The Jerome Golden Center for Behavioral Health recently held a grand opening of its Primary Care Clinic. The primary goal of this clinic is to provide efficient and expedient access to behavioral healthcare and primary healthcare services in an integrated setting. Representative Mark Pafford made the keynote address. Funding for this clinic has been made possible from Dr. Barbara and Mr. Jerome Golden, the Palm Healthcare Foundation, Patrick J. Rooney Family and through the generosity of several other private donors.
“Integration of Primary and Behavioral Healthcare is the new standard of care in the country. It facilitates more effective healthcare interventions to those with serious and persistent mental illness. Research shows that people with serious mental illnesses die, on average, 25 years earlier than the general population,” states Dr. Linda DePiano, Chief Executive Officer. Care integration allows for clinical providers to address all of these conditions at the same time, resulting in decreased mortality and morbidity.
Suresh P. Rajpara, M.D., Chief Medical Officer and Director of the Clinic at the Center states “Our patient population has very limited access to primary care services in the community. We want to be innovative and on the forefront by providing primary care services to our patients in addition to mental health services to achieve the best possible outcomes. This is a revolution in the history of the Center.” Dr. Rajpara also points out the Center recently became a teaching institution for psychiatric residents and medical students of Nova Southeastern University and FAU Medical School respectively.
