Leadership

Dr. Clifford J Benezra is an internal medicine specialist in Hallandale Beach, Florida. In addition to being board-certified in internal medicine, Dr. Benezra is also board-certified in geriatric medicine and pulmonary disease. Dr. Benezra graduated with honors from Georgetown University School of Medicine in 1976. Having more than 40 years of diverse professional experiences, Dr. Benezra is affiliated with many hospitals including University Hospital, Ltd., South Broward Hospital District, North Broward Hospital District, and North Shore Medical Center, Inc. Dr. Benezra also serves as the Director of Fall Solutions, a company dedicated to reducing risk of falls in patients with gate and balance problems.

In addition, Dr. Benezra served as a clinical instructor at the University of Miami School of Medicine and Nova Southeastern University; Medical Director for Hospice Care of South East Florida; a Governor-appointed patient advocate and group home auditor of Medicaid-funded group homes for the developmentally disabled; Medical Director of Home Bound Care, Inc.; and owner/provider of two Medicare-certified full-risk HMO medical centers.

Eugenio Rodriguez, MD, P.A. is a board-certified general surgeon and currently practices at Delray Medical Center. Dr. Rodriguez attended medical school at the University of Puerto Rico, and completed his residency at Mayaguez Medical Center in Puerto Rico and fellowship training at Tampa General Hospital. His special interests are above the knee wounds, below the knee wounds, trauma, and wound care. Dr. Rodriguez performs research to improve regenerative medicine. He is a member of prominent medical organizations both in the United States and internationally. Dr. Rodriguez has written many articles for medical magazines and collaborates to develop clinical studies with many technological organizations. Dr. Rodriguez has deep faith in God. He believes that the combination of faith and his every day commitment to his patients as a physician, is the result of his success.

Wound Care Associates is a group of specialists directed by Dr. Rodriguez, who focus on the latest technology on wound care. Dr. Rodriguez is focused on implementing advanced regenerative medicine in a state-of-the-art surgical center in Deerfield Beach. Dr. Rodriguez also created a fellowship program to train colleagues in the latest technology for wound care.

Patricia Jacobs has been working in sales and marketing since 1991. She started in retail and moved on to real estate in Florida, and then into medical care, senior, and geriatric facilities.

Ms. Jacobs has been involved in sales and marketing of private duty home health and geriatric care management to area hospitals, rehabilitation centers, assisted living communities, physicians, and various business organizations.

Ms. Jacobs is bi-lingual, speaking both English and Spanish. She has created outreach marketing campaigns to establish professional referrals and trimester plans. Additional experiences include initiating and preforming initial consultations with clients and family members, target marketing to established accounts and new business development, coordinating and setting up in-house services, organizing Continuing Education Units (CEU) seminars, and professional networking events.

Ms. Jacobs, a fine arts graduate of Florida State University in Tallahassee, is also licensed in the state of Florida to sell real estate.

Liliana Herrera’s career began when she co-founded the Great Commission, Inc., West Palm Beach, Florida in 1997. For the next 11 years, the non-profit Medical Mobile Outreach and Screening program was an effective and well-respected organization in the county. It met the needs of women 19-89 years old. The principal funder was the Florida Department of Health.

Ms. Herrera currently works with the Area Agency on Aging. As Project Director for the Healthy Living Program, she is responsible for administering the Agency’s elder-focused programs including but not limited to, recruitment, training, and placement of volunteers and/or Lay Leaders in the community; monitoring program objectives and outcomes; and coordinating local senior immunization/wellness initiatives. Ms. Herrera is also tasked to publicize programs and obtain support services, including preparing and delivering presentations to the community, while developing new methods of outreach to expand programs into non-traditional areas or previously untapped communities.

Tara Wood, Esq. is the principal and founding attorney of Capital Law Group, a firm which focuses on the areas of estate planning, Medicaid planning, and elder law. Ms. Wood completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Florida, graduating cum laude, and after finishing her undergraduate degree, Ms. Wood went on to earn her J.D. from Nova Southeastern University Law School. Ms. Wood realized early on in her law career that she had a passion for assisting the elderly, and helping them plan for their future. Ms. Wood regularly educates the public about the importance of protecting elders because she believes that information is key to proper planning. Ms. Wood now dedicates her entire practice to advocating for elder rights. She has in-depth knowledge of elder law, including long-term care planning, Medicaid, and the creation of simple and complex estate plans.

Dr. Gary Levenston is a clinical psychologist who strives to help adults with diabetes achieve optimal physical health and emotional well-being. Dr. Levenston offers consultation and therapy for the many challenges of living with diabetes. Examples include: adjustment following diagnosis; diabetes-related distress, depression, and anxiety; motivation for effective self-management and lifestyle changes; diabetes burnout; difficulties with family and social support; coping with major life transitions; and minimizing barriers to optimal medical management. Using a supportive, pragmatic, and scientifically-grounded approach, Dr. Levenston hopes to empower individuals to overcome their challenges, make peace with their diabetes, and achieve the quality of life they desire. He looks forward to working together to achieve these goals.

A graduate of Davenport, Iowa’s prestigious Palmer College established by the founders of chiropractic medicine, Dr. Cassidy is also a board-certified health coach through New York’s Institute of Integrative Nutrition. Dr. Cassidy brings over 20 years of experience as a chiropractic physician and business owner to his position as the Executive Director of Delray Community Wellness Center.

As the Executive Director, Dr. Cassidy has taken a start-up non-profit health and wellness center for seniors and built it into an organization with a workable marketing plan, established Board of Directors, and well-attended on-going programs that meet the health and wellness needs of the community.

Dr. Cassidy has successfully implemented comprehensive prevention and education programs for chronic disease management and established support groups to help seniors cope with the emotional, social, and psychology stress of aging and chronic disease. Further, Dr. Cassidy is committed to ensuring that DCWC provides seniors a safe and welcoming place where members can meet and socialize with other seniors, and feel comfortable in expressing their anxieties, uncertainties, fears, losses, and sadness that often accompanies chronic illnesses.

Dr. Cassidy continues to expand and strengthen existing partnerships and collaborative relationships that include the Diabetes Coalition of Palm Beach County, Florida Department of Health, Genesis Community Health, Inc., Palm Healthcare Foundation, Area Agency on Aging, physician groups, and local hospitals.