Press Releases

ROCKVILLE, Md., Dec. 8, 2022—The featured guests on this week’s En Sintonía con el Concejo del Condado de Montgomery (In Tune with the Montgomery County Council) will include María Orozco, navigator at Maryland Health Connection; Laurie Boyer Babb, director of Economic Development at the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) and Pedro Rodriguez, consulate general of El Salvador. The show will air tomorrow at 2 p.m. on Radio America (WILC 900AM).   

Maryland Health Connection is now enrolling residents in health insurance coverage for 2023. The open enrollment period which began on Nov. 1, 2022, has been extended until Jan. 15, 2023. We will begin the show with a discussion on how to choose a plan, financial assistance and eligibility requirements. Maryland Health Connection offers help from insurance representatives and provides information in more than 200 languages.  

Additionally, the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) has begun accepting applications for commercial loans from the new Accelerating Community Excellence (ACE) Loan Fund. This is a state-funded program that provides loans to small, minority and women-owned businesses. Laurie Boyer Babb will discuss the application process, eligibility and loan amounts available based on the necessity of each business. 

We will conclude the show with great news for the Salvadoran community in the Washington metropolitan area. Beginning January 2023, the Consulate of El Salvador, located in Silver Spring, will start issuing birth certificates, which is something that was previously only done in El Salvador. 

The Council and Radio America have entered a partnership that provides the Latino community with key information on issues and programs. The partnership also provides a forum for residents to express their views and ask questions. The partnership includes the weekly one-hour show each Friday on the Washington metropolitan area’s most popular Spanish language station.     

 Each week, the show features host Marcela Rodriguez, Council program manager and public information officer, and guests talking about important issues before the Council and provides information about programs offered by the County to help residents.