Vanessa Daniel, one of HealthCare Access Maryland’s (HCAM) longest-serving staff members, celebrated her 26th work anniversary at HCAM in May. Vanessa has been with HCAM since its year of inception, joining the team May 26th, 1997.
Over the course of Vanessa’s career at HCAM, she has held four positions (Eligibility Specialist, Lead Eligibility Specialist, Program Supervisor, and Program Director), all within HCAM’s Eligibility department. The Eligibility department at HCAM serves as the Medicaid Unit for the Baltimore City Health Department and assists consumers with applying for Medicaid health coverage. In her current role as Director of the Eligibility department, Vanessa plans, administers, and directs the Eligibility program, including the development of policies, procedures, and goals of the Maryland Children Health Program (MCHP). She is the liaison for HCAM, collaborating with the Maryland Department of Health, Baltimore City Health Department, and Baltimore City Department of Social Services.
Vanessa has devoted her career to working in health and social services. Most of her work experience has been with individuals accessing health coverage and care, having previously worked as a medical biller and financial counselor. Through a collaboration with Department of Social Services (DSS) in a previous position as a financial counselor and medical biller, Vanessa assisted with aiding consumers needing to apply for Medicaid.
Vanessa shared that she has many career highlights while working at HCAM, and they all attributed to her passion and dedication to HCAM’s mission of making Maryland healthier. Vanessa was nominated by her peers for a Core Service Excellence Award for Outstanding Collaboration and received the award in December 2018. Other highlights include creating an outreach partnership with the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services to serve individuals returning to the community, assisting to develop HCAM’s first client assistance fund, Rosalie’s Fund, for clients needing resource assistance, and raising funds and being a key leader to support HCAM mission’s and vision through the 5K For the Health of It!
In terms of career accomplishments within HCAM and the Eligibility department, Vanessa shared that she is proud of many projects she has worked on and her professional growth over the last 26 years as she has been promoted several times. Vanessa shares that she enjoys working with consumers, staff, HCAM leaders, and partners, and that every day she finds that there is a new opportunity to learn more about public service. Her work at HCAM in collaboration with staff, leadership, and various partners, has connected many individuals to healthcare and community resources.
We asked Vanessa what makes HCAM stand out from other employers and places she has worked before: “Having worked for various healthcare facilities, HCAM has provided more personal attention to their employees. They value staff input and work to offer resources for staff to strengthen their skills for future advancement. Healthcare is always evolving, and HCAM truly is an agency that is passionate about all Marylanders having access to insurance and healthcare services.”
Interested in learning more about our employee benefits and how you can make Maryland a better place to live? Check out our current job openings: Join Our Team – Health Care Access Maryland
