CCI Health & Wellness Services CEO Dr. Sonya J. Bruton to Receive 2021 Health Care COVID-19 Hero Award

Silver Spring, MD– CCI Health & Wellness Services’ CEO & President, Dr. Sonya Bruton has been recognized as a Health Care COVID-19 Hero by The Daily Record. Each year, the Maryland publication honors organizations and individuals who impact the quality of health care in the state. The Daily Record added the COVID-19 Hero category in 2020 as a special category to its Health Care Heroes Award to honor those health care professionals on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The publication recognizes Health Care Heroes in the following categories: Advancements and Innovation in Health Care; Community Outreach / Education Hero; Workplace Wellness Program of the Year; Nurse of the Year; Nurse Practitioner of the Year; Physician of the Year; Lifetime Achievement and COVID-19 Hero.

“This year’s Health Care Heroes are exceptional. When it comes to meeting the needs of their patients, nothing else matters,” said Suzanne Fischer-Huettner, senior group publisher of The Daily Record. “Their work makes them stand out from their peers. The Daily Record is honored to recognize their incredible accomplishments.”

While no stranger to Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC), Dr. Bruton took on the CEO role at CCI in April 2020, just as COVID-19 began to surge in the United States. Community Health Centers like CCI already faced challenges, including funding and staffing shortages, and COVID-19 exasperated these. Between April and December 2020, as patients complied with stay-at-home orders, CCI experienced a 38 percent decline in patient visits. 

However, CCI maintained its doors open throughout the pandemic, knowing that their patients would experience the worst of this health crisis and needed to be kept as healthy as possible. In 2020, CCI served 60,000 individuals. The organization also kept employing the local community, keeping its staffing levels at just under 300. As a result, CCI was selected as the first health center in Maryland to receive COVID-19 vaccinations from the White House’s Health Center COVID-19 Vaccine Program. As of April, CCI has vaccinated over 4,000 individuals.

CCI’s Board Chair, Elizabeth Durham has seen the positive impact Dr. Bruton makes in the organization and community. “I think Dr. B is absolutely astounding. She really understands what to do as a leader. She knows how to pick good people. She’s got new ideas and she is really in touch with what our community needs.”

The presentation of the Health Care Heroes Awards will take place on June 24 during an online celebration starting at 9 a.m. EST.  Learn more by visiting: The Daily Record.

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About CCI Health & Wellness Services
CCI Health & Wellness Services is a 49-year-old Federally Qualified Health Center that serves 60,000 medical patients and Women Infant’s & Children (WIC) participants in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties. As a 501(c)3 non-profit, CCI is committed to providing high-quality, affordable primary healthcare to every patient across all life stages. Visit www.cciweb.org for more information.