Dr. Justin Shelton joining WHC in August!

Justin Shelton, DO, will be joining Women's Health Center in August.  Having graduated from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Pennsylvania, Dr. Shelton currently resides there where he is a resident at Albert Einstein Medical Center.  Dr. Shelton became an OB/GYN to take care of all women across their entire life-span and works to be each patient's advocate for quality of life and reproductive health.  He has a strong interest and skill in minimally invasive surgery and can't wait to join our team of providers.

He and his wife enjoy everything about the outdoors including hiking, rock climbing, camping and mountain biking and know that southern Oregon is the perfect place to settle and become part of a community. 

We are looking forward to welcoming Dr. Shelton to the Women's Health Center family and will keep you informed when we start scheduling appointments for him!

Count Her In: Empowering Women & Girls Right Here at Home! is happening on Sunday, February 11 from 2pm - 4:30pm at the Grants Pass High School Performing Arts Center.  Sponsored by Women's Health Center, Women's Foundation of Oregon, Coalition for Kids and Allcare Health, this event is FREE to all attendees.  You will learn about the issues that impact women and girls right in our community and how women of ALL ages can support and inspire each other! 

There will be special teen break-out sessions after the main program, as well as a Community Connection of booths and demonstrations and refreshments!

Women's Health Center values the physical, mental and social well-being of all women and girls.  We encourage you to attend this empowering event!

Blue Zones Project® is all about making healthy choices easier right here in Grants Pass.  Blue Zones Project is based on practices from the worlds longest lived people...do you want to learn all about those practices and how they are being put to work in Grants Pass? Join the free, community kickoff event featuring informative and interactive booths, awesome freebies, and a chance to hear the Blue Zones story from one of the founders! 

CITIZENS
Take the personal pledge and make small changes that can have a big impact on your well-being for years to come.
WORKSITES
Improve the physical, emotional, and social well-being where you spend most of your time – work.
SCHOOLS
Teach kids healthier habits they can carry with them for a lifetime.
RESTAURANTS
Experience a better dining environment with healthier menu choices.
GROCERY STORES
Shop where healthy foods are easy to find.
COMMUNITY POLICY
Use city design, policies, and social networks to create an environment to support healthy choices.
FAITH-BASED COMMUNITIES
Nurture your faith and your well-being.

Saturday, January 20
Starts at 1pm
Performing Arts Center
Grants Pass High School
https://oregon.bluezonesproject.com/

November 16, 2017 has been proclaimed National Rural Health Day in Oregon by Governor Kate Brown.  Her proclamation, signed on October 5 acknowledges the dedication and challenges of providers of health care in rural communities.

This proclamation recognizes that rural Oregon is a wonderful place to work and live - people know each other and work together closely to

 benefit their communities.  At the same time, meeting unique healthcare needs of rural citizens is constantly evolving and challenging as the population in rural areas continues to age and represents a disproportionate number of under and uninsured citizens.

 “There is a statewide shortage of health care providers in rural communities”, says Lisa Redfern, Executive Director of Women’s Health Center of Southern Oregon and a member of the Oregon Rural Health Association Executive Board.  “In our area we are fortunate that our hospitals, clinics and private practice providers, as well as Allcare Health and Primary Health, our local coordinated care organizations, are so committed to providing such comprehensive and patient centered care in our community. “

“Rural health care providers are a special group,”  Redfern adds “it would be easy for many of them to practice in larger cities but they choose to live here, raise their families here and work to make our community healthier and a better place to live.  Join me in saying thank you to every health care professional serving our rural community.”

To learn more about the Oregon Rural Health Association or to support rural healthcare by becoming a member, visit orha.org

Physician Assistant Amber Koonce will be joining Women's Health Center on November 27.   

Amber earned her master’s degree in Physician Assistant studies from Oregon Health Sciences University. She has been working in various areas of healthcare for over six years. She is excited to have the opportunity to work in women’s health as this has always been an area she feels passionate about. She knows she will appreciate and value the special trust and relationship she will develop with her patients. Amber recently returned to southern Oregon with her husband and daughter after many years living all over the world. She is excited to return to Oregon to provide care in her home community. Welcome Amber!

Dr. Tamara Medley was recently featured on a special NBC5 News special report on teen pregnancy in the valley and how schools and local organizations are working to keep those numbers in decline.

Click the links below to hear parts 1 & 2 of this special report.

https://kobi5.com/news/part-1-sex-education-in-oregon-is-it-working-52083/

https://kobi5.com/news/part-2-sex-education-in-oregon-is-it-working-52279/

http://www.kajo.com/features/highlights/health/index.php

Nancy Mason, one of our Women's Health Nurse Practitioners, recently sat down with Marty Sether at KAJO in a Here's to your Health segment sponsored by Allcare Health.  The topic was menopause and Nancy discussed what Women's Health Center can do to educate women and help treat their symptoms.  Click on the link above for the full recording.

Congratulations to Bailey McCoy, Women's Health Center sponsored extreme athlete.  Bailey tests herself to be her extreme best at various obstacle race competitions, including the Reebock Spartan Race.  We are proud to support her efforts.

Women's Health Center will welcome Women's Health Nurse Practitioner Sara Brelsford in mid-October. Sara has a master’s degree in nursing and was a registered nurse for ten years in a rural hospital in Kansas prior to moving to Grants Pass and becoming a WHCNP. Sara is also a certified menopause practitioner. She is married to her best friend, Steve, and together they have two daughters, three sons, and a spoiled beagle that thinks she is a daughter, too.

Women's Health Center is featured as the front page Business Grapevine business in the August issue of Sneak Preview.  Thanks Curtis for a great article!  Not only that, but Dr. Tamara Medley and Dr. Felicia Cohen were chosen as  two of the favorite doctors in the 2016 Best of the Rogue Valley poll. Congratulations!  Check out the article: Sneak Business Grapevine August