Good Neighbor Podcast: Auburn and Opelika

Ep.#100: Westerwell Auburn: Gynecology, Health and Wellness

• Susannah Hodges at Village Centre Press

Share episode

We meet Dr. Richard Stevens of Westerwell Gynecology Health and Wellness to talk about focused menopause care, the long shadow of the Women’s Health Initiative, and bringing better hormone options closer to Auburn. He shares why evidence has shifted, how access is improving, and why midlife can feel better than expected.

• what Westerwell does and why it excludes obstetrics
• why menopause and perimenopause management is the core focus
• the origin of the estrogen fear from the 2002 study
• how newer evidence and timing of therapy change risk
• bringing services to Auburn to improve access
• practical encouragement to seek providers who listen
• contact details and where to learn more

www.westerwellhealth.com

SPEAKER_00:

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Suzanne Hodges.

SPEAKER_02:

Welcome, and with me is Dr. Richard Stevens. He's with Westerwell Gynecology Health and Wellness. Welcome, Dr. Stevens.

SPEAKER_01:

Thank you. Thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_02:

So tell me a little bit about Westerwell.

SPEAKER_01:

So Westerwell consists of uh myself and Dr. Susie Westerland. And um I think uh we're so we're just gynecologists, we don't do obstetrics, um, which is probably pretty important to point out. But um so we do all the things that general gynecologists do, um, just routine care and pap smears and those kinds of things. Um, and I uh still operate, my partner doesn't, Dr. Westerwin. Um, but really um probably about 95% of what we do is um hormone management and treatment of menopause and perimenopause. And um so that's kind of our specialty and and uh really where our interests lie in large part.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay. All right. Well, tell me a little bit about you. Tell me about your journey into uh this specialty. How did you get into uh the gynecology and hormone therapy type of uh world here?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, you know, it's funny. I go back to when I was uh waiting to get into medical school. I was working as a scrub tech at Houston Hospital in Columbus, and there was an old nurse there who since passed, and the day I got into medical school, she said, You're gonna be an OBGYN. And I was like, You are crazy. I that is the one thing I know that I won't do. Um but she ended up being right, and uh so for probably about 15 years, I um practiced obstetrics and gynecology in Columbus, which is where I grew up, um, and then for several reasons, just became not real happy with uh with my work lot in life and was kind of starting to think, is there anything else out there? And um fortuitously, Dr. uh Western and myself had a chance run in and she described what she was doing. And so I went home that night and told my wife, I was like, I've I've found what I'm gonna do next. Um good. And so shortly thereafter we ended up in practice together, and she had already um kind of started down the road of hormones, and that's where her interest really was, and um, it kind of evolved for me. Um, but what was unexpected to me was I've really found it, you know, around the age of 50, I'm like, this is what I love to do, this is what I love to spend my time doing. Um, and so I tell my patients all the time, it it's a really nice place to be where we can both um really help women, um, but we're also both incredibly passionate about it and love doing what we're doing. And so when you can have a situation where those things two things come together, um we're really blessed to to be doing what we're doing.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, now you've recently opened a location in Auburn. Tell me about that.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, so we're based out of uh Columbus, Georgia, where we both live, and we just started to notice that um because it it it it shouldn't be this way, but um, but it is that it's really hard to find people who uh enjoy doing hormone treatment um and who really offer it in in the sense of a full scope. Um so we just started noticing, you know, more and more of our patients, our new patients are coming from Alabama, um, both Auburn and Opalica, but even outside of that, I mean Montgomery, Dothan, Birmingham. And so um, as we were seeing this happen, we kind of realized it would make sense not only to get closer to those patients to help them, but um probably the bigger issue was you know, we're on eastern time and and Auburn and West are on central time, and that made it really difficult for patients. So we were like, well, this could work out, we'll just go to Auburn some and and uh make ourselves more accessible to those patients. So that's how we ended up in Auburn.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay. So where are you located in Auburn?

SPEAKER_01:

We are actually so the structure of our business, we have a management contract um with Houston. Um, and so that worked out great because they have Houston Clinic on East University in Auburn, and so we just practice out of that facility, which has worked great.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, and it's uh it's very centrally located as well, very easy to find. So what are some you know, being in that realm or or that type of uh practice for as many years as you have, I'm sure you've come across some misconceptions that people have about make gynecology or maybe hormone therapy that uh that you might want to clear up. Are there any misconceptions or myths out there?

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely, and and and myself and and if I start rambling too much, you can just cut me off. But um I we fight against this every day. So so in the world of hormones, there was a study that was released in 2002 called the Women's Health Initiative. Um, and it was actually a pretty bad study in its design, and the interpretation of the results was really not good, but it got a lot of press coverage, and so this is where the idea that still persists today that um hormones and estrogen in particular cause things like breast cancer and heart disease and all that, it all started with this study. Um, and so it got so much coverage that um physicians were calling their female patients and saying, stop your hormones immediately, they're gonna kill you. And you know, so here we are almost 25 years later, and that is still um a pervasive belief among patients, which I understand because it's very confusing, but also really I think uh the majority of OBGYNs are still really hesitant to um to prescribe hormone therapy, and uh and it's and that's starting to change. Um the big news a couple weeks ago was the FDA taking the black black box warning off of hormones, which was very helpful. Um But the sad thing is for two decades it's really been to the detriment of women, and and so now we have a population of women in their 60s, 70s, 80s who were deprived of hormones because of this study, and now we're seeing all of the osteoporotic fractures and heart disease and dementia and all these terrible results of the fact that they were were deprived of hormones. So it's definitely a large part of our job dispelling this myth that you know not only are these things not harmful to you, they're actually very helpful and important. And and uh so yeah, we fight that every day.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay. Well, I you know, hormone therapy and hormones in general are frustrating, but then to have bad information that just makes it even worse.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. It does. And and so we're the you know, the two of us and our little our little practice are trying to do everything we can to turn that around.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, let's uh turn the conversation to you. Tell me what you like to do for fun when you're not working uh in your practice.

SPEAKER_01:

Um really it's just primarily golf. Um, I wish I were good at it, but I'm not. Um, and then I I also find myself at a place in life where um my children are all adults now and outside of the house. And yeah. Um, so my wife and I are kind of going through that process of rediscovering that um we actually like each other and actually enjoy spending time together.

SPEAKER_02:

And uh that's good, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, yeah, it's been a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, what is one thing you wish people knew about Westerwell that they may not realize?

SPEAKER_01:

Um, you know, I I think just that we're here and that um, you know, all of these things that they've been told are normal and part of life and just suck it up, um, that it doesn't have to be that way. And and you know, I've really come to believe that in a lot of ways um menopause can be a blessing, and and those years um can be the happiest years of your life if they're managed correctly, and and uh and so that's what we do, but also that's what we love doing. So um there is help out there, I guess, is is what I would want women to know. And and if you're not getting the help, then um find somebody who will, whether it's it's us or somebody else out there who's doing what we do, because there's help out there.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay. Well, how can people find more about uh learn more about Westerwell?

SPEAKER_01:

Oh gosh, you know you would think I would have prepared for that question. Um I we have a website, yes, and I'm looking at it right now.

SPEAKER_02:

So let's go.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm glad you know more about it. Thank you. I'm glad you know more about it than I do. Um yeah, so uh yeah, I I I I want to say that I think our phone number is 706-967-9378. Um that's correct.

SPEAKER_02:

I'm looking at it right now.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay, good. I I was hoping that's not our office manager's cell phone or anything like that.

SPEAKER_02:

No, it's on your website, so I'm assuming that's your that's your direct line to the office.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay, well, you can you can see how well informed I am about my own practice.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, it's easy to find online, westerwellhealth.com. And thank you so much, Dr. Stevens, for joining me today. I've really enjoyed talking with you and learning more about Westerwell.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, thank you for having me, and uh we're really excited to be in Auburn.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast Auburn. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpauburn.com. That's gnpauburn.com or call three three four four two nine seven four zero.