Central City Integrated Health [CCIH] recently announced that Dr. Kimberly Farrow was appointed as president and CEO of the Detroit-based nonprofit, effective immediately. She was named as interim president and CEO in October 2019. The announcement was made by CCIH Board Chair Alfonso Bermea, who said the organization chose to maintain her leadership based on strong gains made in 2020.
“We have full confidence in Dr. Farrow’s ability to provide strong leadership at CCIH for the long haul,” Bermea said. “She has been an extremely effective leader for the past year, growing our integrated health services and expanding partnerships to benefit the community, even during the most difficult times of the COVID-19 pandemic. We can think of no one else who would be a better fit to lead us in our strategic efforts to improve the health and well-being of Detroit’s most vulnerable populations.”
Farrow joined CCIH in 2016 as Chief Medical Officer and VP of Clinical Operations until being named in her interim role. Her vision for CCIH — which works to provide high-quality health care and housing for all residents regardless of socio-economic status — is to grow the nonprofit’s integrated care model to maximize benefit to the public.
“We really have a diverse set of services we provide to the community, and we will be leveraging the fact that we are the only local Federally Qualified Health Center that can provide primary care, dental care, behavioral care, housing support and employment support,” Farrow said. “The goal is to turn CCIH into a national model for integrated care. Every person who enters our doors has access to our full menu of care services, and all their needs can be addressed in real time, without having to come back through multiple visits. It’s service on demand.”
During her time as interim President and CEO at CCIH, Farrow has implemented a strategic plan to improve the nonprofit’s financial situation. This included the sale of real estate holdings to help pay off debt and set the stage for a more positive financial path forward.
Another key part of Farrow’s next steps will be to continue and grow key partnerships in the community. The organization currently partners with the City of Detroit, COTS, Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network, Authority Health, Health Resources & Services Administration, Housing and Urban Development, Michigan Primary Care Association, Salvation Army, among many others, on various projects and programs. All of this was done during the COVID-19 pandemic, a situation that created significant barriers that she had to navigate successfully, such as securing the necessary PPE to keep CCIH staff safe. Due to Farrow’s efforts, CCIH has been able to secure over $1.1 million in funding, and has hosted regular events offering COVID-19 testing and antibody testing to thousands of Michigan residents, often in partnership with local faith-based institutions.
“Partnerships are critical to improving and enriching the services we provide, and help us keep our ears to the streets about what’s most needed in the community right now,” Farrow said. “Knowing the needs of the community allows us to update our care model to meet these concerns, whether it be winter coats or community housing.”
A graduate of the University of Notre Dame and Wayne State University School of Medicine, Farrow also has been a physician at DMC and Wayne State University since 2009. Prior to joining CCIH in 2016, Farrow served as medical director and CEO at Detroit East Health Service. She also served as medical director at Salvation Army Harbor Light of Southeastern Michigan.
Farrow is a member of the American Medical Association and the American College of Physicians, a Hope of Detroit Academy board member, and Michigan Primary Care Association Leadership Committee member.
She received recognition from Wayne State University/DMC for Outstanding Patient Care in General Ambulatory Practice, a Leadership Award from Payne-Pullman for Outstanding Community Service, was 2019 Michigan Primary Care Association Clinician of the Year, and earned the Detroit Wayne County Authority Health 2020 Best of the Health Net Award. In her career, she has successfully obtained funding for research worth more than $9.4 million in grant support.
Farrow resides in Grosse Pointe Farms with her family.
For more information, visit www.centralcityhealth.com.
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