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Original Photo taken by Rebecca Cooper
Dear Neighbors,
Earlier today, Mayor Bowser presented highlights of her proposed Fiscal Year 2027budget to the DC Council and the public at the Martin Luther King Jr. MemorialLibrary. The full proposed budget will officially be transmitted on April 14. Until then, you can review the presentation slides, here, and review chapters that have been released so far here. I look forward to reviewing the full proposal – the devil is always in the details. The hearing schedule for the Committee on Health is below, and the complete budget hearing schedule is posted online.
This turned out to be quite the busy week. On Monday, I chaired the Committee on Health’s oversight roundtable on Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center’s operations, compliance, and community impact now that the hospital has been open one year. Cedar Hill represents one of the most significant public investments in health care in the District in decades and was designed to be a hub for a high-quality health system serving residents primarily on the east end of DC. However, the challenges the hospital has faced caused many of these goals to be unmet. Progress over the next six months will be key to Cedar Hill righting course. You can read a summary of the roundtable below.
Not to be eclipsed by other events of the week, on Tuesday, the Committee on Health voted and approved 7 nominations and three bills I introduced: the Prenatal and Postpartum Remote Patient Monitoring Clarification Amendment Act of 2026, the Judith Heumann Memorial Workers with Disabilities Act of 2026, and the Medical Debt Mitigation Amendment Act of 2026.
The Prenatal and Postpartum Remote Patient Monitoring Clarification Amendment Act of 2025 amends the Postpartum Coverage Expansion Amendment Act of 2020 to require that the Department of Health Care Finance (DHCF) specifically cover remote patient monitoring (RPM) of blood pressure and blood glucose levels during pregnancy and up to 12 months postpartum. Research shows that RPM improves maternal health, supports better management of chronic conditions, and reduces preventable morbidity.
The Judith Heumann Memorial Workers with Disabilities Act of 2026 would establish the District Workers with Disabilities Program, a Medicaid Buy-In program that allows District residents with disabilities to maintain health coverage while earning income above Medicaid’s traditional limits as long as they pay affordable monthly premiums. Currently, aged, blind, and disabled individuals who earn more than $1,330 per month, or two-person households earning more than $1,804 per month, are ineligible for Medicaid in the District. This leads to disabled residents experiencing the “benefits cliff,” a phenomenon in which modest increases in income can result in the loss of critical public benefits, including Medicaid coverage and long-term services and supports. DC would be joining 48 other states with a Medicaid buy-in program if this legislation is approved by the full Council.
The Medical Debt Mitigation Amendment Act of 2026 takes critical steps to help alleviate the burden of unpaid medical bills on District families. Nearly 90,000 District residents, or 20% of all residents, have unpaid medical bills. Research shows medical debt can have significant negative impacts on a household, including bankruptcy, job loss, eviction, food insecurity, and poor physical and mental health outcomes. This bill is prospective and puts in guardrails to ensure patients can enter financial assistance plans, and ensures that medical debt is not included on credit reports as it is distinctive from other types of consumer debt. In order to improve long term health outcomes, we must focus on the infrastructure that makes up the healthcare system. These bills aim to improve access to comprehensive healthcare in an equitable manner by alleviating financial pressures and improving access to health coverage and medical devices. I look forward to the full Council considering these bills later this month.
This weekend the National Cherry Blossom Festival continues with Jazz & Blossoms, a free family-friendly music and arts event sponsored by the DowntownDC BID that blends live jazz and hip-hop and includes additional interactive activities and play areas. Join us downtown this weekend as we kick off Spring Break for many of our students.
The rest of this newsletter includes information on upcoming hearing dates and community events.
In Service,
Christina Henderson
Councilmember, At-Large
ChristinaHendersonDC.com
Councilmember Christina Henderson attends Mayor Bowser's Proposed FY 2027 Budget Presentation to the DC Council and the public at Martin Luther King Jr. Library.
On Thursday, April 2, the Committee on Health held a roundtable on the following nominations to the Board of Nursing and the Board of Funeral Directors:
On Monday, April 6, the Committee on Health held a roundtable on the Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center operations, compliance, and community impact in its first year of operations. The roundtable featured invited witness testimony from the Ward 8 Health Council, a community physician, leadership from Cedar Hill, Universal Health Services (UHS), George Washington University, GW Medical Faculty Associates, Director of Department of Health Dr. Ayanna Bennett, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services, and Director of Department of Health Care Finance Wayne Turnage.
We decided to hold this roundtable because of concerns we were hearing at community meetings, from residents, and through DC Health inspections about staffing levels and patient experiences at Cedar Hill. Through testimony, we learned that there are a total of 67 nurse vacancies currently being filled with travel nurses, and that the hospital has 524 of 634 positions currently filled. The hospital lost roughly $54-60M dollars over the course of 2025. Dr. Marilyn McPherson Corder, a community physician, testified to her frustration that over 12 community physicians have never heard back from Cedar Hill about applications to work in the hospital. Councilmember Henderson also highlighted concerns raised by Children’s National Hospital regarding a lack of adequate nurse and technician staffing within the pediatric Emergency Department. DC Health reports that the Committee obtained before the roundtable similarly showed a pattern of lack of documentation, broken protocols, and compromised care for patients.
Hospital leadership, including the new Cedar Hill Chief Executive Officer Kimberlee Daniels and UHS Regional Director Jason Barrett, framed Cedar Hill’s challenges in its first year of operation as typical for a newly opened facility and emphasized ongoing efforts to stabilize and expand operations. They disputed concerns about staffing and maintained that Cedar Hill’s workforce capacity is sufficient – attributing delays in the opening of ambulatory services to contractual negotiations with George Washington University rather than a lack of providers. They highlighted that the hospital has brought on new C-suite leadership, including a Chief Nursing Officer and Director of the Emergency Department, that will help to stabilize the hospital. She also highlighted that 7 out of 14 ambulatory services are now open, and the hospital plans to be able to provide more outpatient care and planned surgeries in the coming year, which will help drive increased revenue.
George Washington University (GW) and GW Medical Faculty Associates (MFA) testified that they have been ready to fully staff the hospital with physicians, including ambulatory services, since June 2025, but that the hospital was not ready to open those services. GW also testified that UHS had canceled an agreement to partially staff the hospital with family medicine residents from GW. UHS responded that it still plans to start a family medicine residency program in the future – once the dust settles with the new MFA staffing agreement. There is an annual report from Cedar Hill that is due to DC government next week. There was a commitment that this would be available publicly as well, so we will share it once we have it.
On Tuesday, April 7, the Committee on Health held an additional meeting and voted on the Prenatal and Postpartum Remote Patient Monitoring Clarification Amendment Act of 2025; the Judith Heumann Memorial Workers with Disabilities Act of 2025; the Medical Debt Mitigation Amendment Act of 2025; and the following nominee confirmations to the Board of Nursing and Board of Funeral Directors:
Budget hearings begin in ten days, starting with the Committee on Health on Monday, April 20. You can sign up to testify at FY 2027 Budget Oversight Hearings, here.
Hands-on-Hearts
On Monday, March 30, Councilmember Henderson’s staff attended a Hands-on-Hearts CPR training at the John A. Wilson Building presented by DC Fire and EMS. The training included hands-on CPR demonstrations, AED training, and an overview of the PULSEPOINT app. The Hands-on-Heart Program was established to help bridge the gap between EMS care by local emergency medical field providers and a quick response by a community member to the average citizen in need.
Stepping into Spring with Metro
Later that day, on March 30, Councilmember Henderson popped into Metro’s Blooms Pop-Up Shop. The pop-up includes fresh Metro spring-themed merch and includes shirts, hoodies, magnets, water bottles, shorts, and even journals. The pop-up is open until this Sunday, April 12 and can be found at 300 7th St SW (across from L’Enfant Plaza Station) from 10:00am to 6:00pm Monday-Friday and 10:00am to 4:00pm Saturday-Sunday.
You can find additional information, here.
Visiting Unity Health Center
On Wednesday, April 1, Councilmember Henderson visited the Anacostia location of Unity Health Center and met with their new President and Chief Executive Officer, Rashad A. Collins. Unity Health Center stands as the largest network of community health centers in DC and provides accessible health care to over 60,000 patients annually.
Meeting with Tomorrow’s Medical Leadership
On Thursday, April 2, Councilmember Henderson visited George Washington University’s GW Milken Institute School of Public Health to speak with fellows of their Residency Fellowship Program in Health Policy. The course includes a three-week intensive elective that introduces interdisciplinary physicians in training in DC to health policy and the policymaking process. During conversation Councilmember Henderson touched on her career progression, health policy in the District, what inspires her to draft legislation, and balancing meeting with stakeholders and advocates during the budget process.
Cherry Blossom Cheer in the John A. Wilson Building
In another sign of spring, on Tuesday, April 7, Destination DC delivered cherry pies to the John A. Wilson building for the National Cherry Blossom Festival. Destination DC is a contracting arm of Events DC that supports the DC travel and tourism sector.
AKA Day at the John A. Wilson Building
The next day, on Wednesday, April 8, Councilmember Henderson met with the Washington, D.C. Chapters of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., for their 2026 AKA Day at the John A. Wilson Building. Attendees came from all four AKA Graduate Chapters in the District: Xi Omega, Xi Zeta Omega, Rho Mu Omega, and Alpha Beta Upsilon Omega. The chapter members discussed improving access to healthcare, specifically maternal health and mental health services for youth, and how organizations such as theirs could protect the autonomy of the District.
Long Term Care in the District
Later that day, on April 8, Councilmember Henderson attended an in-person meeting of the Long-Term Care Coalition and shared updates on the state of long-term care and aging in the District. She emphasized that long-term care is not a niche issue and that it affects everyone – the reality in the District is that our population is aging rapidly while the demand for care is already outpacing workforce supply.
Councilmember Henderson highlighted her support for several initiatives to strengthen the long-term care workforce over the last few years, including the Certified Nurse Aide Amendment Act of 2024. While draft regulations for the law are still pending, DC Health has implemented provisions that reduce barriers and allow certified nurse aides from Maryland and Virginia to more easily register in the District. Supporting the long-term care workforce will take a whole of government approach and is critically important because people who are taking care of other people, especially our most vulnerable residents, deserve to take care of their families, too.
DPR Spring Break
This spring break, nearly 300 youth are enrolled and set to participate in Spring Break Camps at over ten locations. During DCPS Spring Break, DPR is offering a range of special programs for these groups, including a day of service, a skate party, a cookout and esports tournament, a financial literacy conference, and a special engagement on city planning in partnership with the Office of Planning.
You can find more information on the activities listed above and additional programming, here.
Bloom, Balance, and Breathe
Join us for Blossom Block Sound Sessions: “Bloom, Balance & Breathe”—a morning dedicated to health, wellness, and community. Flow through a rejuvenating yoga session led by Charnal Chaney of BOLD Yoga then unwind with a hands-on Tea Blending Workshop by The Sweet Life of Tea. This workshop will take place on Sunday, April 12, from 10:00am to 2:00pm at Bridge District (600 Howard Rd SE).
Creative Chill: Creative Networking and Deaf History Month Celebration
Join the Commission on the Arts and Humanities and ODR's Division of DDHH as we celebrate Deaf History Month with a creative mixer. The Commission on the Arts and Humanities and the DC's Office of Disability Rights, Division of Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing are teaming up for the month of April to celebrate Deaf History Month and host our monthly Ice Breakers Creative Networking Series at Crooked Run Fermentation. (550 Morse Street Northeast, Suite 120) in Union Market on Tuesday, April 21, from 5:30pm to 7:30pm.
This networking series is for all creatives throughout the DMV to come together and meet other creatives working on projects in our area. It is a way to connect with artists in similar disciplines and learn more about what community members are working on. Additionally the inclusive networking experience will feature a special performance with the cast of Dreamgirls from Honestly Speaking, Inc. Come build connections, showcase your work, spark new ideas, and explore grant opportunities.
Reserve your spot, here.
Eat, Drink. Shaw.
Eat.Drink.Shaw. is an in-person food and beverage showcase event at the historic Howard Theatre, with ticket holders enjoying complimentary food and beverage items from all participating restaurants and bars for two-and-one-half hours on Thursday, April 30, 2026, from 7:00pm to 9:10pm.
Participating businesses include 801 Restaurant & Bar, All Purpose Shaw, Ambar Shaw, Baan Mae, Chercher Ethiopian Restaurant, Dolci Gelati Cafe, Everyday People DC, Gogi Yogi, Minya's Pizza, Nina May, Shaw's Tavern, Silk Lounge, SOST, Unconventional Diner, Urban Garden Brewing, and more.
You can register for the event, here.
My School DC Lottery Results
My School DC released lottery results for the 2026-27 school year today, March 27. Families can access their results by logging into their My School DC family account.If a family received a school match in the lottery, they have until May 1, 2026 to enroll at their matched school. Enrolling at their matched school will not remove their child off of waitlists.
Families will need to follow schools' enrollment procedures, which include:
Families can also add additional schools to their child's application at this time by logging into their family account. Their child will automatically be added to the schools' waitlists. More here.
If you know of a family that did not receive their lottery results, cannot access their My School DC account, or needs help understanding their results and next steps, please direct them to contact the My School DC Hotline. They are available Monday – Friday, 8:00am - 5:00pm at (202) 888-6336 or info.myschooldc@dc.gov.
2027 NFL Draft Source Program
The 2027 NFL Draft Source Program is designed to connect local and underrepresented businesses with contracting opportunities associated with the Draft operations. We encourage event-ready businesses in the Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia area to apply for contracting opportunities that support the production of the 2027 NFL Draft, which will be hosted in Washington, DC. Businesses selected through the application process will also gain access to capacity-building. Examples of qualifying local, small and underrepresented businesses:
and more...
Examples of services needed:
and more...
Examples of specialty areas needed:
and more...
Unsure if you fall into these categories? Apply anyway! The last day to apply is April 15, 2026.
To apply and for more information, click here.
Golden Gears: E-Bike and Scooter Rides
AARP DC, in partnership with Vision Zero, invites you to join us for Golden Gears: E‑Bike and Scooter Rides, a fun and beginner‑friendly way to explore DC’s trails on two wheels. These rides are designed especially for adults 50+ and are open to riders of all experience levels. Thanks to our collaborators Lime and Capital Bikeshare, participants will have free access to shared e‑bikes and scooters while enjoying a guided, relaxed ride along some of DC’s most scenic trails. Advance registration is required, and space is limited. For any questions related to registration, please email Renee Moore (Special Assistant at the Mayor’s Vision Zero Office) at renee.moore@dc.gov.
Upcoming Rides:
Friday, April 17 at 10:00am Met Branch Trail (Alethia Tanner Park – NE DC)
Register here: https://tinyurl.com/April17ride
Saturday, May 16 at 10:00am Anacostia Trail (Anacostia Park – SE DC)
Register here: https://tinyurl.com/May16VZRide
2026 Licensure Renewal Deadlines and Requirements
DLCP reminds licensees across multiple Boards and Commissions to review upcoming renewal deadlines and requirements for the 2026 cycle. Please see the summaries below to support timely submission of your renewal application.
Opens: February 1, 2026
Deadline: April 30, 2026 Renew online through Access DC (Sign Up required for new users). CE Requirement: 24 hours of Health, Safety, and Welfare (HSW) approved by AIA or NCARB, unless this is your first renewal by examination.
Licenses not renewed by June 30, 2026 convert to Inactive – Reinstatement Eligible.
Deadline: March 31, 2026 Renew online through Access DC (Sign Up and email verification required). Approved licensees may view and download their digital license through the My Licenses tab in Access DC.
Important for Plumbers:
Master Plumbers designated to a Plumber Contractor company must submit: $5,000 bond for the Master Plumber, and $5,000 bond for the contracting company. Licenses not renewed by March 31, 2026 convert to Inactive.
More information available at dcra.dc.gov/industrial-trade.
Deadline: March 31, 2026
Renew online through Access DC (Sign Up and email verification required). Licensees are encouraged to renew early to avoid additional fees. Licenses not renewed by March 31, 2026 require reinstatement. Reinstatement is allowed for up to five years; after that, applicants must reapply as first‑time licensees. Approved licensees may view and download their digital license through Access DC.
More information available at dlcp.dc.gov.
Opened: January 15, 2026 Deadline: April 15, 2026
Renew online through Access DC (Sign Up required for new users). CE Requirement: 6 hours total, including 2 hours Health, Safety, and Welfare, and 4 hours General Electives CE is waived for first‑time renewals and owner license renewals. All licenses in this category expire April 15 of even‑numbered years.
Licenses not renewed by June 15, 2026 convert to Inactive – Reinstatement Eligible.
More information and approved CE providers available at dlcp.dc.gov.
Have a constituent service need related to the Health Committee or any of the other agencies in DC Government? Want Councilmember Henderson to come to your community event or meeting? Don’t hesitate to reach out to our Constituent Services Director Ana Berrios-Vazquez during regular business hours (9:00am - 5:30pm) at 202-724-8105, or ABerriosVazquez@dccouncil.gov.
You can visit us online at christinahendersondc.com. Or stay connected by following Councilmember Christina Henderson on her socials.
Website: christinahendersondc.com
Twitter (X): @CMCHenderson
Instagram: @christinahendersondc
Facebook: @christinahendersondc
Bluesky: @cmchenderson.bsky.social