As women, many of us are trained to first take care of others and then take care of ourselves. When it comes to your health, it is important to take care of yourself first so that you can then take care of those around you.
Many times we just don’t have enough time in the day to focus on the simple day-to-day chores, much less take care of that nagging pain or that continuous bleeding, or simply schedule the dreaded yearly exam that can many times save your life. According to the Mayo Clinic and the Center for Disease Control, the second leading cause of death in women — second only to heart disease — is cancer. This means that you should not only track your family history for these conditions, but also you might benefit from a realistic appraisal of your true health risks. Understanding your top health risks is the first step toward reducing them.
Breast cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in the United States for women, responsible for about 40,000 deaths each year. Lung cancer is the first, responsible for about 70,000 deaths per year. The third-leading cause of cancer death for women in the United States is colorectal cancer. Like heart disease, colorectal cancer is often mistakenly thought of as a man’s disease, but equal numbers of men and women die of colorectal cancer each year.*
At the Center for Women’s Health, the staff understands the importance of time and taking care of “you.” With late hours available to accommodate busy schedules, the Center promotes healthy living and makes sure patients understand the importance of annual pap smears, mammograms, follow-up and routine care. With this in mind, the Center offers an affordable self-pay fee schedule to provide patients a venue to take care of their health.
For the convenience of patients, the Center screens and co-manages the treatment of conditions such as osteoporosis, thyroid, hypertension, diabetes and many other routine women’s health maintenance. In addition, the Center now offers Saturday hours to accommodate your busy schedule. “We will go to any length to ensure that the care provided by the staff and providers at our facilities is the best a patient can receive on the Eastern Shore. We are constantly looking for ways to improve and enhance the quality of our services, efficiency and personal care provided by our staff,” said Vincent Killeen, M.D., FACOG, medical director.
Many women postpone the visit to the gynecologist because of fear — fear of being told something they don’t want to hear, fear of being “exposed” in front of a “stranger,” fear of sharing their sexual history and problems. At the Center for Women’s Health, rooms are warmly decorated for comfort. Patients change into a cotton robe, have chocolate available in the changing room as well as lotions and sprays, and plasma television screens in all rooms for entertainment. “Many of these unique features are important to our patients because it makes their dreaded visit more pleasant,” said Practice Manager Melissa Williams. In addition, the warm and caring staff at the Center ensures your questions are answered and your visit is as pleasant as possible.
“I truly believe we have an extremely caring and understanding staff. It is not uncommon to see hugging, hand-holding, even soft humor going on with the patients. We make it so they actually look forward to return to see us. The comfort and entertainment is an added bonus!” said Kerri Ellinger, physician’s assistant.
Patients are constantly reminded to follow up yearly or as needed. “A quick pap hurts a lot less than a hysterectomy,” said Jill Hurst, clinical coordinator. “We try our best to inform our patients, especially the younger generations, of the importance of safe sex and the consequences of getting a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Once you get an STD, it is for life and it changes your life. Many times an STD shows no symptoms so if you suspect exposure to an STD, get tested right away,” Hurst explained. 
Center for Women’s Health, 659 S. Salisbury Blvd., Ste. 4, Salisbury, Md., 410-543-9111,
www.healthcareyoudeserve.com
#1 The busy working mom of three children who always puts herself last, starts bleeding excessively. She thinks she may be going through menopause and assumes it’s normal. After a few months of continued bleeding, she decides to call the doctor.
• Hasn’t had a pap smear in a few yearsWhat started it all? No pap smears in a few years. Having your annual check up can keep you informed of your health status.
#2 The young lady without insurance has been having some vaginal discharge and severe pelvic pain for a few months. She hopes after her next menstrual cycle, things will subside. Unfortunately, the pain is getting worse, her period is heavier and longer, and she now has a fever. After learning we have a discounted rate for self-pay patients, she makes an appointment.
• She has a pap smear done and has some cultures taken• The colposcopy comes back normal and the patient does well
• She is thoroughly educated about STDs, safe sex and Gardasil, the first vaccine available for young women that lowers the risk of cervical cancer
#3 A woman has to cross her legs every time she sneezes, laughs or coughs. She runs to the bathroom, because leakage will occur, and she wears pads every day. She puts up with it because it’s too embarrassing to tell the doctor. Her skin has become red, irritated and painful from leaking urine and constantly wearing pads. She finally decides to see a provider.
• A urine culture is performed to rule out a UTI, a very common cause of bladder leakage
• The patient is educated on certain foods and drinks that
irritate the bladder and cause it to spasm
• A pelvic exam is performed and reveals that her
bladder has dropped, which is very common after
childbirth
• The provider discusses many options to treat this,
including kegel exercises, bio-feedback and a pessary
• The patient opts for a pessary, a small, flexible silicone
medical device inserted into the vagina used to support the bladder
• The provider fits the patient for a pessary providing the patient with a simple solution to a recurring problem
