EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – With a goal of caring for the women of greater El Paso and educating them on the importance of their annual appointments and preventative screenings, Women’s Health Texas, and its partner Women’s Health USA, is expanding its footprint by adding an OBGYN group in El Paso.
Officials estimate that 18,968 new cases of breast cancer and 1,420 new cases of cervical cancer will be diagnosed in Texas this year. El Paso County alone is projected to see 514 breast cancer cases and 45 cervical cancer cases, according to a release from Women’s Health Texas.
Women’s Health Texas, a collaborative network of women’s healthcare providers, is witnessing a bigger necessity for women to be proactive about their annual screenings to catch cancerous cells early.
Most recently, providers are hearing from patients that they have missed their annual screenings which is a direct correlation to the slight increase in late-stage cervical cancer diagnosis. Among this group and historically, Hispanic women have had the highest incident rate of late-stage cancer diagnosis compared to early diagnosis of other race/ethnicity groups. With new office doors opening in El Paso in November, the new OBGYN provider group is eager to fill an unmet need in the marketplace and become partners in women’s health at every age and stage in a supportive and welcoming space, Women’s Health Texas officials said.
“Early detection is the best-known strategy in the fight against breast and cervical cancers,” Dr. Heather Butts, a provider in the Women’s Health TX network in El Paso. “If women aren’t attending their annual appointment with their OBGYN then there is no way to be successful with this. Our mission is to reach these women, educate them on proactive screenings and see that they practice it. Cervical cancer is preventable with regular Pap tests and surviving breast cancer increases as well.”
“In addition to prenatal and pregnancy care appointments, your annual visit to the OBGYN places your health and wellbeing first. Well-woman visits are just as important as appointments when you are expecting,” Butts said.
Women receiving routine annual wellness appointments with Women’s Health Texas-El Paso receive screenings in the form of a clinical breast exam and a Pap smear test of the cervix. A Pap smear is most commonly used to screen for and detect the possibility of cervical cancer or precancer, called dysplasia, and when caught early. “The most important thing to remember is to get screened regularly,” said Butts. “Early detection greatly improves the chances of successful treatment of pre-cancers and cancer help avoid delays in diagnosis.”
Additionally, Women’s Health Texas-El Paso features care offered for the whole woman by Butts and her associates, Dr. Randle Umeh, Dr. Yvette Jiang, and Dr. Naima Khamsi. The practice rounds out their women’s healthcare services with the following offerings:
- Gynecological care
- Contraceptive care
- Preventative care
- Prenatal care
- Postpartum recovery
- Behavioral health screenings
- In-office procedures
- Genetic screening
- Telemedicine visits
“We are adapting to the changing landscape in Obstetrics and Gynecology, and I couldn’t be more excited to open this new office and offer a relatable, safe, and welcoming place for women in El Paso,” Butts said. “Together with my partners, our goal is to empower and educate women about their health today and at all stages of their lives.”
For more information or to find a provider, visit www.womenshealthtx.com.
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