Women's Center to open July 5by Cindy AbolePublic Relations Starting in July, women living in the East Cooper area won’t have to travel far to access the medical expertise and care offered by MUSC obstetricians gynecologists and other specialists. Next month, MUSC will unveil a larger presence at the new East Cooper Women’s Center on July 5. It will be located at the new East Cooper Medical Arts building located within close proximity of East Cooper Regional Medical Center. This off-campus site is a multidisciplinary facility that will provide obstetrics and gynecological services within an expansive 6,500 square foot area. In addition, the center will offer a variety of extended services including internal medicine, dermatology, complementary and alternative medicine, menopausal and adolescent health, urogynecology and incontinence, GYN oncology and laser therapy. “We wanted to create a practice that appeals to women’s needs,” said Melisa Holmes, M.D., associate professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and center director. “This includes a mix of specialties focused specifically on women’s health.” Holmes will be joined by Paige Gernt, M.D., and Toya Pound, M.D., who will provide a full range of obstetric and gynecologic care. Also joining the practice is Deanna Vroman, M.D. who will provide internal medicine services for women. An important arm of the center will be its emphasis on midlife women’s health. It will incorporate the University Midlife Women’s Health, formerly located in West Ashley, as a component to this new East Cooper practice site. Menopausal health specialists Paul Underwood, M.D., and Susan Tate, M.D. will be available to meet and consult with patients. Earlier this spring, Tate became the first Lowcountry physician to be certified in this specialty by the North American Menopause Society. “This is a full-service center that is backed by the medical expertise and care that is already provided at MUSC’s Medical Center,” said J. Peter Van Dorsten, M.D., chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. “ There’s really no other practice like this in the area that can provide this array of offerings related to women’s health. Patients can literally continue to receive good obstetrics and gynecological care from cradle/adolescence to grave.” The idea was first realized by Gynecology director David E. Soper, M.D. He first observed a multidisciplinary off-campus clinic in Richmond, Va. which was affiliated with the Medical College of Virginia. The site housed a successful practice featuring the combined services of obstetricians, gynecologists, internists, family medicine practitioners, general surgeons and psychiatrists. Other medical practitioners specializing in pediatrics and orthopaedics were also located at this site. “The collaboration allowed women to come to a place designed for themselves,” said Soper. “They felt comfortable bringing their children and essentially having access to the most comprehensive care for women’s services. Its results have been very effective.” Key to this type of practice setting is the ability for gynecologists and other primary healthcare specialists to communicate, interact and consult with each other regarding patients and their specific needs. The new center will also allow MUSC to collaborate with East Cooper Regional Medical Center - a collaboration that is not new to MUSC. For the past five years, MUSC has teamed with Bon Secours-St. Francis Hospital to provide obstetrics and midwifery support through MUSC's Department of Ob-GYN. In downtown Charleston, MUSC and Roper Hospital have partnered to operate a new radiologic PET Scanner for the Lowcountry area. The MUSC/East Cooper hospital partnership will continue to provide the same level of collaboration. According to Soper, the East Cooper location provides a positive presence of skilled clinicians combined with an academic focus and knowledge to provide the best Ob-GYN care. As more patients choose to deliver their babies closer to home, they’re willing to seek care at community medical sites, Soper said. But for high risk pregnancies that involve more intensive care or complicated deliveries, care will continue to be directed to specialists at the main hospital, downtown. An added benefit is the presence of complementary medicine at the East Cooper Women’s Center, which will be provided by Gary Nestler, DOM and Michael Dovey, DOM. As consumers continue to benefit from complementary and alternative medicine, they want to learn more and avail themselves to such eastern practices like acupuncture, herbal medicine and other healing therapies, Soper said. “As we try to be all things to all people, we also respect the individuality of our patients and their needs,” Soper said. “We recognize that they do have a choice and as physicians, we also want to participate in their care by guiding them along the process to help them make informed decisions.” “We had to be able to offer this level of expertise," Van Dorsten said, regarding the number of medical specialists who vacillate between women’s health and another speciality. “What we want is to let this brand of expertise reside from our department. Obstetricians and gynecologists have been arguably the guardians of women’s health for more than the past 100 years. Essentially, it is all we do.” The center places a large emphasis on patient education and will sponsor ongoing education programs on topics such as obstetrics and pregnancy; exercise and nutrition; breast feeding; gynecology-puberty featuring a moms and daughters program; alternative medicine; osteoporosis; women and heart disease and cancer prevention. Midlife Women Health specialists Underwood and Tate have already conducted numerous community presentations focusing on the effects of post menopause and hormone replacement therapy. At the same time, Holmes wants to encourage patients to use the Internet to visit their Website, schedule appointments, refill prescriptions, arrange after-hour appointments and register for educational programs. As an added bonus, Holmes and a majority of her staff already reside in the East Cooper area. Later this year, MUSC will open similar cardiology and ear, nose and throat (ENT) clinics adjacent to Ob-GYN in the same facility. “Clearly, our presence is an investment in our community,” Holmes said.
“There’s an added need to ensure that we provide good quality care to our
neighbors. Besides, it feels nice to practice within a community that supports
our desire to provide our brand of care and expertise. Our presence also
helps to gain recognition for MUSC and its specialties and services, and
we take pride in that.”
MUSC East Cooper Women’s CenterDr. Melisa Holmes, OB/GYN, Pediatric and Adolescent GynecologyLaser, Densitometry Dr. Paige Gernt, OB/GYN, Midlife Consults Dr. Toya Pound, OB/GYN, Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology Dr. Deanna Vroman, Internal Medicine Dr. Kathy Schwartzenberger, Dermatology Dr. Joi Lonczkowski, Dermatology, University Midlife Women’s Health Dr. Susan Tate, Midlife Consults, Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), Densitometry Dr. Paul Underwood, Midlife consults, HRT, Densitometry Dr. Susan Kerrigan, Midlife and Urogynecology Consults Dr. Steven Swift, Midlife and Urogynecology Consults Dr. William Creasman, Midlife, Laser Therapies GYN Oncology Consults, Complementary, Alternative Medicine Dr. Gary Nestler, DOM, Acupuncture, Herbal Therapies Dr. Michael Dovey, DOM, Acupuncture, Herbal Therapies Call 792-5300 for appointments
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