[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",7315759,"mediaKeyId","2363908-d3ed405c9f50b280775ea4886ca08438","parentId",2363908,"title","Committee extends emergency-department wait-times task force, citing complex causes and need for more study","audioSeconds",983,"startMs",942000,"endMs",1925000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2363908-d3ed405c9f50b280775ea4886ca08438&start=942&end=1925","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2363908-d3ed405c9f50b280775ea4886ca08438/thumbnail_942000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/7315759/Prince-Georges-County/Maryland/Committee-extends-emergency-department-wait-times-task-force-citing-complex-causes-and-need-for-more-study","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/7315759-2d4989f73a44793b75dcfc4647e8ce1b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771155708&Signature=QyNvWV4nyP4-J76wx1wBal~bMZZJETENcC~xUaC7aibFiQYPr~Ore6Q~hfXMdBAkaSI6zwgGFwbXytiY~mIxufs-wfpvcTtT4yWEOf2QLo9bF8lWnSeAEOtcmreddFkNTnXZhmlTplQXHfsBms~brdUt4kyxC4uXospppmrR8aTV1qTllypU45Twmb8vBQZTGmOoEuZ8sXuCYZy5gk9o-QOYpJ0e2Y1fmSn5n21QJ7AfWR5CNK5H3owRaZIKrrcaiCTr~xRZaj6ciHJT6Sas-VV~dDQ-pCj8xZPIkmELmoKs011oflG65JAuVduLlib0nLrarI0LF79CUqKLfr80XQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Prince George","date","2025-02-20T00:00:00Z","article","Prince George's County Council’s Health, Human Services and Public Safety Committee on Feb. 20 voted 4-0 to extend the county’s emergency-department (ED) wait-times task force to allow more time to complete a comprehensive report and recommendations.

Council member who sponsored CR-006-2025 told the committee the task force has discovered that ED waits are a multifaceted problem requiring coordination across hospitals, public safety and state partners. The committee heard public testimony from task force members and residents who supported the extension and urged the county to focus on data transparency, workforce development and integration of social-determinants-of-health screening into emergency care.

Testimony included Jeffrey Cooper, a Prince George's County resident and task force member, who urged the extension and described the problem as rooted in housing instability, food insecurity, limited access to primary care and transportation barriers. Cooper said the task force’s work should include enforcing ED performance transparency, integrating social-determinants screening and expanding urgent-care alternatives and workforce capacity to provide long-term relief for overburdened emergency departments.

Professor Carrie (Caroline) Williams Pierce, another task force member, described personal experience waiting hours in an ED with a family member and said the task force’s site visits to county hospitals exposed complexities beyond staffing, including the role EDs play as a safety net for uninsured and vulnerable residents. Erica Turner of the Office of the County Executive said the county has received presentations from all nine county emergency departments and noted the task force had not yet visited the Kaiser facility.

The committee also heard from the Office of Law, which reported no legal impediments to the resolution. Committee members said they learned from task force presentations and supported additional time to finalize recommendations. The motion to advance the resolution carried 4-0; the resolution will proceed to the full council. Committee members and witnesses emphasized coordination with the sheriff’s office, police, hospitals and the state as next steps for compiling recommendations and implementation plans.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Prince George - Health, Human Services and Public Safety **Revised - CR-004-2025 removed** - Feb 20, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The committee voted 4-0 to extend the county’s emergency department wait-times task force to complete a final report; members and task force participants said the issue involves staffing, social determinants of health and coordination with law enforcement and state partners.","taxTitle","Prince George's County, Maryland","taxId",3378,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},7315755,"Committee advances bill to require proactive egg-freezing and IVF coverage options for county employees",1119,2018000,3137000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2363908-d3ed405c9f50b280775ea4886ca08438&start=2018&end=3137","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2363908-d3ed405c9f50b280775ea4886ca08438/thumbnail_2018000.jpg","/articles/7315755/Prince-Georges-County/Maryland/Committee-advances-bill-to-require-proactive-egg-freezing-and-IVF-coverage-options-for-county-employees","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/7315755-c660b98153804246fb3aaf62f9d38d9c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771155708&Signature=C9DmELwMBXzFiGIzK~kuqQ6Bv8xjxd~GSqccWYFraCqohNNXsCeZdrUJtcQTnjo7XiFNQlhwNyhSeZBF57iIdx81jPXgnrbPnNoIHlMGTR4aCyka0WoI6xBOyIFqw6~JMRw3kjpmloOavyJuXD4oc2PrgwreSUeV68BYPlAubIEGdxOSXju72QsnlWTuO5yXjnA3t5bEUEs7L9Le20SNpFcvs81PCilbgoF6X6zpNTYxV86sSErnR5~wxjliWNYuZXMWl6zMbTc7FR8-CDwtoAO7HHQLZBTPCMNhhEwGi-muzzBEeZ3Zik~P5KcNIFjyDXKzuGI5xF9kU4NIa6Qg2g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Health, Human Services and Public Safety Committee on Feb. 20 advanced Chair Wanika Fisher’s CB-7 (proposed draft 2), a bill that would require health plans offered to Prince George's County employees to include coverage options for in vitro fertilization (IVF) and proactive egg freezing with a minimum 10-year storage period. The committee voted 4-0 to move the draft to the full council.

Chair Fisher said she proposed the bill after reviewing county insurance offerings and discovering that proactive egg-freezing services and egg storage were not available as options for all county employees. Fisher said the change is intended to make county employment more appealing to employees at younger reproductive ages and to reduce later IVF cycles’ cost by enabling preservation of younger oocytes.

David Noto, the legislative budget and policy analyst, told the committee that Maryland statute (Annotated Code of Maryland, Insurance Article §15-8-810 and related provisions) already mandates that some insurers offer coverage for IVF and that fertility preservation coverage exists under separate state provisions. Noto said IVF costs commonly range from $14,000 to $25,000 per cycle, that state rules may limit the number of IVF attempts per live birth and that some plans cap lifetime benefits (Noto cited a $100,000 example). Noto summarized prior state estimates that mandated infertility coverage tends to raise premiums by less than 1 percent; a New York estimate put potential premium impacts for IVF at roughly 0.5–1.1 percent and at 0.02 percent for fertility-preservation mandates.

The proposed draft 2 amendment, introduced in committee, adds a sentence specifying that “egg freezing coverage for purposes of this section shall involve proactive care and egg storage for a period of not less than 10 years.” The Office of Human Resource Management asked that the bill’s language be clear that the county executive must ensure county-contracted insurers make the coverage available for county-offered plans; the deputy director recommended wording to tie the procurement responsibility to the county executive’s plans rather than to individual providers. The Office of Law reviewed the draft and reported no legal impediments; it noted local law may be more stringent than state law.

Committee members moved the draft favorably (a motion by Chair Fisher, seconded by Council member Watson); the clerk recorded the committee vote as 4-0 in favor. Members thanked OHRM and council staff for help reviewing existing county plans. The measure will move to the full council for consideration under the committee’s favorable report.","Chair Wanika Fisher’s CB-7 (proposed draft 2) to require county-offered health plans to offer proactive egg-freezing and at least 10 years of egg storage advanced from committee by a 4-0 vote; county analyst said state law already requires some IVF coverage and fiscal impact to premiums is likely small.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6679499,"Council committee advances Dr. Sephora Miller to County Commission for Women",405,535000,940000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2363908-d3ed405c9f50b280775ea4886ca08438&start=535&end=940","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2363908-d3ed405c9f50b280775ea4886ca08438/thumbnail_535000.jpg","/articles/6679499/Prince-Georges-County/Maryland/Council-committee-advances-Dr-Sephora-Miller-to-County-Commission-for-Women","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6679499-63034087dc8425c8d4518da798828e46/orig.mp4?Expires=1771155708&Signature=n6nAYTfvlsJ688NfKXzWjhOVF~sorES5bnVCgXIuqQ0AZUButYoUIQMK5cS7sbxrEITufAg6awWar393jeGCg-jgIXTAemm1zvajHkj27aTbxAOYa2noETiV7N76YXPYx4q71X8WUBu~wHQ2mPETofcEyYL8kFG8z6Zd1mbjew1AX4G6JO5X2PzCk8RRInK1omwVkPk5qh2aFjXJVhGi8tWvLVu2t1T5tbE1xIOc7Zydvv7DxgUc5DuLjps0CE4jBRrwsf9ayoEEeOzP2zZ8Xzlx6c1F6-uVqb87dxvOJJgG5MYytghlI7T0ZTiRVdZ4tM0ZhyLJIp1QwnnZ9F3VGg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Prince George's County Health, Human Services and Public Safety Committee on Feb. 20 voted 4-0 to advance the acting county executive’s nomination of Dr. Sephora Miller to the Prince George's County Commission for Women for consideration at a full-council public hearing.

The Commission for Women advocates for programs and legislation to improve the quality of life for women and girls; the commission was established by the County Council in 1972. Committee staff transmitted Dr. Miller’s appointment package to the clerk on Jan. 17, 2025, and the committee listed her public hearing as tentatively scheduled for March 2025 at 11 a.m.

Dr. Miller told the committee she has lived in Prince George's County for more than 30 years and described a career in education that includes roles as teacher, magnet coordinator, assistant principal, program administrator and science supervisor for Prince George's County Public Schools. She recently served on the Prince George's County School Board, chaired the Academic Achievement Committee, and now works as director of organizational learning for Anne Arundel Public Schools. Dr. Miller holds a B.A. from Chadron State College, a master’s degree from Bowie State University and an Ed.D. in school systems leadership from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Members praised Miller’s experience and service. Council member Blige moved to approve the nomination and Council member Watson seconded; the clerk recorded the committee vote as 4-0 in favor. The nomination will proceed to the full council for a scheduled public hearing.","The committee unanimously approved the acting county executive’s nomination of Dr. Sephora Miller to the Prince George's County Commission for Women and scheduled a public hearing tentatively for March 2025.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6679501,"Committee approves Stephanie Maxwell for Prince George's County Police Accountability Board",437,86000,523000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2363908-d3ed405c9f50b280775ea4886ca08438&start=86&end=523","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2363908-d3ed405c9f50b280775ea4886ca08438/thumbnail_86000.jpg","/articles/6679501/Prince-Georges-County/Maryland/Committee-approves-Stephanie-Maxwell-for-Prince-Georges-County-Police-Accountability-Board","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6679501-cb897a722dc758111306d7146290d029/orig.mp4?Expires=1771155708&Signature=YqFOeNxHXhzBEmh3CECmbk4ZxWg8RmiqadZCZ9QCV0GK1w91sIN7LTNuT0~1g0Ed9Q6jTCbzj6ho3xyJanyDB58jk31zkksh6ps9YwnUJ~VI1PtqkOqxbqPng-6Ah85eElnsK~7ThJUA1VfP9YfrwHsAZ2B-ciZIJ1QShJtrrG11pahzkNzq58QbD2xwSFQ4EYvXzxBINNcbKLMrzb2l42q0mlHoBK5bykcryao96eVeCH4rgYQdwb45fkU2EkGMY~ClaPWkAK3ZWJ6j4kD2jNNEE6oI8vQFZERqy~V9tOiB7Nceq6h0nRsj7aj~o4sUxa~NRHiwcfwse3UjzOdGIw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Prince George's County Council Health, Human Services and Public Safety Committee on Feb. 20 voted 4-0 to approve the county executive’s nomination of Stephanie Maxwell to the Police Accountability Board, moving her confirmation to the full council for final action.

The Police Accountability Board, composed of 11 residents appointed by the county executive and council, receives complaints of police misconduct involving the public and refers matters to the appropriate law enforcement agency for investigation. Stephanie Maxwell’s public hearing before the full council is tentatively scheduled for March 2025 at 11 a.m.

Maxwell introduced herself to the committee and described a 34-year career in county government, including roles as court administrator, director in human resources management, legal counsel in personnel and labor relations, and associate county attorney. Committee staff said her accomplishments include coordinating efforts to automate court operations and establishing nonprofit entities tied to family justice and problem-solving courts. Maxwell holds a bachelor’s degree from Boston College and a juris doctorate from Catholic University’s Columbus School of Law; she also has a certified public manager designation from George Washington University and is admitted to the Maryland bar and federal courts.

Chair Wanika Fisher, speaking during the roll call, said she had read nominees’ resumes and was “very impressed by all the work that you’ve done,” and she voted in favor of Maxwell’s nomination. Vice Chair Hawkins and other committee members also praised Maxwell’s public-service record before the committee’s unanimous vote.

The committee record shows the appointment package was transmitted to the clerk on Jan. 10, 2025. The committee advanced the nomination with a motion to approve, seconded by Council member Blige; the committee clerk recorded the vote as 4-0 in favor. The nomination will proceed to the full council for confirmation.","The Health, Human Services and Public Safety Committee voted 4-0 to forward the county executive’s nomination of Stephanie Maxwell to the Police Accountability Board. A public hearing is tentatively scheduled for March 2025.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee extends emergency-department wait-times task force, citing complex causes and need for more study

Committee advances bill to require proactive egg-freezing and IVF coverage options for county employees

Council committee advances Dr. Sephora Miller to County Commission for Women

Committee approves Stephanie Maxwell for Prince George's County Police Accountability Board