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Madachy Wins Horizon Leadership Award

(The Business Monthly) -- The "transformative leadership" of Phyllis Madachy, administrator of the Howard County Office on Aging, has earned her the 2006 Richard G. McCauley Leadership Award. It will be presented at the Third Annual Horizon Awards Breakfast on June 15, said Richard Krieg, president and CEO of The Horizon Foundation.

The award is named in honor of the foundation's first board chair, who is also a retired executive of The Rouse Co. "Phyllis Madachy has operated on a number of levels, from county to state to regional to national, to transform the county's Office on Aging into one that has been called a model for the nation," Krieg said. "She is a remarkable person.

"Phyllis' partnership with the foundation helped the county secure funding from the national administration on aging to set up a model aging in place program," Krieg said, adding, "As a result of this support, federal officials regard Howard County as the textbook case of cost-effective, innovative government."

Making a Point

Krieg singled out Madachy's work on Maryland Access Point, a federal program which he labeled "an efficient, automated system that has transformed the way Office on Aging information and referral services are provided."

He added that Madachy created the 50+Expo, the largest senior-oriented event in the county, which "pulls together care providers and services" and annually draws 5,000 participants.

Madachy, who has been administrator since 1995 and is now in her 25th year with the Office on Aging, said she is "thrilled and honored to be recognized for my efforts to help people stay in control of their lives." The office is responsible for all public sector services provided to adults older than 60, as well as adults older than 18 with disabilities.

Past winners of the Leadership Award are Henry Posko, Jr., president and CEO of Humanim, Inc. (2005) and Mary Ellen Duncan, president of Howard Community College (2004).

Also Getting a Nod

Also to be recognized at the awards breakfast are the volunteers of the Health Alliance, who will receive the Health Action Award for their care of uninsured county residents. Founder Gary Milles will accept on behalf of the 150 volunteers, primarily doctors, nurses and other health professionals, who staff the free medical clinic. It has operated in Howard County since 1998.

The Health Alliance, which has served 225 adult patients with chronic illness and 200 pediatric patients each year according to Executive Director Pam Mack, will close when a new federally qualified health center opens in July in Columbia.

This new clinic will be operated by Chase Brexton Health Services and supported, in part, by state and federal funds, "allowing for an even greater breadth of services," said Mack. The care of current Health Alliance patients will be transferred to the new clinic. "The Health Alliance has always been a source of compassion, reaching out and making people well," she said. "The work we do has been as emotionally satisfying to the volunteers as to the patients."

Award for Life

A third honor will go to Vivian "Millie" Bailey, who will receive the Community Appreciation Award for her lifetime of civic leadership and service, most recently her volunteer work on behalf of Running Brook Elementary School in Columbia. Former principal Marion Miller calls Bailey the school's "guardian angel" for her efforts coordinating donations of money and supplies to fill the facility's annual "wish list."

Bailey, who is 86 years old and lives near the school, has been making the school's wishes come true for eight years. "Education is my passion. I tell everyone I have the largest interracial family now," she said of the student body.

Bailey's community service spans the realms of health care, human rights, housing and the court system. She has served on numerous county and state commissions and was inducted into the Howard County Women's Hall of Fame in 2000.

With $84 million in assets, The Horizon Foundation addresses health and wellness issues through strategic grantmaking, community initiatives and partnerships with private and public institutions. It is a community health foundation that takes a broad view of health. The foundation is committed to helping build a healthy and resilient community in Howard County.