Prince George's County Emergency Room Wait Times Reduction Task Force Meeting

On October 27, 2026, the Prince George's County Emergency Room Wait Times Reduction Task Force convened at approximately 3:30 PM and voted to approve its final report after nearly three years of work. Chair Blagay opened the meeting by thanking members, noted that she is leaving the council, and said she wanted the task force to pass something so that stakeholders could be held accountable.

Attendance and Quorum

• The task force has 19 members and needs 10 for a quorum. A roll call was conducted after late arrivals, and quorum was confirmed.
• Member Bill Miller was absent but expressed support for the report. Member Jeffrey Cooper reviewed the final draft and provided extensive feedback.

Discussion Items

• Anya, the staff lead, reported that she and Dr. Ballard worked directly with the Health Services Cost Review Commission (HSCRC) since the last meeting, focusing on pages 37 through 39 of the draft report.
• HSCRC feedback was incorporated mainly to avoid implying a causal relationship that the data could not fully support. Anya stated that HSCRC was fully receptive to the changes.
• Technical corrections, enhancements, and refinements were made, including standardizing footnotes and updating data. A revised draft and a document summarizing changes were provided for transparency. Anya stated that every observation, finding, and recommendation was preserved.
• Anya acknowledged Mr. Eubanks' interest in additional findings on staffing concerns. She noted that a deep dive into staffing matters related to emergency room wait times was not possible and is acknowledged in the report as a suggested next step.
• Anya noted Mr. Cooper's concern that the report does not include an implementation plan. She stated that the task force's purpose was to assemble recommendations, and an implementation plan could be handled separately through a chair's transmittal letter requesting a coordinated post-adoption implementation and evaluation plan.
• Chair Blagay said she will follow up on implementation, announce the report next week, hold a roundtable about it, and request a meeting to present the report to the full council next year.

Key Outcomes

• A motion to approve the report was made, seconded, and passed with 7 ayes, 0 noes, and 2 abstentions.
• Carmen Brown abstained because she could not open the encrypted and coded final report due to firewall and security protocols. Staff said they would provide her with a version she can open and noted that OIT had been engaged to address file distribution challenges.
• The meeting adjourned by motion and second.