Press Releases - County Council

Councilmember Laurie-Anne Sayles Announces Countywide Health and Human Services Tour Following Appointment as New HHS Committee Chair

For Immediate Release: Thursday, December 11, 2025

From the Office of Councilmember Laurie-Anne Sayles

Montgomery County Councilmember At-Large Laurie-Anne Sayles will launch a weeklong tour of key health and human services facilities and community partners beginning Dec. 15, following her appointment on Dec. 9 as chair of the Montgomery County Council’s Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee. Sayles, with a strong background in public health, previously worked at the FDA and the National Institute of Health. She succeeds former chair Gabe Albornoz.

Her upcoming tour will include site visits and working meetings with:

• Behavioral Health & Crisis Services
• Minority Health Initiatives
• Services to End and Prevent Homelessness (SEPH)
• Public health leadership
• Nonprofit community partners
• Clinical leaders and population health providers
• Nexus Montgomery and the Primary Care Coalition

The goal of these visits is to gather real-time insight, assess operational challenges, strengthen partnerships, and shape the HHS Committee’s agenda and priorities for Fiscal Year 2027 and beyond. All site visits are open to the public.

“I am honored to be appointed chair and am committed to data-driven policies that ensure equitable access to healthcare,” Sayles said. She aims to collaborate with various stakeholders to address health disparities and enhance community wellbeing.

Sayles, inaugurated on Dec. 2, 2022, as the first Black woman and Jamaican-American in countywide office, has received multiple awards for her dedication to health equity and public service, reflecting her sustained commitment to health equity, public service, environmental and community health, and cross-cultural leadership, priorities she will bring to her work as chair of the HHS Committee.

Councilmember Sayles’ appointment as chair of the Health and Human Services Committee takes effect immediately.

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Release ID: 25-411
Media Contact: Sierra Gray 240-777-7964
Categories: Laurie-Anne Sayles