By Ruby Pratka
Local Journalism Initiative
Women without access to a family doctor will have an opportunity to get gynecological exams in a safe and welcoming environment; get tested for cervical cancer, common sexually transmitted and bloodborne diseases; and take long-term contraceptive measures (implant, IUD, prescribed birth control) at the GMF La Pommeraie in Cowansville on Nov. 1. Horizon Pour Elles will also be onsite to offer resources to anyone who might be experiencing domestic violence or concerned about a friend or family member in a dangerous situation.
The clinic is free and open to women from around the Brome-Missisquoi and Haute-Yamaska regions – and anyone who has a uterus, whether or not they use the word “woman” to describe themselves. English service is available on request. However, space is limited and advance reservations are required.
Dr. Anne-Patricia Prévost is a family physician at the GMF La Pommeraie. She started the tradition of the twice-yearly women’s health clinics a few years ago; the Nov. 1 event will be the sixth. She said the clinic is a precious opportunity to help patients who have had trouble accessing reproductive health care while training the next generation of health professionals. “Maybe you don’t have a family doctor, or you haven’t seen one in a while, or your family doctor doesn’t do gynecological exams, or the timing hasn’t worked out.”
“There will be medical students and nursing interns there on the day, and we take the opportunity to train them,” she explained. “It’s good to have a day where we see the same kinds of cases in one block.”
Prévost and her colleagues will be volunteering their time to run the clinic. For Prévost, the community clinics are part of the GMF’s mission. “We had another respiratory health day last weekend; we took patients who had COPD or asthma and had them see a respiratory therapist, a doctor and a nurse to get evaluated,” she said. “When there’s a multidisciplinary team there, it improves things. The patients learned a lot, they were very happy and they got up-to-date testing. For us, the clinics are motivating; they remind us why we do what we do.”
Prévost has been reaching out to social media bulletin boards, community groups and employers to encourage them to refer their female employees to the clinic. “A lot of the time, as a woman, you’re used to forgetting yourself, thinking of others first, taking the kids to the dentist but not thinking about whether you need to see the dentist,” she said. “There are times when you need to put yourself first.”