Pioneering Psychiatrist Joins Board of LI’s Leading Mental Health/Addictions Nonprofit

Rajvee Vora, a leader in integrated care, joins CN Guidance & Counseling Services

Hicksville, NY (November 13, 2017) Dr. Rajvee Vora — the psychiatrist who helped establish giant Northwell Health’s vanguard program that integrates primary medical care with behavioral health care (treatment of mental health and addiction disorders) — became the newest board member of CN Guidance & Counseling Services, Long Island’s leading nonprofit behavioral provider, based in Hicksville.

Dr. Vora, a board-certified psychiatrist who served as the Director of Ambulatory Behavioral Health Services for Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) for Northwell Health—New York State’s largest healthcare provider and private employer—is shifting this autumn to become Vice-Chair of Clinical Affairs at Mount Sinai Hospital’s Department of Behavioral Health and Assistant Professor at the Icahn School of Medicine. She has been serving as an Assistant Professor at Hofstra School of Medicine.

CN Guidance & Counseling Services, whose board Dr. Vora joins, is a 45-year-experienced safety-net organization dedicated to improving life for individuals and families on Long Island affected by mental health and substance use disorders. The agency has doubled its service capacity in just the past four years in response to growing addiction and mental health conditions across Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

James O’Brien, CN Guidance’s Board President said, “We are so pleased that Dr. Vora is joining the Board of CN Guidance. Dr. Vora’s broad medical and large-healthcare organization experience are exactly what our Board and organization need as we navigate the landscape of healthcare integration and evolution.”

Beyond assisting primary care practices across Northwell Health with integrating behavioral and medical health services, Dr. Vora’s recent areas of focus have included co-leading the launch of new Behavioral Health Crisis and “Urgicare” programs at Zucker Hillside Hospital in Glen Oaks and Cohens Children’s Medical Center in New Hyde Park. While spearheading such large-scale projects, Dr. Vora has also been providing individual psychiatric consultations and supervision for behavioral health staff, and for psychiatric residents in training

Jeffrey Friedman, Chief Executive Officer of CN Guidance said, “During this time of explosive need and transformative change in behavioral healthcare, CN Guidance and Counseling Services is incredibly privileged and excited to have Dr. Vora join our Board. Her unique expertise, perspective, and passion for promoting recovery among people with mental health and co-occurring substance use disorders—and the emphasis she places on integrated care—well complements our mission and the varied strengths of our existing Board members. Our community is remarkably lucky to have Dr. Vora in this role.”

Dr. Vora shared her own enthusiasm about joining the Board of CN Guidance, “Behavioral healthcare and integrated care are such important parts of our community’s overall wellness, and I am delighted to support the proactive approaches of CN Guidance in this meaningful new way.”

Dr. Vora earned her medical degree from University of Mumbai in India and completed her residency at SUNY Downstate Medical Center and a Public Psychiatry Fellowship at Columbia-Presbyterian-NYS Psychiatric Institute in New York.

At CN Guidance, Dr. Vora joins a volunteer Board of Directors that include officers James F. O’Brien (President), Carl Grossbard, Audie Kranz, Paul D. Tusa, and Anthony Pisano; and directors Wilbur J. Kranz, Daniel Lewis, Harriet Libstag, Leonard Parness, Charles Rich, Steven Rutter, Mark Seiden, and Brian Strouse.