Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Susan Sugerman and Dr. Dana Rubin-Remer.
Dr. Sugerman and Dr. Remer, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
We knew each other as friends and colleagues for years and dreamed of a multidisciplinary setting where adolescent girls and young adult women could receive high-quality care meeting their complex medical and psycho-social needs. We had both worked in settings where select groups of young people could access comprehensive services, but where the majority of them received either limited or fragmented care. In March of 2005, we found ourselves in transition phases of our personal and professional lives and asked, “If not now, when?” We set to work building a teen-friendly environment that included high-quality medical care with co-located counseling and dietitian services, education and outreach programs, community speaking events, and other services aimed to benefit young people and their families. Girls to Women Health and Wellness opened in November of 2005. Seeing how well this unique model of care was received in our community, and recognizing that boys and young men deserve the same kinds of comprehensive service, we opened Young Men’s Health and Wellness in 2015 with the help of Dr. Kwabena Blankson. Two years later, the dream is spreading; Dr. Carolyn Lentzsch-Parcells opened Girls to Women/Young Men’s Health and Wellness in Fort Worth in July 2017.
Has it been a smooth road?
There have definitely been ups and downs as in any business. We experienced a pretty steep learning curve regarding things like personnel management, dealing with insurance companies, and monitoring cash flow. We knew how to manage and monitor the health of patients; we didn’t always know what we didn’t know about business oversight and how to monitor the health of the business.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
We are a private healthcare practice specializing in adolescent / young adult health and wellness. We offer medical services in a way that address both physical and behavioral health care needs. We treat conditions ranging from wellness exams and immunizations to acute and chronic physical illness to mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, ADHD, and eating disorders. In addition to this unique approach to care, we have affiliated therapists and dietitians on-site to help with care coordination in a collaborative way.
We aren’t afraid to ask the tough questions and spend the time patients need. Our appointments are significantly longer than the average primary care appointment, providing us with time necessary to build relationships and earn our patients’ trust. We are most proud that we can take this time and the steps to get patients what they need and still keep our business viable.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Dallas has been a great place to try something new. People have been receptive to a new concept, even when it is not familiar (though we think it ought to be the model of care everywhere). The geography and highway patterns have allowed us to be a destination practice. One-third of our patients come from within a 20-minute radius, the next third drive up to 40 minutes, and then the remainder comes from even further (sometimes hours) away. If the city could do anything to solve rush-hour traffic, that would be nice.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.gtw-health.com
- Phone: 972-733-6565
- Email: info@gtw-health.com
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