opening ceremony, Mayor Vincent Gray said that Mary’s Center fits with the city’s vision of moving families and neighborhoods up the “economic ladder.”

“This new Mary’s Center location is an excellent opportunity for District residents to receive high-quality health care without having to leave their community,” Gray said. “As the District pushes forward to implement health care reform, this new center will help us achieve our goal of making quality care accessible and affordable in all neighborhoods of the city.”

Washington Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb and his family were also at the opening ceremony to show their support for the Center’s work. Vice President of M&T Bank, Derek Harps, and District council members Muriel Bowser and David Catania were in attendance, as well.
A spokesperson quoted McNabb as saying, “My wife Roxy and I are particularly impressed with the work that is done at Mary’s Center around prenatal care in a city where 11.5 percent of babies are born at a low birth weight and over 15 percent of births are premature.”
In addition to providing health care and services, the new Center will create more jobs in the immediate community. Some area residents have already been hired, and Center staff will become part of the retail base in the area, according to a press release.

Members and honory guests cut the ribbon for the new Mary Center. From left to right: Julie Martinez Ortega, David Dzidzienyo, Wilma Char McNabb, Jacqueline Lessington, Dr. Mohammad N. Akhter, Sharon Baskerville, Muriel Bowser, David Catania, BB Otero, Roxie McNabb, Derek Harps, Donovan McNabb, Maria Gomez, Patrick Chaulk, and Edward Mariga.

The new Mary’s Center is part of a wider expansion for the organization that is set on evaluating all of its facilities in the District. One site is currently being renovated, and two more additional sites are expected to open in Maryland by the end of the year. Mary’s Center also continues to operate its mobile health unit, which serves six sites in Wards 1, 2, 4 and 5. The organization expects to see a growth in participants from 18,500 a year to 23,000 a year, according to Mary’s Center.
The new Georgia Avenue facility is located one block north of the Georgia Avenue-Petworth Metro Station at 3912 Georgia Ave.