By OPEN MINDS Circle
On May 18, 2023, Woods System of Care announced the launch of Woods Healthcare, with three community outpatient centers located at its headquarters in Langhorne, Pennsylvania. The three centers are: The Center for Behavioral Health at Woods; The Medical Center at Woods; and Penn Dental Medicine at Woods. The three centers initially opened to serve consumers served by Woods and to serve Woods employees, but are now open to any individual in the community with intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD), autism, and emotional and behavioral challenges. The new outpatient centers are the realization of six years of effort to transform Woods into a population health management organization.
The Center for Behavioral Health at Woods opened in May 2023 to provide behavioral services for all ages. It also provides comprehensive autism evaluations for children aged 12 months through 18 years. The center’s convenient 6 day schedule is complemented by telehealth and telepsychiatry options. Private pay is available, and the center anticipates obtaining in-network status soon with Pennsylvania Medicaid HealthChoices and Behavioral HealthChoices managed care organizations (MCOs). It also participates in New Jersey Medicaid, Medicare, and private plans.
The Medical Center at Woods opened in June 2018. It provides outpatient primary care services for people ages six through adulthood diagnosed with I/DD, autism, or emotional and behavioral challenges. In April 2023, the Medical Center was awarded Recognition by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Patient-Centered Medical Home Program and is the first to be recognized with a specialty in I/DD. The Center is accepting new patients and is in-network with private insurers and Pennsylvania Medicaid HealthChoices MCOs, and Medicare. It also participates in New Jersey Medicaid.
Penn Dental Medicine at Woods, Mikey Faulkner Dental Care Center opened in early 2023 to provide dental care for individuals of all ages. For this center, Woods partnered with the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, which, through the vision of Dean Mark Wolff, DDS, specializes in oral health care for people with I/DD. The Dental Center program and clinic space provide extra comfort to those with a varying range of disabilities, with features such as specially-appointed operatories with advanced equipment as well as a quiet space for those needing a lower-stimulation environment. The Dental Center team is seeing new consumers daily and is in-network with most private dental insurers and Pennsylvania Medicaid HealthChoices MCOs. It also participates in New Jersey Medicaid.
In addition, a fourth service location is planned. Woods created a partnership with New Jersey-based RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care to create a new integrated primary care and behavioral health clinic. The clinic is slated to open in spring of 2024 at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton in Hamilton, Mercer County, New Jersey.
Woods System of Care, a Pennsylvania- and New Jersey-based population health management organization and healthcare network that provides support services for individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD), autism and mental health conditions across their lifespan. With its nine affiliate organizations, Woods Services has formed the Woods System of Care which provides innovative, comprehensive, and integrated primary, behavioral and dental health care, plus specialty and allied health care. The system also provides education, housing, workforce, nursing and case management services. The Woods System of Care serves more than 22,000 children and adults with I/DD, and/or mental health disorders who also have complex and intensive medical and behavioral health care needs.
In 2016, Woods appointed Tine Hansen-Turton as President and CEO, leveraging her extensive health care experience to lead the organization’s transformation into a population health management organization and the system of care which it is today. Ms. Hansen-Turton said, “In order to reshape Woods into its current cutting-edge model, we put emphasis on expanding our extraordinary team of top health care thought leaders. This transformation has enabled us to fully realize an integrated care model which takes into account physical and behavioral health needs, and addresses all of the social determinants of health.”
For more information, contact: Tine Hansen-Turton, President and Chief Executive Officer, Woods System of Care, Post Office Box 36, Langhorne, Pennsylvania 19047-0036; 215-801-3272; Email: tine@woods.org; Website: https://www.woods.org/woods-services/wsoc/