Intermountain nurse-midwives launch new gynecology access clinic

This article about gynecology access is sponsored by Intermountain Health. 

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Intermountain Health has had certified nurse-midwives in Utah since 1989, when they first attended births at Intermountain LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City. 

Now, 35 years later, the number of certified nurse-midwives at Intermountain Health in Utah has grown to 50 – and there are now 16 Utah hospital locations where they’re able to deliver babies – from Logan to St. George.

In 2023, more than 1,500 births were attended by Intermountain midwives. Beginning on May 1, they will be back to what midwives affectionately refer to as “catching babies” their patients give birth to at Intermountain LDS Hospital. 

“Many people don’t realize that most certified nurse-midwives in Utah attend births in hospitals. In our practice alone during the last 35 years, we have attended the births of nearly 16,000 babies,” said Che Fullmer, DNP, CNM, a certified nurse-midwife with Intermountain Health.

“As midwives, we’ve always been committed to bedside support throughout labor. In our practice, we work together with our maternal fetal medicine physicians who have the specialized expertise to provide care to patients with pregnancy complications. We like to refer to it as a high touch/high tech collaboration,” she said.

Not Just Delivering Babies

But midwives don’t just deliver babies and provide prenatal care, they also see patients for a variety of women’s health concerns and conditions from puberty to menopause, and beyond. 

In response to the many healthcare needs unique to women, the Intermountain Nurse- Midwives have launched a gynecology access clinic which provides women with access to comprehensive gynecology care.

Both virtual and in-person appointments are available. Most patients are seen within a few days, with some same-day appointments available. Virtual appointments are provided to patients in Utah.

In-person appointments are available at the Intermountain Medical Center Nurse-Midwives Clinic in Murray and the new Intermountain LDS Nurse-Midwives Clinic on the LDS Hospital campus in Salt Lake City.

There are also plans for other clinics to join the program in the near future. 

What is a Certified Nurse Midwife?

The word midwife literally means ‘with woman’ which is evidenced by the midwife philosophy to create a relationship and support people in the choices they make during pregnancy and birth, and to promote optimal health during pregnancy and at other times of their lives.

A certified nurse midwife is an advanced practice clinician who specializes in providing primary care and care related to reproductive and sexual health to people from all communities, from the teenage years through menopause and beyond. 

The gynecology access clinic can provide timely diagnosis and treatment for patients with any of the following symptoms or concerns: 

• Abnormal vaginal bleeding or discharge 
• Pelvic pain, vaginal pain 
• Urinary tract infection (UTI) symptoms 
• Birth control consultation, prescription, or IUD (intrauterine device) placement 
• Sexually transmitted infection (STI) screening and treatment 
• Early pregnancy nausea and vomiting 
• Depression/anxiety screening and referral to behavioral health providers 
• Breast lump or pain 
• Menopause/perimenopause symptoms: hot flashes, night sweats, sleep disruption, hormone fluctuations, vaginal dryness, etc. 

For most of these concerns a midwife can provide complete comprehensive care. If more specialized care is needed, patients can be referred to an Intermountain OB/GYN, behavioral health provider, or other specialist and the care is coordinated between providers. 

If a patient already has an Intermountain OB/GYN provider, they can still be seen in the gynecology access clinic for urgent concerns, and care will be coordinated with their OB/GYN and they can see that provider for future needs. 

Intermountain nurse-midwives can deliver babies at 16 Utah hospitals including:

• Intermountain Alta View Hospital, Sandy.
• Intermountain American Fork Hospital.
• Intermountain Cedar City Hospital.
• Intermountain Medical Center, Murray.
• Intermountain Layton Hospital.
• Intermountain LDS Hospital, SLC (beginning May 1).
• Intermountain Logan Region Hospital.
• Intermountain McKay-Dee Hospital, Ogden.
• Intermountain Orem Community Hospital.
• Intermountain Park City Hospital.
• Intermountain Riverton Hospital.
• Intermountain Sanpete Valley Hospital.
• Intermountain Sevier Valley Hospital.
• Intermountain Spanish Fork Hospital.
• Intermountain St. George Regional Hospital.
• Intermountain Utah Valley Hospital, Provo.

To contact the Intermountain Gynecology Access Clinic, call 801-408-7041 or go to intermountainhealth.org 

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