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By Marco Damiani, M.A.
Director, YAI/NIPD Clinical and Family Services
Since its inception in 1997, Premier HealthCare (Premier) has provided a comprehensive range of top quality medical services to individuals of all ages with autism and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and their families. Thanks to a new partnership with the
Mount Sinai School of Medicine (MSSM) and its Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, more individuals with ASD will have greater access to an even wider array of information and services.
A Natural Match
The complementary convergence of the diverse offerings of Premier and MSSM creates a win-win situation for both organizations and the thousands of individuals and families we serve. Premier patients with ASD and their families will have access to Mount Sinai’s nationally acclaimed evaluation services, which play a pivotal role in identifying needs and the most appropriate types of support. Premier patients will have unprecedented opportunities to participate in Mount Sinai’s internationally recognized research programs, many of which currently combine methodologies from genetics, functional imaging, psychopharmacology, and motor skills, to continue to produce new and vital information on ASD.
Patients of MSSM will have access to the coordinated, quality medical, dental, mental health, rehabilitation and specialty care services of Premier, which was recognized by the U.S. Surgeon General as a national model for the provision of health care for people with developmental disabilities.
“We are very proud of our new affiliation with the YAI/NIPD Network,”said Eric Hollander, M.D., Director of the Seaver and NY Autism Center of Excellence, and Esther and Joseph Klingenstein Professor and Chair of Psychiatry at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. “This is an important step in increasing research, enhancing services and bridging the gap between outstanding academic research centers and treatment providers. The autism community as a whole will greatly benefit from this partnership.”
“We have a long history of collaboration with the YAI/NIPD Network and we believe that this will be yet another success,” said Robert Southwick, Associate Dean of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. “You have bright people caring for a challenging population matched with experts from a world-renowned autism center. This is a great fit for the two organizations; the synergy draws upon the assets of both.”
Autism Fellow Bridges the Gap
We’re proud that Dr. Ilana Slaff will serve as an Autism Fellow, sharing her time and professional duties between both organizations. With experience as a staff psychiatrist in the Evaluation and Referral Service of St. Vincent’s Hospital, Westchester, Dr. Slaff brings with her a vast knowledge of ASD.
As a Fellow at Premier, she will perform clinical work, including evaluation; serve as a liaison to facilitate patient referral and coordination of care; share up-to-date ASD research and information with our clinical staff, and contribute to newsletter articles and presentations at our conferences and lecture series.
Many thanks to Premier’s Dr. Peter Della Bella, Associate Medical Director, and Dr. David Kaufman, Medical Director, and to Roberta Koenigsberg, YAI/NIPD’s Director of Legal Affairs, who worked tirelessly to help create this affiliation, which creates a world of opportunity for two great organizations to work together to continue to change the face of autism, one patient at a time.