Displaying items by tag: PCC Walk In Wellness Center at West Suburban Medical Center

Femmily is dedicated to providing harm reduction based and trauma informed mental health care in the community setting. He received his Master of Science in Nursing from Rush University in 2017 and his Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) Certificate from Eastern Kentucky University in 2022. Femmily has spent his nursing career in the community, mental health, and addiction treatment settings, working with unhoused individuals and members of the queer/LGBTQIA+ communities. He was raised in the south suburbs of Chicago and has lived in the city since 2006. He loves house music, dogs, riding his bike, and spending time in queer community.

Alison is a Licensed Social Worker. She received her master’s in social work from The University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration. Alison received her Bachelor's of Arts degree in psychology, with a special interest in clinical psychology, from The Ohio State University. Highlights of her clinical experiences have included facilitating Women’s and coed NA/AA groups as well as leading Mindfulness-Meditation practice in individual and group therapy. Her prior clinical-training has entailed working closely with individuals with medically and behaviorally complex conditions—notably PLWH (people living with HIV/AIDS) and populations with comorbid or co-occurring disorders.

Alison is dedicated to working with underserved populations to provide behavioral health care from a multidimensional perspective. She works with intention to acknowledge the complexities of the whole person to better equip individuals with the skills they need to work through their problems in living. Alison demonstrates an empathic understanding for others and strives to create a safe environment for individuals to share their lived experiences. During her free time, Alison enjoys making jewelry, playing with her dog, and spending times with friends.

Dr. Francesco Tani is a family medicine physician and an addiction medicine physician. He completed medical school at Michigan State University, College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2008. Dr. Tani completed family medicine residency at Natividad Medical Center, a University of California San Francisco affiliate program. He also completed Rush University's Addiction Medicine Fellowship and is a 2021 Ruth Fox Scholar. Dr. Tani is a coffee enthusiast and speaks intermediate Spanish and fluent Italian. 

Andrew Wojda is a Behavioral Health Consultant and Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC) at PCC. He received his Master's In Social Work from Loyola University Chicago, and his Bachelor's in Social Work from Governors State University. Working in Street Medicine, he's worked with individuals living with substance use disorders and continues to work to encourage the public to understand the social pitfalls that come with this lifestyle through a trauma lens. Helping people through homelessness and the additional struggle of drug dependence has been a passion of his for most of his life and he hopes to expand his knowledge and therapeutic reach through PCC, where he can continue to focus on substance use and comorbid disorders. Outside of work, Andrew enjoys collecting and listening to music, hanging out at the Art Institute of Chicago, camping, and walking his dog.

Ruchi M. Fitzgerald, MD, FAAFP is a family physician and an addiction medicine physician. She is the Service Chief of Inpatient Addiction Medicine at PCC. Dr. Fitzgerald is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Family Medicine and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Rush University, as well as the Associate Program Director of the Rush Addiction Medicine Fellowship. She completed the addiction medicine fellowship at Rush University in 2020. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan Medical School and completed the Montana Family Medicine Residency Program in 2012. Dr. Fitzgerald developed an interest in provision of care for underserved populations and those affected by substance use disorders during her residency. Her love for teaching medical students and family practice residents developed in Montana while she was a community faculty physician with the Montana Family Medicine Residency Program. Dr. Fitzgerald also has extensive experience in telemedicine. During her fellowship, Dr. Fitzgerald worked with the addiction medicine faculty to create RISE-MD (Rush Integrative Substance Use Disorder Education for Medical Doctors), an educational initiative in Rush Medical College that focuses on eliminating stigma while promoting evidence-based treatment of substance use disorders in the next generation of physicians. She has worked with the American Society of Addiction Medicine and the Illinois Society of Addiction Medicine on key advocacy and policy initiatives related to substance use disorders. Dr. Fitzgerald is also an active member of the Federation of State Physician Health Programs and is an advocate for physician health and wellness.In her free time, she likes to spend time with her family, run, read, and cook. 

September 5, 2018—PCC has become aware of an increase in opioid overdoses due to the striking increase in patients presenting to West Suburban Medical Center for opioid reversals. PCC encourages people struggling with opioid use to enter treatment. Treatment is readily available at PCC’s Chemical Dependency Clinic.

July 30, 2018—Dr. Penny White, pediatrician at PCC Community Wellness Center (PCC) is accepting new patients at two PCC health centers in Chicago’s Austin area. As a pediatric physician, she can care for babies, children, and teens. Services include well child exams, immunizations, treatment for minor or chronic illnesses, lead screening, and school physicals.

Chicago, IL – PCC Community Wellness Center (PCC) is tackling the opioid epidemic with its unique treatment program. In PCC’s program, the treatment of heroin, prescription drug abuse, alcohol, tobacco and other substances is offered right in the doctor’s office.

Director of Behavioral Health, Joanna Trask is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor with Certification in Alcohol and Other Drug Counseling. She has been with PCC since 2018 in a variety of different roles and has extensive experience working in healthcare research. She's applied this experience to grant management and implementation of initiatives at PCC. Joanna specializes in care for severe mental illness and substance use disorders. She completed both her undergraduate and graduate education at the University of Minnesota in 2016. She holds a Masters of Professional Studies in Integrated Behavioral Health. Joanna completed her social work field instruction at St. Joseph’s Hospital in St. Paul, MN. She has served as a direct service advocate for survivors of sexual assault and relationship violence. Joanna has also worked as a health science researcher at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System, assisting veterans in transitioning from active duty to civilian status. As a Research Assistant at the University of Minnesota, she participated in projects on Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (FMRI) in adolescents with bipolar disorder, FMRI and the diagnosticity of color and emotion, and the effects of primacy and recency on learned object permanence. In her leisure time, Joanna enjoys cooking, gardening, reading, and spending time with her family.

Chicago, IL – PCC Community Wellness Center (PCC) recently opened its third health center in West Suburban Medical Center. PCC Community Wellness Center at West Suburban is located inside the hospital’s professional office building at 1 Erie Court, Suite 7140, Oak Park, IL 60302.

The health center is accepting new patients and offers primary care, behavioral health care, and support services. It is open on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. You can call PCC Community Wellness Center at West Suburban at 773-537-0020 for more information or to schedule an appointment.