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Phyllis Madachy Wins Horizon Leadership Award - Health Alliance, Vivian Bailey Are Also Honored

The Horizon Foundation honored Phyllis Madachy, Administrator of the Office on Aging, the Health Alliance free medical clinic and community activist Vivian C. Bailey at its 3^rd Annual Horizon Awards Breakfast on June 15, announced Richard M. Krieg, foundation CEO and president.

Madachy received the Richard G. McCauley Leadership Award for “transforming the county’s Office on Aging into one that has been called a model for the nation,” Krieg said. The award is named in honor of the foundation’s first board chair, who is also a retired executive of The Rouse Company. Madachy, who has been administrator since 1995 and has worked at the county agency for 25 years, said she is “thrilled and honored to be recognized for my efforts to help people stay in control of their lives.”

The Health Alliance free medical clinic volunteers received the Health Action Award for their work in caring for adults with chronic illness as well as pediatric patients, all who are uninsured. The volunteers primarily include doctors, nurses and other health professionals. The clinic, which opened in 1998, will close and transfer the care of its patients to a new expanded health center, slated to open later this summer in Columbia and be operated by Chase Brexton Health Services, Inc., with state and federal funds. Founder Gary Milles accepted the Horizon Health Action award. Health Alliance Executive Director Pam Mack calls this “a time tinged with sadness; it is exciting to know what the new center will offer, yet it is bittersweet to say good-bye.”

The Community Appreciation Award was given to “Millie” Bailey, octogenarian and community activist, for a lifetime of service, including her volunteer work helping RunningBrook Elementary School obtain much-needed donations of money and supplies over the last eight years. Bailey, who calls the students “her interracial family,” has served on the boards of Howard County General Hospital, Howard County Hospice Services, Maryland Health Resources Planning Commission, Howard County Police Department’s Citizens Advisory Council, Friends of the Library, Human Rights Commission, Maryland Hospital Association and other county and state boards and commissions. She is a member of the Howard County Women’s Hall of Fame.

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.