By Rachel Dowler
The School of Nursing’s Wellness 360 clinic has launched Women’s Wellness Days, a program to help employees and students access routine and specialty women’s health care without having to go off campus.
Emily C. Carder, DNP, MSN, WHNP-BC, is a board-certified nurse practitioner specializing in women’s health. She saw the need for increased access to women’s health care and came up with the idea for Women’s Wellness Days.
“Annual health exams provide an opportunity for women to access preventive services, discuss strategies to minimize health risks and achieve a healthy lifestyle,” Dr. Carder said, adding that, according to the CDC, more than 30% of women between the ages of 18 and 44 do not access this care, and this number may have increased during the pandemic.
“Well-woman visits include a full checkup, separate from any other visit for sickness or injury, focusing on preventive care for women, including services like vaccines, screening tests, education and counseling to help make informed health decisions,” Dr. Carder said.
Women’s Wellness Days offer dedicated, regular opportunities for women to stay up-to-date with their routine wellness visits. The program provides on-campus care for employees and students, whether they’re living with a chronic condition like endometriosis or polycystic ovary syndrome, managing their reproductive health with long-acting contraception, or they’re managing menopause.
“At Wellness 360, we want to make access to exceptional women’s health care easy so that more women, including our students, staff and faculty, get the care they want, when they want it,” Dr. Carder said.
Women’s Wellness Days at Wellness 360 occur on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 a.m. to noon. Call 210-567-2788 to schedule an appointment or visit online for more information.