A new healthcare initiative has opened in New Jersey, intended to mark a major step forward in care for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and autism. RWJBarnabas Health and Woods System of Care, a provider of services for individuals with I/DD, are opening the Woods Primary and Behavioral Health Center at Hamilton.
“This population has had a very challenging time seeking services in traditional settings not designed with their needs in mind, and that unmet need is now beginning to be addressed here,” said Frank A. Ghinassi, senior vice president of Behavioral Health Services at RWJBarnabas Health and president and chief executive of Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care. “This project shows what can happen when organizations come together with a shared purpose to remove barriers and innovate, blending physical and behavioral health care while creating an opportunity to advance the research mission at Rutgers— a tremendous example of how RWJBarnabas Health partners with community-based programs to better serve all patients.”
“We could not do what we do in the community without a hospital partner,” said Tine Hansen-Turton, president and CEO of Woods System of Care. “Being able to partner with RWJBarnabas Health System enables us to provide the full care continuum from primary and behavioral health all the way into allied health, hospitalization, and specialists.”
“By drawing off Woods System of Care’s long, meaningful history and experience, this model also aligns perfectly with RWJUH Hamilton’s nursing care model of patient-centered care,” said Lisa Breza, chief administrative officer, RWJUH Hamilton.
The center is based on the Medical Center at Woods in Pennsylvania, an integrated primary and behavioral health facility for people with I/DD. The organizations say that the Woods Primary and Behavioral Health Center at Hamilton will offer an array of coordinated services tailored to the needs of people with I/DD and autism, including annual physicals and wellness visits; immunizations and preventative screenings; chronic disease management; behavioral health and psychiatric evaluations; therapy and medication management; care related to Covid-19; and access to specialists within the RWJBarnabas Hamilton Hospital network.
“Moving people from the margins of treatment and society into the forefront and the mainstream is something that has been a long time coming,” said Mark Williams, chair of the Woods System of Care Board of Trustees.
The organizations say that the long-term goal of the center is to reduce pressure on local emergency departments, which are often unprepared to meet the needs of people with I/DD.
The Woods Primary and Behavioral Health Center at Hamilton is now open. To schedule a tour or learn more, call (888) 628-9661.