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WOMEN'S WELLNESS
LOCAL HEALTHCARE
FACILITIES ARE CREATING CENTERS, PROGRAMS AND SPCIALIZED SERVICE
THAT CATER TO WOMEN'S HEALTH NEEDS.
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BY C.B. ADAMS
In the 1970s, around the same time Aviance perfume was airing its
feminist paean/commercial (“I can bring home the bacon, fry it up
in a pan…”), women’s healthcare was still being defined in pre-Suffragette
terms—namely reproductive issues.
Three decades later, Helen Reddy’s “I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar” has
taken on new meaning. Along with the strides made possible with
the help of the women’s movement has come a corresponding change
in the health status of women. They are now more susceptible to
health concerns and chronic diseases, including stress, heart disease,
cancer, osteoporosis, diabetes and workplace injuries, among others.
According to a 2001 report from the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC), women are 33 percent more likely than men
to visit a doctor, even excluding pregnancy-related visits. And,
the rate of doctor visits for reasons such as annual examinations
and preventive services is 100 percent higher for women than for
men.
Couple women’s higher use of healthcare with the Census Bureau’s
estimates that Baby Boomers (a majority of them women) will begin
reaching the big 65 in 2011. Current CDC statistics show that women
65 years and older represent almost 19 percent of the population,
yet they account for more than a quarter of all ambulatory medical
visits. Add all this up and it is easy to understand why healthcare
providers are responding with new clinics, programs and services
designed specifically for women.
“It’s important to understand the way women use healthcare in America
so that healthcare providers can be prepared and programs developed
to meet women’s special healthcare needs,” says Yvonne Green, director
of the CDC’s Office of Women’s Health.
“We
are gradually getting into what I think of as true
women’s health, that is, providing programs on osteoporosis,
quality of life for women who are trying to balance
a professional life and childraising, and emotional
health.”
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Ron
Tompkins, vice president for ambulatory and
specialty services, St. Mary’s Health Center
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ST. MARY'S HEALTH CENTER
In the St. Louis region, healthcare providers have been heeding
the roar for increased and enhanced women’s health services. One
of the first to respond was St. Mary’s Health Center. In the late
’80s, St. Mary’s unveiled Women’s Well, the educational component
of the center’s women’s health program. Women’s Well has grown over
the years and now employs nurses and educators to present classes
ranging from childbirth and breastfeeding to adoption, grandparenting
and a variety of health-related topics important to women from adolescence
to mid-life.
“We are working toward identifying the needs of women at different
points in their lives and developing programs that address what
women are seeking at that time in their lives,” says Ron Tompkins,
vice president for ambulatory and specialty services at St. Mary’s.
“We are gradually getting into what I think of as true women’s health,
that is, providing programs on osteoporosis, quality of life for
women who are trying to balance a professional life and childraising,
and emotional health.”
Later this year, St. Mary’s plans to unveil its new Breast Center
that will provide at one location comprehensive breast care, including
screening, mammograms, breast health education, diagnostic breast
procedures, and community outreach.
“Our goal is to have the ability to give women an onsite reading
by the end of the year. When they come in for their screening, they
can have their mammogram read immediately so they can leave knowing
the result,” Tompkins says.
SLUCARE WOMEN'S PAVILION
One-stop shopping is the idea behind the SLUCare Women’s Pavilion,
a new obstetric and gynecologic facility developed by physicians
and staff at Saint Louis University (SLU) School of Medicine. The
facility focuses on five aspects of women’s health: general obstetrics
and gynecology, maternal-fetal medicine, urogynecology (one of the
hottest specialties in women’s health that centers on problems that
can occur in older women) gynecologic oncology and reproductive
endocrinology and infertility.
Dr. Raul Artal, chairman of Obstetrics and Gynecology
at the SLUCare Women’s Pavilion. |
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“This is the most comprehensive outpatient facility for women’s
healthcare in one location in the St. Louis area,” says Raul Artal,
M.D., chairman of obstetrics and gynecology at SLU. “It’s truly
‘one-stop shopping.’”
The Women’s Pavilion, located on the campus of St. Mary’s, also
offers services in pediatric gynecology, chronic pelvic pain, fitness,
and nutrition, as well as a menopause clinic. It is also the first
center of its kind in St. Louis to offer psychiatric services.
The purpose of developing a center that offers comprehensive healthcare
that caters specifically to women’s health was convenience, according
to Robert Blaskiewicz, M.D., director of the general OB-GYN department
at SLU.
“With so many women working these days, it is a real issue for them
to take time off. They can come here and have a full evaluation,
including fitness and nutrition and a medical evaluation, as well
as have any blood work or other basic laboratory work done—all in
a three- or four-hour session, as opposed to having to make multiple
appointments and disrupt their day-to-day lives. Having all the
medical expertise located right down the hall is a real advantage,”
he says.
BREAST HEALTH CENTER AT NEW ST. JOSEPH'S
MEDICAL PARK
When the new St. Joseph’s Medical Park opens in St. Peters in late
April, its Breast Health Center will offer the types of features
that will make the process of testing and evaluation as simple and
stress-free as possible, according to Barbara Reitz, director of
operations for the new facility.
“Most hospitals around the area have breast centers or breast health
programs. This one is going to be different, because we are focusing
on shortening the time between the time of detection of an abnormality
to diagnosis or confirmation. The average wait in the metropolitan
area is about three weeks for this process. By using a multidisciplinary
team, including surgeons, radiologists, chemotherapy physicians,
etc., our goal is to shorten the process to within a seven-day turnaround,”
she says.
In addition, the center will be designed to give patients a feeling
they are in a health club, rather than a diagnostic center. The
center will also offer extended hours on both Saturdays and evenings.
BREAST HEALTH CENTER AT BARNES-JEWISH HOSPITAL
At the Breast Health Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, rapid response
is also a key feature of the facility. “Our philosophy is that we
can best meet the needs of patients who have either an abnormal
mammogram or a symptom pertaining to the breast, such as a breast
lump, by having physicians who do the imaging and the surgeons all
in one area,” says Kimberly Wiele, M.D., assistant professor of
radiology at the facility.
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Kimberly Wiele, M.D., assistant professor of radiology
at the Breast Health Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. |
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When a patient comes to the center with an abnormal mammogram, the
Breast Health Center can perform whatever imaging is required, including
special mammogram views, ultrasounds and biopsies—all on the same
day.
“Instead of having to wait for the result of one test, then come
back another day for another test, and then waiting for a consultation
with a surgeon, who may order additional tests, we can usually get
everything done in one day. Women in general do better if they can
go ahead and proceed with whatever is appropriate instead of sitting
around for days waiting for results,” Wiele says.
WOMEN'S OUTPATIENT WELLNESS CENTER
While most St. Louis area healthcare facilities either have specialized
women’s healthcare services or are developing them, SSM Rehab in
Richmond Heights has taken the concept a step further. This past
July, SSM Rehab opened its Women’s Outpatient Wellness (WOW) Center,
the only outreach program in the St. Louis metropolitan area for
women with physical disabilities.
WOW addresses the very real—and very specific—needs of women with
disabilities. The center uses special examination tables and mammography
chairs that no other healthcare providers can offer, according to
Angela Allen, a physical therapist and manager of SSM Rehab’s Women’s
Services.
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Sue Kendig, RNC, MSN, WHCNP of SSM Rehab’s WOW, sits
with a patient to answer questions and explain about
the exam. |
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“We heard of women who were being lifted onto the examination table
by as many as five people. There were some women who were going
to mammograms who had to be held in a standing position, which is
not acceptable. These are the sorts of issues that people with no
physical limitations take for granted,” she says.
Like other local facilities, WOW strives for a one-stop shopping
experience for its patients. During a well-woman check-up, the nurse
practitioner may notice that a patient needs physical therapy or
other services.
“The practitioner then calls the doctor who can order the services.
Just across the hall they can get a physical therapy consultation.
We have speech and occupational therapy located on the rehab floor.
Almost anything they would need, we have right here on the floor
or it can be accessed within the hospital,” Allen says.
WOW plans to open a second clinic in St. Charles by the end of the
year.
C.B. Adams is a St. Louis-based writer and an adjunct communications
professor.
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