June 10, 2024 – The Health Care District of Palm Beach County proudly announces the addition of two distinguished healthcare leaders and the promotion of three other veteran leaders. Each reflects the Health Care District’s commitment to enhancing patient care and ensuring accessible, high-quality services for all.
Julia Francioni, MBA, BSN, RN, joins the Health Care District as the Assistant Vice President of Nursing at Lakeside Medical Center, the Health Care District’s acute care teaching hospital in Belle Glade. In this role, Francioni oversees plans, organizes and evaluates the effectiveness and care delivery of all nursing functions at the hospital. With a rich background in nursing that spans critical care, emergency services, cardiovascular, and surgical care at hospitals in Florida and Kentucky, Francioni brings a wealth of clinical and leadership expertise to her role. Francioni received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a focus on Healthcare Administration from Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana. She is a member of the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) and the American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL).
Ali-Reza Force, MD, a board-certified psychiatrist, joins the Health Care District as the Director of Behavioral Health for its community health centers. Dr. Force oversees the psychiatric, behavioral health and substance use disorder (SUD) treatment programs and providers, precepts the Lakeside Medical Center family medicine program residents in their psychiatry rotation, and treats adult and pediatric patients at the community health centers. Prior to joining the Health Care District, Dr. Force was a psychiatrist at Banyan Treatment Centers and Jessie Trice Community Health Center, both Federally Qualified Health Centers in Miami, Florida, where he worked closely with psychiatrists and APRNs treating patients of all ages and encompassing a wide variety of mental health needs. Dr. Force started his medical career as a psychiatrist for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Miami, Florida. He received his Doctor of Medicine at New York Medical College in Valhalla, New York and completed his residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Courtney Phillips, MD, has been promoted to Vice President and Chief of Behavioral Health and Clinical Innovations for the Health Care District of Palm Beach County. Board-certified in psychiatry and addiction medicine, Dr. Phillips leads the District’s efforts to expand mental health and substance use disorder crisis services, as well as enhance the continuum of outpatient mental healthcare services. Previously, Dr. Phillips was the Director of Behavioral Health for the District’s community health centers. From 2022 to 2023, she served as Statewide Director of Opioid Recovery for the Florida Department of Children and Families in coordination with the Florida Department of Health. In that role, she supported the Coordinated Opioid Recovery (CORE) Program, modeled after the Health Care District’s evidence-based and award-winning outpatient addiction treatment program. Dr. Phillips received her Doctor of Medicine at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, Michigan and completed her internship and residency in general adult psychiatry at the University of Michigan Health System/VA Ann Arbor in Michigan. She is a member of the American Psychiatric Association.
Marisol Miranda has been promoted to Associate Vice President, Support Services for the Health Care District of Palm Beach County where she oversees Security, Facilities, Mailroom Services and Plant Operations. Miranda most recently served as the Director of Clinic Operations, where she was the community health centers’ administration representative, responsible for ensuring timely access to safe, high-quality and cost-effective care. Miranda joined the Health Care District in 2015 as a practice manager and was promoted to Director of Practice Management before assuming the Director of Clinic Operations role. Previously, Miranda worked at Tenet Florida Physician Services as a practice administrator. She holds an ASQ Six Sigma Yellow Belt certification.
Jay Mazzone has been promoted to Associate Vice President, Transportation and Director of Operations – Trauma Hawk at the Health Care District of Palm Beach County. In this role, he directs all operational functions within the Health Care District’s Aeromedical and Ground Transportation programs. He ensures operations are conducted safely and comply with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations, operations specifications, and company policies. He also serves as Deputy Director of Operations for the District’s Air Carrier certification. Before his promotion, Mazzone was the District’s Director of Aeromedical Transportation. He launched his more than 30-year career in aviation as a rotary-wing aviator in the U.S. Army. He most recently owned JetX Aviation in New Bern, NC, where he held pilot-in-command duties for private Part 91 aircraft flights in Falcon jets, Citations, and Beechcraft. Previously, Mazzone was a Part 135 Helicopter Captain for HeliFlite Shares in New York City and Director of Operations and Search and Rescue Training Officer in Nova Scotia, Canada.
“These leadership appointments and promotions are instrumental in supporting the many ways we care for all in our community,” said Darcy J. Davis, CEO of the Health Care District of Palm Beach County. “Each of these professionals brings a wealth of expertise and passion to their respective roles, and we’re excited to see how their contributions enhance patient care and elevate our programs.”
About the Health Care District
The Health Care District of Palm Beach County is a special taxpayer-funded district that has served as a healthcare safety net for 36 years to fill in gaps in access to healthcare services. This unique healthcare system covers the entire county and provides diverse services such as 13 community health centers (Federally Qualified Health Centers) which serve everyone regardless of ability to pay; school health clinicians staffed in nearly 170 public schools; two Trauma Hawk aeromedical helicopters; a rural, public teaching hospital, Lakeside Medical Center; a skilled nursing center; a ground ambulance program for Health Care District patients needing a higher level of care; a specialty benefits program for eligible, uninsured residents; and quality performance oversight of the county’s lifesaving trauma system.
About the Community Health Centers
The Health Care District’s 10 Federally Qualified Health Centers across the county serve adults and children with or without insurance and regardless of ability to pay. The Health Care District also operates three mobile clinics that provide medical services for the homeless and the underserved. In 2023, the health centers served 41,000 unique adult and pediatric patients who received high-quality, comprehensive health services. This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number H80CS25684 for Health Center Cluster in the award amount of $7,278,563. Of the total project, 86.4% is financed with nongovernmental sources. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government. The C. L. Brumback Primary Care Clinics were granted Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) deeming status effective January 1, 2024.
