Latest Press Releases from the Institute for Family Health

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New York, NY (September 30, 2024) – The Institute for Family Health was awarded a grant from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to expand behavioral health and integrated substance use disorder services. The Institute was one of <a href="https://bphc.hrsa.gov/funding/funding-opportunities/behavioral-health-service-expansion/fy-24-awards/ny">400 HRSA-funded health centers</a> nationwide awarded a total of $240 million in funds designated to increase access to behavioral health and substance use disorder services at community health centers.
Over the next year, the Institute will expand patient access to same-day behavioral health consultations at high-need sites. Additionally, the Institute will expand and enhance access to substance use disorder services, with a focus on medications for opioid and alcohol use disorders. Dedicated care navigators who specialize in integrated substance use disorder treatment will assist patients in overcoming barriers to care that can impede retention in these services. HRSA is providing $1.1M in grant funds over a two-year period to support this service expansion.
“This is a tremendous opportunity to invest in the care of our communities,” said Dr. Neil Calman, CEO of the Institute for Family Health. “Our health centers are trusted within the communities we serve and can offer the high quality, holistic care to meet the need for both mental health and substance use disorder services.”
In a statement, HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson said that these 400 grant awards demonstrate &#8220;our commitment not only to health coverage but to access to care. Mental health and substance use disorder treatment are essential elements of primary care, and there should be no wrong door for families to get the behavioral health care they need.”
As a community health center network, the Institute for Family Health is committed to providing top-quality care to all patients, regardless of their ability to pay. Services are available to patients of all ages. Institute health centers accept Medicare, Medicaid and dozens of private insurance plans, and offer a sliding-fee scale for those in need. To schedule an appointment, call 844-434-2778.

The Institute for Family Health Receives HRSA Funding for Expanded Behavioral Health Services

New York, NY (September 26, 2024) – The Institute for Family Health was awarded a $500,000 grant from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)’s <a href="https://bphc.hrsa.gov/funding/funding-opportunities/accelerating-cancer-screening/2024-awards">Accelerating Cancer Screening (AxCS)</a> program to expand access to screening and referrals to care for colorectal and other common types of cancer in New York City. With these funds, the Institute will partner with the <a href="https://www.mountsinai.org/care/cancer">Mount Sinai Tisch Cancer Center</a> and the <a href="https://montefioreeinstein.org/cancer">Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center</a> to increase access to cancer prevention and treatment services. The Institute was one of 18 health centers to receive funding through AxCS program in 2024, with awards totaling nearly $9 million.
To increase access and address barriers to cancer screenings and follow-up care, the Institute will provide outreach, care navigation and cancer prevention services tailored to higher-risk groups. A dedicated care navigation team will lead outreach efforts and leverage the resources of both Mount Sinai and Montefiore’s cancer care centers. Both the Mount Sinai Tisch Cancer Center and the Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center will support the Institute&#8217;s efforts to ensure that low-income individuals can access all of the cancer screening services they need.
Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the United States, with approximately 600,000 deaths annually. Appropriate screening and timely follow-up care help to detect cancer early and improve outcomes for patients. However, significant disparities in cancer screening and follow-up care persist, particularly among individuals of different income levels, insurance statuses, and racial or ethnic backgrounds.
“No matter where you live or what resources you have, everyone should be able to benefit from the tools we have to detect, diagnose and treat cancer before it’s too late,” said HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson. “HRSA is proud to increase our investment in partnerships between our health centers and cancer centers to improve access to live-saving cancer prevention in communities that have been underserved for too long.”
“Community health centers play a critical role in promoting access to cancer screening services,” said Dr. Eric Gayle, the President of Health Care Services at the Institute for Family Health. “Our health center providers have strong relationships with their patients and can help them navigate the complexities of getting these screenings.”
“The Tisch Cancer Center at Mount Sinai welcomes our collaboration with the Institute for Family Health and the Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center to ensure the availability of colorectal cancer screening to their patient population. Through our comprehensive CHOICE: Your Colon, Your Choice direct access screening program, we will collaborate with the Institute’s navigators to ensure rapid response to the needs of the Institute’s patients,” said Professor Lina Jandorf, MA, Director of the Tisch Cancer Center Outreach and Engagement Program.
“The Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center is excited to partner with the Institute in facilitating access to care through its state-of-the-art colorectal cancer screening program and its unique BOLD Buddy Peer Navigation Program, both of which focus on addressing barriers to care from screening to diagnosis and treatment, if needed,” said Dr. Alyson Moadel-Robblee, PhD, the director of the BOLD Buddy Peer Navigation Program at the Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center.
As a federally qualified health center network, the Institute for Family Health is committed to providing top-quality care to all patients, regardless of their ability to pay. Institute health centers accept Medicare, Medicaid and dozens of private insurance plans, and offer a sliding-fee scale for those in need. To schedule an appointment, call 844-434-2778.
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The Institute for Family Health is a federally qualified health center network in New York State serving 100,000 patients annually. Services are available to people of all ages, regardless of ability to pay.
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The Institute for Family Health Receives HRSA Funding to Expand Access to Cancer Screening and Care

Kingston, NY (September 26, 2024) – The Institute for Family Health will partner with Phillies Bridge Farm Project, a non-profit working farm, to launch a one-year initiative to promote and increase food access in Ulster County. Through a $250,000 award from the New York State Department of Health’s Large Wellness Program, the Phillies Bridge Farm Project will increase production of seasonal produce, which the Institute will distribute to local families. Additionally, the initiative will include community educational activities and efforts to connect community members with health services through the Institute’s local health centers.
The initiative builds on a 12-year partnership between the Institute and Phillies Bridge that provides fresh produce to local families. This year, from September through November, Phillies Bridge will provide weekly, no-cost CSA shares to families at three Institute health centers in Kingston and New Paltz. Beginning in December, Phillies Bridge will host monthly distributions of winter shares at the three Institute sites. Each distribution will be accompanied by educational presentations and materials, including cooking demonstrations, food justice resources, nutritious recipes, and vegetable storage tips. Phillies Bridge will also use program funding to purchase supplies that will boost food production for the winter 2024-2025 and spring 2025 growing seasons, further addressing social determinants of health in the region by increasing access to nutritious, affordable food for the community.
Ultimately, the initiative is designed to increase access to seasonal fresh produce for individuals and families experiencing food insecurity, including those with low-incomes and chronic health conditions. All materials will be available in both English and Spanish. 
“The Institute is committed to helping our patients with everything that impacts their health,” said Michaela Frazier, PhD, MSW, Vice President of Social Support Services at the Institute for Family Health. “Access to high-quality nutritious food is such an important issue that impacts not just physical health, but also mental and emotional health. We are proud to be working with Phillies Bridge to offer this resource to the community.” 
“This grant is providing vital resources to build on our longstanding partnership with the Institute for Family Health and provide fresh produce to many, many more people in need throughout our region,” said Ellen Conti, Phillies Bridge Farm Project’s Farm Director. “We are thrilled about the opportunity to enhance our impact and greatly expand access to healthy, sustainably grown food.&#8221;
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The Institute for Family Health is a federally qualified health center network that serves more than 100,000 patients annually in New York City and the Mid-Hudson Valley. Services are available to people of all ages, regardless of ability to pay.

Institute for Family Health to Partner With Local Farm to Promote Food Access in Ulster County

Dr. Robert Schiller, the Institute’s President of Academic Affairs, and Dr. Diana Perez, a family medicine resident in the Harlem Residency in Family Medicine, were both quoted in an article in <a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/physician-teaching-health-centers-funding-instability-underserved-areas/">KFF Health News</a> highlighting the Teaching Health Centers Graduate Medical Education program. Although the program has proven successful in preparing physicians to provide primary care in medically-underserved areas, Congress must continually reauthorize the program’s funding — unlike hospital-based residency programs, which receive guaranteed funding each year.
<a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/physician-teaching-health-centers-funding-instability-underserved-areas/">Read the full article here.</a>

Institute’s Teaching Health Center program featured in KFF Health News

Albany, NY (March 5, 2024) – On March 4, 2024, Dr. Mark Josefski received the Catherine Abate Memorial Award, which recognizes his work as a physician leader and as an outstanding advocate for primary medical care and public health. The Catherine Abate Memorial Award is presented annually at the Community Health Center Association of New York State (CHCANYS) Advocacy Day in Albany.
Dr. Mark Josefski is a family physician who has worked at the Kingston Family Health Center in Kingston, New York since 1989. In addition to caring for patients in the health center and the hospital, Dr. Josefski was the director of the Institute’s Mid-Hudson Family Medicine Residency for 10 years and remains a senior faculty member there. He was instrumental in establishing the program, which later became one of the first federally funded Teaching Health Centers in the nation, as a vital health workforce pipeline in the region. Residents work at the Institute’s health centers in Kingston, New Paltz and Ellenville in Ulster County and the program currently graduates 10 physicians annually, many of whom continue to practice in the Hudson Valley. Dr. Josefski serves on the faculty, trains medical students who rotate at the center, and chairs the Department of Family Medicine at HealthAlliance of Hudson Valley.
Dr. Josefski is a past president of the New York State Academy of Family Physicians, where he was an outstanding advocate for primary care, public health, and affordable health care for all, regularly meeting with State representatives to educate them about these concerns. In 2020, he received their Family Medicine Educator of the Year Award for his extraordinary accomplishments as a physician educator. He also serves as an alternate delegate representing upstate New York in the American Academy of Family Physicians.
In the written nomination for Dr. Josefski, Institute leaders praised his commitment and achievements. Dr. Walter Woodley, the Institute’s vice president for medical services and regional medical director for the Institute’s Mid-Hudson region, who has worked with Dr. Josefski nearly his entire career, said, “Mark Josefski is a local treasure, admired by patients, residents and colleagues for his expertise and his willingness to serve the community. He is our ‘Swiss army knife’ physician – he has many interests and is skilled at them all. He’s always willing to jump in and help wherever the need arises.”
“The Institute is incredibly fortunate to have a physician leader like Mark on our team,” Dr. Neil Calman, the Institute’s president and CEO, recounting his experiences with Dr. Josefski for the award nomination. “He is an outstanding clinician who cares deeply about his patients, a remarkable teacher, a hard worker, and an advocate for healthcare for all. Through his work as a provider, as a teacher, and as a mentor and role model, Mark has contributed tremendously to the health of the people of Ulster County.”
The Community Health Care Association of New York State (CHCANYS) is a membership organization representing over 70 community health centers across New York State. For nearly 50 years, CHCANYS has provided training and technical assistance to New York’s community health centers, as well as advocacy efforts that elevate public health issues at the local, state and federal level. Community health centers provide care for 1-in-9 New Yorkers at over 800 locations across the state.
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The Institute for Family Health is a federally qualified health center network in New York State serving 100,000 patients annually. Services are available to people of all ages, regardless of ability to pay.

Institute for Family Health Faculty Physician Dr. Mark Josefski Receives Catherine Abate Memorial Award

In November, Institute CEO Dr. Neil Calman, MD, announced the promotion of two dedicated senior leaders who will each assume expanded direction and vision of major Institute programs. Dr. Eric Gayle, MD, chief medical officer, has been named president of health care services and Dr. Robert “Red” Schiller, MD, chief academic officer, has been named president of academic affairs. Dr. Calman will continue in his role as chief executive officer, with a stronger focus on policy development and advocacy at the state and federal level.
In his new role, Dr. Gayle will manage the Institute’s clinical programs and collaborate with senior leadership to oversee the administrative functions of the organization. Dr. Gayle has been a part of the Institute since he was a medical student. After serving as chief resident in the Institute’s Beth Israel Residency in Urban Family Practice, he went on to serve as the medical director of the Parkchester Family Practice Center in 2000. In subsequent years, he was promoted to serve as the Institute’s regional medical director for the Bronx, regional medical director for New York City, and finally to chief medical officer. In addition to stewarding the Institute’s clinical programs, he also served on the Clinical Quality Board of a major health plan, championed the IMPACT Collaborative Care model, and chaired the St. Barnabas’ DSRIP Clinical Initiatives. He has also served as a role model and mentor to numerous health professional students and trainees. Throughout, he has continued to see patients in the Bronx, currently practicing at the Stevenson Family Health Center.
In his new role, Dr. Schiller will manage all relationships and contracts with the Institute’s academic and hospital partners, as well as continuing to oversee all of our residency and student programs. Dr. Schiller has been with the Institute since 1987, joining after completing his residency in the Social Medicine Program at Montefiore Medical Center. He helped start the Sidney Hillman Family Practice at 16th Street, as well as the Institute’s Care for the Homeless and School Based Health Center programs. Dr. Schiller was the founding chair of the Alfred and Gail Engelberg Department of Family Medicine at the Beth Israel Medical Center in 1993, started the family medicine residency there in 1994, and later played a critical role in the development of the Institute’s portfolio of family medicine residencies. He currently serves as the Institute’s chief academic officer and designated institutional official for graduate medical education, and as vice chairman of the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
In his announcement, Dr. Calman said, “Throughout our organization’s history, the Institute has benefited from dedicated staff and leaders, many of whom have remained with our organization for decades. This stability is a tremendous asset and has allowed us to grow and successfully adapt to changes when they come.”
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The Institute for Family Health is a federally qualified health center network in New York State serving 100,000 patients annually. Services are available to people of all ages, regardless of ability to pay.

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