I wasn’t quite sure what I’d find as I pulled up to the Center for Women’s Health. I assumed it was going to be another sterile office with a silver water fountain hanging on the wall, uncomfortable chairs and bright pink as the décor color of choice. I’m happy to admit I was completely wrong!
What I discovered was an inviting courtyard leading up to a wooden door in a stone archway. Stepping through the door was like entering the great room of someone’s home. Deep oranges and earth tones gave the room a warm and welcoming feel. The staff was all smiles as they greeted me. No silver water fountain; instead, a granite beverage bar where visitors can help themselves to ice water with fresh lemon slices.
I could tell that a lot of thought was put into creating a comfortable seating area as well. Some chairs were perfect for a pregnant woman who might need something a little taller, with armrests, making getting up just a little bit easier; a nice leather loveseat would help a nervous husband relax while his wife is in with the doctor.
“I think what we’ve created here is different from so many offices,” says Dr. Sharon Breit, partner in the Center for Women’s Health.
Her business partner, Dr. Karen Strecker, added, “Dr. Breit and I have both been in offices where it is just kind of that sterile, cold feeling. So we wanted to have something a bit more soothing and comfortable.”
In actuality, what Breit and Strecker did was open the first-ever all-women’s clinic in Wichita. The Center for Women’s Health, located off Webb Road in the Wilson Estates Medical Park, is for women, by women. “It had always been my dream to have an all-female practice. I just liked the idea of women taking care of women,” says Breit. What she found is that “women seek us out because they really do feel more comfortable with women.”
The practice specializes in pregnancy care, family planning, gynecology, menopausal, and in-office aesthetic services. Patients are treated in a relaxed environment where they get to wear flannel robes as opposed to flimsy paper or thin cotton. The examination rooms are also kicked up a notch with wooden armoires instead of metal cabinets. Even the hallways carry over the home-like atmosphere with numerous oversized baby photos.
The center welcomes women and young ladies of all ages. “We’ve actually started an adolescent care program,” says Breit. “Typically, we tend to see younger girls when they have a problem, most often pain with periods or irregular periods. But we really are encouraging establishing care with a gynecologist at age 13.”
In the typical adolescent care visit, the patient would receive a physical and be given an opportunity to visit with one of the doctors about things such as menstrual hygiene, proper tampon usage, sexually transmitted infections, and the cervical cancer prevention vaccine Gardasil. According to Breit, “It’s a great way to orient a patient to going to an OB/GYN office.”
Technology is another area in which the Center strives to excel. Thanks to all of the new advances, in many cases “you can go from a major surgery with an incision and a long recovery to a simple office procedure without anesthetic,” says Strecker.
According to Breit, “We’ve worked hard in the last year to develop protocols that work in the office.”
“One of the things that we’re doing here that’s kind of going along with trying to be minimally invasive is in-office endometrial ablations. More and more women can choose that option for bleeding issues rather than major surgery such as a hysterectomy,” says Strecker.
“I think we’ll see more and more of a trend in Wichita for physicians to do these procedures in-office,” adds Breit.
So what does the future hold for the Center for Women’s Health? Both doctors agree that, within the next ten years, they’d like to grow their business by adding two more partners. Whoever joins Breit and Strecker will be welcomed into a homelike atmosphere where women take care of women.
For more information about the Center for Women’s Health, visit www.CWHwichita.com.
|
