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The Navy Medicine Office of Women’s Health has successfully launched an Embedded Women’s Health Provider (EWHP) Pilot, which brings women’s healthcare to the Waterfront.
The Pilot program shifts a women’s health provider from their typical care setting to a more readily accessible location for the active duty population, such as near the ships on the waterfront.
Service women can self-refer and schedule their own appointments with an EWHP and seek care for comprehensive women’s health services including contraception, well-women care, menstrual management, screening for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), pap tests, and point-of-care pregnancy tests. Access to an EWHP ensures that service women are able to resolve health challenges quickly, access preventative care, and minimize duty hours lost to seeking healthcare.
Additionally, the EWHP model supports operational providers, particularly Independent Duty Corpsmen (IDCs), by providing mentorship and formal training on women’s health concerns. The Pilot was launched in October 2020 at Naval Stations Norfolk and Mayport. Currently, EWHPs are available to provide care to service women one day each week, with plans to expand to two days per week at Naval Station Norfolk.
Since the Pilot stand-up, there has been high patient demand and satisfaction with the EWHP program. Within the first five months of operation, 288 service women have received care, 101 have accessed contraception, 139 have received screening for STIs, and an estimated 441 duty hours have been saved due to EWHP access. On average, patients reported 4.95 out of 5.0 for comfort level with the embedded provider. Additionally, 93% of patients described the EWHP as their most convenient care setting. One patient stated: “The information and customer service I received today reassures my confidence level in care from Navy Medicine. I was seen the same day as a walk-in and all my problems and issues were addressed fully.”
Due to the measurable success of the pilot to date, expanding the program will increase access to women’s health services and women’s health proficiency of frontline providers. The Navy Medicine Office of Women’s Health is currently developing resources to support expansion of the program including a “Women’s Health at the Waterfront EWHP Playbook” that provides a summary of the pilot effort, impact on readiness, and comprehensive guide to stand-up the program at new locations.
If you would like more information, please contact CDR Catherine Luna in the Navy Medicine, Office of Women’s Health.
| Date Taken: | 03.23.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 03.23.2021 17:40 |
| Story ID: | 392108 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 249 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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