Clinic to facilitate health services for Broward young adults aging out of foster care
June 1, 2022 — Young adults aging out of Broward County’s foster care system and their families will have easier access to healthcare services through Broward Health’s new Children’s Diagnostic & Treatment Center (CDTC) Primary Care Center that recently opened at Fort Lauderdale’s Independence, Training & Education (FLITE) Center.
Officials from Broward Health, CDTC and FLITE were on hand to officiate a ceremonial ribbon-cutting and tours of the new primary care center, which is located at the FLITE Center, 5201 N.W. 33rd Ave. in Fort Lauderdale.
: Melissa Bottge White, CDTC Associate Executive Director; Dr. Ana Calderon Randazzo, CDTC Executive Director; Broward Health Board Chair Stacy Angier; Juliette Lippman, CDTC Board Chair; Max Rudolf, FLITE Center Board Chair; Christine Frederick, FLITE Center CEO; Ayesha Williams, FLITE Center Regional Director of Health and Wellness
“Our services are responsive to the needs of the most vulnerable children, youth and families,” CDTC Executive Director Ana E. Calderon Randazzo, Ph.D. said. “With this clinic, we are extending our reach to the young adults at FLITE Center who are at a defining moment in their lives as they transition out of foster care.”
The CDTC Primary Care Center at the FLITE Center provides healthcare as part of FLITE Center’s one-stop resource center for Broward County’s Transitional Independent Living (TIL) System of Care and under the direction of a clinical care team led by a family medicine physician and a pediatrician. This satellite location is possible due to generous sponsorships provided by the Broward Health Foundation, Kiwanis Club of Fort Lauderdale Charitable Fund of the Community Foundation of Broward, Moss Foundation, TD Charitable Foundation and Broward Sheriff’s Office.
“Aging out of foster care is an overwhelming, often scary experience,” said Christine Frederick, FLITE Center CEO. “This new clinic is part of a FLITE Center initiative to provide easy access to healthcare services for young adult clients and establish good healthcare habits as they transition to adulthood. We thank Broward Health and CDTC for their partnership in making this happen.”
Patients also have access to other CDTC programs and services, including telephone triage and 24/7 access to care; the CDTC dental clinic; CDTC outpatient pharmacy, including delivery service; TOPWA (Targeted Outreach for Pregnant Women Act) services, including pregnancy testing, HIV testing and linkage to prenatal care; HIV Specialty Care, including the HIV test-and-treat approach; and Early Steps for infants and toddlers through the CDTC early intervention services.
The primary care center has in-person primary care appointments on Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and telehealth appointments from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.
Children’s Diagnostic & Treatment Center (CDTC) is a not-for-profit serving nearly 11,000 clients with special healthcare needs in Broward County annually. As a facility of Broward Health, CDTC’s mission is to promote the optimal health and well-being of children with special healthcare needs by providing comprehensive prevention, intervention, and treatment services. CDTC is a recognized National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) offering a unique system of care for infants, children, youth and women with chronic illnesses, disabilities, and developmental delays. For more information, visit ChildrensDiagnostic.org.
About FLITE
The Fort Lauderdale Independence, Training & Education (FLITE) Center was created in 2009 through a partnership of the Community Foundation of Broward, the United Way of Broward and the Junior League of Greater Fort Lauderdale, with the intent of offering comprehensive access to services for youth aging out of foster care. The FLITE Center has become the one-stop resource center hub of all support services for Broward County transitioning youth to become successful adults within a safe, nurturing environment that promotes personal growth, while developing practical life skills.
