WASHINGTON, Sept. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- MedStar Health and Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE) are proud to continue their philanthropic partnership supporting some of the District's most vulnerable residents.

Through a $1.1 million donation, MSE will continue funding MedStar Health services providing specialized care to birthing mothers, infants, and children of all ages in Washington, D.C.

In 2024, MSE pledged annual philanthropic support over five years to help expand access to this potentially life-saving care.

"We offer gratitude to our partners at Monumental Sports & Entertainment for their continued support," said Kenneth A. Samet, FACHE, president and CEO of MedStar Health. "Caring for our communities is a team sport, and alongside great teammates, we are proud to be there for our young families where they need us and when they need us."

"Sports teams have a responsibility to give back to the communities they call home and to be there for families when they need support most. That commitment is at the heart of our longstanding partnership with MedStar Health," said Ted Leonsis, founder, chairman, managing partner and CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment. "MedStar Health is delivering incredibly important care for mothers and children across Washington, D.C., and has been an exceptional partner in helping us deliver meaningful impact by improving the health and strength of our community."

Women and Infant Services

Support for MedStar Health's Safe Babies Safe Moms program connects birthing mothers to prenatal care, nutrition support, parenting education, and mental health resources beginning before pregnancy and continuing until a child turns three.

Through community partnerships, the program also helps with transportation, housing, and legal support.

According to a recent study, many women cared for by Safe Babies Safe Moms are less likely to have low birthweight babies and preterm births.

"Achieving better outcomes for mothers and babies is a national issue that we are gaining ground on through Safe Babies Safe Moms," said Angela D. Thomas DrPH, MPH, vice president of Healthcare Delivery Research at MedStar Health Research Institute. "Partners like Monumental Sports & Entertainment who help sustain this life-saving work are invaluable."

MSE's gift will also support MedStar Health's Mother-Baby Intensive Outpatient program for pregnant and postpartum mothers with mood and anxiety disorders.

Community Pediatrics

MSE continues its transformative support for the MedStar Health Kids Mobile Medical Clinic, which has provided thousands of children across the District with convenient access to high-quality and affordable primary care for more than 30 years.

The clinic's medical and wellbeing units make weekly stops to neighborhoods in D.C. Wards 6 and 7, seeing about 800 patients each year. Families are never billed for services.

Care teams also screen for challenges related to food insecurity, housing, education, income, and community safety.

Two years ago, support from MSE helped the clinic maintain its second wellbeing unit, dedicated to screening families for food insecurity, housing, education, income, and community safety. Both units received state-of-the-art functional and clinical upgrades, as well as a fresh blue-and-maize exterior featuring logos of the Washington Wizards, Mystics, Capitals, and Capital City Go-Go.

"We share Monumental Sports & Entertainment's vision to create a Washington, D.C., that is healthy and thriving for everybody. I am proud to serve alongside them on behalf of this community," said Janine A. Rethy, MD, MPH, division chief of Community Pediatrics and medical director of the MedStar Health Kids Mobile Medical Clinic.

Since 2019, MSE and The Leonsis Family have provided more than $13 million in philanthropic support to MedStar Health initiatives, including women and infant services, pediatric community health, COVID-19 response, the MedStar Health Center for Wellbeing, and the sports medicine program at MedStar Health Lafayette Centre.

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SOURCE MedStar Health