The Senior Health Center is back by popular demand. A core group of Wayne State University faculty members rescued the former Detroit Medical Center service, which endured budget cuts and was faced with possible closure.

“This center serves an important population: Detroit’s seniors,” said Lavoisier Cardozo, MD, professor of internal medicine and director of the center. “Not many people realize that Detroit currently has the oldest population of any city in the country. We feel that it is the responsibility of academic medical centers to provide heath care to this population. The department of medicine stepped in to maintain this service for seniors.”

The center, which has been in operation for more than a decade, is located in the Harper University Hospital Professional Building and serves approximately 2,000 patients. Managed collaboratively by six physicians, three nurse practitioners, a few nurses and several staff members, the center has consistently achieved a  high patient satisfaction rating and strives to be cost effective.

The Senior Health Center staff prides itself on its model for care which focuses on comprehensive, patient-centered health and wellness. “Geriatric care is complex. Health care visits for seniors require more time and resources than office visits for a younger patient population. One can not only focus on the illness at hand. We also address  seniors’ psychosocial needs with the ultimate goal of preserving their function,” said Dr. Cardozo.

In addition to the provision of patient care, the Senior Health Center conducts outcomes-based research, is involved in community projects for seniors and also provides medical training to Wayne State students, residents and fellows.