Do you have a primary care home? In Oregon, a patient-centered primary care home is a health care clinic, like the OHSU Center for Women's Health Primary Care Division, that has been recognized for its commitment to patient-centered care. In other words, a primary care home will put you and your needs at the center of how it treats you. 

Your primary care home looks at your health holistically. Your primary care provider takes responsibility for preventive care, like vaccinations and monitoring your vital signs, and day-to-day health concerns like sinus infections. He or she also tracks your unique set of medications, health issues, and health experiences and works with specialists you may also be seeing.

 "There is good evidence that having a medical home and a primary care provider improves health outcomes," says Johanna Warren, M.D., new head of the Primary Care Division at the OHSU Center for Women's Health. 

Our clinic was first recognized by the state as a patient-centered primary care home in 2015. This year, we worked to expand our primary care team and, with Dr. Warren's leadership, we're ready for 2017. Our ongoing goal is to meet the unique health needs of our patients. 

"Women access health care a little differently than men," says Dr. Warren. Most women visit their health care provider more frequently than men, providing more opportunities for health education and preventive care. 

"Many women also play a central role in their family's health," says Dr. Warren. "Whether they work or not, they often take charge of child care, cooking, and even care for their parents." This means that the health education, perspective, and care a woman receives is likely to impact her whole family. 

Women's primary care at the OHSU Center for Women's Health 

Because of our honed focus on the unique health needs and experiences of women, the Center is a great option for women's primary care.  

In addition, our clinic includes many different types of providers, all focused on caring for women. We work hard to foster ongoing collaboration between them to ensure women get the best care possible. 

For example, Hetal Choxi, M.D., one of our primary care providers, recently saw a patient who had specific questions about her breast health. Dr. Choxi was able to quickly speak with a breast surgeon during the appointment to provide the patient with more detailed answers than she otherwise could have. 

"We're working to get even better at integrating care, so patients can get more done at each visit to our clinic," says Dr. Warren. "We're also continuing to focus on building long-term relationships with our patients.