Making Rounds
Women’s health services are expanding at Cape Fear Valley
Andrea Hunsinger’s path to pregnancy was not an easy one. Last October, after an emotional two-year struggle to get some good news, she decided it was time to take action. She set a date to talk to her gynecologist about fertility testing.
And then, almost as soon as she put that appointment on her calendar, she and her husband had a wonderful surprise.
“It was an amazing moment, a week later,” she said. “I got to call them and say, ‘Hey, never mind. I just took a test and it’s positive!’”
Just a few months into her pregnancy, she got another pleasant surprise: a closer location for her regular checkups. Cape Fear Valley OB/GYN was opening a new clinic at Health Pavilion North, just off Ramsey Street and much closer to her workplace.
“I was going to the Walter Reed Drive location before that,” said Hunsinger. “And that was a little too far for me with work.”
At Health Pavilion North, Matthew Shakespeare, DO, and Annie Sanders, PA, see low- and high-risk obstetric patients, as well as gynecological patients for all kinds of visits, from annual checkups to acute concerns.
Until February, when the new clinic opened, they had been seeing OB/GYN patients in the family medicine clinic across the hall. But after some growth, it was time to get their own space.
“Having this new office makes it possible for us to see more new patients while still being able to see our many established patients,” said Dr. Shakespeare. “There is a growing need for OB/GYN care in the area.”
The Health Pavilion North location is the third for Cape Fear Valley OB/GYN, joining the clinics on Tilghman Drive in Dunn and on Walter Reed Road in Fayetteville. Dr. Shakespeare said the location offers greater convenience to patients who live or work in the northern end of town, but it’s more than that.
“Some have chosen to come to Health Pavilion North even if it isn’t closer,” he said, “because they enjoy coming to a smaller, less busy office.”
That’s been another perk for Hunsinger, who said she has enjoyed getting to know the staff who are seeing her through her pregnancy.
“I’m a very anxious person,” she said, “so I am constantly messaging or calling the office with questions and things I’m worried about. And they’re so patient with me, which I really love.”
Hunsinger’s anxiety is partially rooted in a tough personal experience: Two years ago, she endured a miscarriage 11 weeks into her first pregnancy.
“The nurse and provider I had in the emergency department were amazing and so comforting,” she said. “I’m thankful for Cape Fear Valley staff as a whole because of how they’ve treated me in good and bad times.”
Dr. Shakespeare said that level of comfort is key to maintaining good gynecological care well beyond the childbearing years.
“Gynecologists serve an important role in caring for patients throughout many various stages of life, from adolescence to geriatrics,” he said. “Each new phase of life comes with new needs, and we are here to help with them all.”
“Each new phase of life comes with new needs, and we are here to help with them all.” - Matthew Shakespeare, DO
Jerlinda Ross, MD, is a practicing OB/GYN and an associate professor at Methodist University Cape Fear Valley Health School of Medicine. She said she was drawn to the specialty in part because there is so much more to it than meets the eye.
“I saw it was a whole spectrum of care that needed to be performed for women,” she said, “and we need to not only care about them when they’re having children, but throughout their whole lives.”
While also guiding medical students into their careers, Dr. Ross is also treating patients at another new clinic designed to focus on cancers of the female reproductive system. Located at 413 Owen Dr., Suite 101, it opened to new patients in May.
Dr. Ross is enthusiastic about introducing this service to Fayetteville, for many reasons.
“It will be positive from a training standpoint for the OB/GYN residents,” she said. “Before, to get any exposure in this subspecialty, they’d have to go all the way to East Carolina University. And having this kind of care closer to home will be great for the community.”
The clinic will welcome patients with any number of gynecological concerns, from fibroids to prolapse to menopause management. Because of this, it may look a little different from other OB/GYN offices, which are often festooned with photos of babies and pregnant bellies.
“This will be a gyn-only practice, so the focus is not on childbearing,” she said. “Our patients might be very anxious about their diagnosis or the symptoms they are experiencing. In a clinic that’s focused on what they’re going through, we can build something holistic to care for a woman and her whole quality of life.”
To make an appointment with Cape Fear Valley OB/GYN – Health Pavilion North, call (910) 615-3943.
