Fort Pierce (Specialty Care Center)

Our dedicated team of physicians, physicians assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, medical assistants, and pharmacists provide comprehensive care with dignity to those living with an infectious disease.

Our goal is to keep you healthier through treatment, so you can live a better life with drug therapy to keep your virus or infection at a manageable level. We also want to the reduce transmission of infectious diseases through healthcare and medicine management on the Treasure Coast. We are proud to announce we are bringing specialty care closer to home for our patients living in Broward, Hillsborough, Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee, Orange, Pinellas, Palm Beach, Dade, and St. Lucie counties.

Your Midway Specialty Care Center healthcare providers have an overall plan for you, which includes your specialized care medical appointments, primary care appointments, a treatment plan with your pharmacy, lab tests, Medication Management Therapy, and many other services.

When you participate in all of these parts, you are engaged in your care.

Our reliable staff at Midway Specialty Care Center is trained in the guiding philosophy of excellence in patient care and treatment and we all share the same concerns for the clients.

Our staff also includes:

• Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, Case managers, and a Clinical Social Worker/Therapist work to evaluate and treat patients.
• A full time Pharmacy Technician to help you with your medication questions.
• Full-time pharmacists nearby.

During your appointment please ask us about our Medication Therapy Management services. We can help you manage all your medication and nutrition.

We accept most commercial insurances. Please call the office in advance to verify if we take your insurance. We also accept Medicaid and Medicare. If you do not have insurance, ask for a case manager to work with you on a self-payment option, using a sliding scale based on your household income and family size.

HIV / AIDS

HIV is a treatable condition. If you are diagnosed early, get on antiretroviral therapy (ART), and adhere to your medication regimen, you can stay healthy, live a normal life span, and reduce the chances of transmitting HIV to others. Part of staying healthy is seeing your HIV care provider regularly so that he or she can track your progress and make sure your HIV treatment is working for you… Read more

Rapid Initiation: A Review of the Diamond Study

The first Phase 3 Clinical Trial for a single-tablet regimen, where patients rapidly started treatment.

Moti Ramgopal, MD FIDSA FACP CPI

Moti Ramgopal | MD, FACP, FIDSA is a Consultant Physician and Director of Associates in Infectious Diseases; Founder of Midway Immunology and Research Center, Founder and Chief Medical Officer for the not-for-profit Midway Specialty Care Center and Founder of Midway Primary Care, a not-for-profit primary care practice; Associate Professor of Medicine at Florida State University Medical School; and founder of Asvins.org.

Dr. Moti Ramgopal is affiliated with several hospitals in the area, including Lawnwood Regional Medical Center and Heart Institute, Saint Lucie Medical Center and Martin Health Systems. Dr. Ramgopal received his medical degree from University of the West Indies Faculty of Medical Sciences and completed a Residency in Internal Medicine at Bon Secours Hospital in Michigan. He then completed a Fellowship in Infectious Diseases at Jackson Memorial and the University of Miami School of Medicine. He has been in practice for more than 20 years. Dr. Ramgopal is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and Board Certified in Infectious Disease.

Dr. Ramgopal serves as a Certified Principal Investigator for clinical research. His studies have been published in peer-reviewed journals such as The New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, The Journal of AIDS and IDSA’s The Journal of Infectious Diseases. His Midway Immunology and Research Center clinical team treated 300+ HIV and Hepatitis C patients for free at a savings to the community of more than $5,000,000 to date, giving patients access to cutting-edge treatments not available to the general public. Dr. Ramgopal was awarded the Top Physician honor by Treasure Coast Newspapers in 2014, received the Frist Humanitarian Award from HCA, and is a winner of FSU Guardian of the Mission Award. He founded the 501 c-3 Midway Specialty Care Center the same year to enhance access to treatment for all patients living with chronic diseases and Hepatitis and HIV.

Midway Specialty Care Center’s (MSCC) focus is to treat the whole patient, including a patient’s physical and mental health care needs. MSCC patients have access to in-house behavioral health care services, prescription medication management, nutrition services and wellness, acute and chronic care, as well as access to treatment and drugs through the clinic’s in-house pharmacy. Dr. Ramgopal is also recognized as a top Infectious Disease Doctor in the country by US News and World Reports. See his currently enrolling clinical trials: www.midwayresearch.org

Raja Talati, MD

Raja Talati, MD, was a past board member and then joined the team as Assistant Chief Medical Officer. He is involved with the development of the telemedicine program so that patients with limited access to specialty care would be better served. He sees patients at Midway Specialty Care Center in Fort Pierce as well as the providing Family Medicine care to patients at Midway Primary Care in Okeechobee.

He is currently an assistant program director at the St.Lucie Medical Center Family Residency Program and Assistant Professor of Family Medicine at Nova Southeastern University. Prior to this, he was in practice at the Heart and Family Health Institute also in PSL.

He served as the Medical Director at the St.Lucie County Juvenile Detention Center from 2011 to 2017. He has served on numerous committees at St.Lucie Medical Center which include the following:

In the Community he was the local soccer clubs staff physician and also was the Consulting Physician at Sungrove Montessori school.

Infection Control, Utilization, Ethics, Medical QA 2011 ,Infection Control, Medical executive as Vice Chief of Staff and is now Chief of Credentials.

For his country he currently holds the position of Chief of Aerospace Medicine for the 927th AMDS at MacDill AFB. He has about 400 hours of flight time in the C-17 an KC-135.

ince completing medical school, he earned his Masters In Health Information Systems and is a candidate for his MBA with a specialization in Healthcare Analytics.

When not working; he enjoys outdoor activities and traveling with his two sons and wife.

Candice Joseph, MD

Dr. Joseph joined Midway Specialty Care Center, Inc. in October 2021.

She received her Medical Degree from Spartan Health Sciences University in St. Lucia and was accepted into an Internship and Residency Program at SSM St. Mary’s Hospital in St. Louis, MO. Dr. Joseph then completed a Fellowship Training Program in Infectious Diseases at the University of Florida College of Medicine.

She has a focused interest in HIV and other Infectious Diseases and is Board Certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and Board Certified in Infectious Diseases.

Darla Bagwell, APRN-C, AAHIVS

Ms. Bagwell graduated from the University of Tampa with a Master of Science in Nursing and is a board certified adult nurse practitioner. She holds a certification as an HIV specialist from the American Academy of HIV Medicine.

Ms. Bagwell joined Midway Specialty Care Center in 2013 at the advent of the direct acting antiviral era for the treatment of hepatitis C. Ms. Bagwell provides treatment for HIV, hepatitis C, pre-exposure HIV prophylaxis, post-exposure HIV prophylaxis, sexually transmitted infections, and primary care.

Ms. Bagwell enjoys spending her free with time with her husband and her two children.

Lisa Cason Noble, MSN, FNP

Lisa moved to Port St Lucie in 1983 as a child from Virginia Beach, Va. She began working for Associates in Infectious Disease in 2013 after completing her BSN and MSN at Florida Atlantic University. She has an extensive background in pharmaceuticals and nursing.

She began working for HCA in 1996 as a pharmacy technician, moonlighting at Eckerd’s and Walgreens. Her innate desire to help and care for people led her into a career of nursing; completing her LPN and RN at Indian River State College. Lisa was employed by HCA, Lawnwood Regional Medical Center, working as a telemetry nurse for 3 years and then a critical care nurse in the trauma intensive care unit (CCRN) for 4 years.

She enjoys the challenges of working in a critical care setting. The desire for a challenging and rewarding career has led her into infectious disease. She takes great pride in working with one of the most renowned infectious disease practices in the southeast.

Working for Midway Specialty Care Center has put Lisa on the cutting edge of research and treatment and provided her with a satisfying and rewarding career. Lisa provides outpatient and in-hospital infectious disease services to Martin and St. Lucie County hospitals, specializing in acute infectious disease processes.

Lauren Leeflang , PA-C

Lauren Leeflang is a Board Certified Physician Assistant.

Lauren was only two semesters away from graduating with a Bachelor of the Arts in Anthropology from the University of Florida when she enrolled in a Medical Anthropology course. From that moment on, she was fascinated by the societal and cultural influences on healthcare and medicine, leading her to immediately enroll in Florida Atlantic University’s Pre-Health Professions Post-Baccalaureate program upon the completion of her degree. It was there that she learned more about the Physician Assistant profession and the nationwide shortage of primary care providers.

She graduated with honors from the Nova Southeastern University Physician Assistant Program in Orlando, Florida, where she earned her Masters of Medical Sciences. As a PA, Lauren is passionate about primary care, and appreciates the diverse clinical challenges of HIV and other infectious diseases.

A self-described “food nerd,” Lauren spends much of her free time in the kitchen trying new recipes, or brewing beer with her husband. She also loves gardening, the beach, and her adorable dog, Kona.

Angela R. Trodglen, APRN

Ms. Trodglen received her Associate and Bachelor in Science in Nursing from Indian River State College. Angela received a Master of Science in Nursing with high honors from South University in Savannah, Georgia.

Angela has worked for Associates in Infectious Diseases and Midway Specialty Care, PA since 2016. She joined the Medical Staff Team with several years of Hospital experience in PCU and Surgical PCU.  Ms. Trodglen has developed a focused interest in the field of Infectious Diseases. Angela is a Florida native and grew up in Vero Beach.

Kara Kempf, APRN

A Certified Family Nurse Practitioner, Kara Kempf, APRN has experience working in Cardiology and Family Medicine. Kara also has 10 years of experience working in the Intensive Care Unit and Emergency Departments as a Registered Nurse.

Kara’s academic background includes a master’s degree from South University, along with undergraduate degrees from University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Kara prioritizes communication and will work with you to create a plan of care that meets your health and wellness goals. She treats every patient like a member of her family with caring compassion and won’t rush your visit at our clinic.

When not working; Kara enjoys traveling and spending time with her husband, 2 kids and 4 dogs.

Patient Responsibilities

All patients are expected to be an active participant in their health care by:

• Assuming responsibility for certain aspects of their care.
• Providing the health care team with a complete medical history including access to prior medical record.
• Preparing for their appointment by bringing a list of their medications and any questions or issues that they have with regard to their diagnosis and treatment.
• Following the Care Plan that the health care team has developed for them and communicating to the health care team any deviation from that plan.
• Contacting the clinic for advice before going to the Emergency Room for non-urgent conditions.
• Working with the care team to learn how to self-manage their care.

Mask and Facial Covering Policy

It is the policy of Midway Specialty Care Center to provide a safe environment for patients and employees. The wearing of masks is an integral factor in preventing the spread of respiratory infections.

Patients/clients will be asked to wear a mask upon arrival at any Midway facility under the following circumstances:

• If the patient/client has any of the following symptoms:
  • Cough
  • Fever
  • Breathlessness
  • Skin rash
• When the risk of hospital admissions for communicable respiratory illnesses is “medium” or “high” in the area based on Florida Department of Health Weekly and Bi-Weekly Surveillance Reports.

Midway reserves the right to refuse accommodation for patients who exhibit any signs and or symptoms of respiratory infection and refuse to wear a mask when asked to do so.

All employees are encouraged to wear masks when in close contact with patients/clients.

Read the full mask and facial covering policy »