COLUMBIA — Women suffering from pelvic conditions now have a place to call their own.
Raymond Foster of Columbia Regional Hospital opened the Missouri Center for Female Continence and Advanced Pelvic Surgery on July 20. The hospital marked the occasion with an open house Tuesday.
The center provides surgical care for benign pelvic disorders such as prolapse and bladder control issues. Foster said one-third of women will have incontinence in their life.
Foster, the director of the center, and Julie Starr, a nurse practitioner, see about 20 patients a day. Foster handles the surgical procedures, while Starr does non-surgical therapy.
The concept behind the center is to make the treatment process as efficient and effective as possible, said Jeffrey Hoelscher, spokesman for MU Health Care.
“Dr. Foster has been here for a couple of years, and although he’s offered pretty much the same services, it wasn’t combined into one center,” Hoelscher said.
This setup is more patient-friendly, Foster said.
“I can examine the patient, look at their history, do testing and do the pre-operation evaluation all in one day,” Foster said. “When you leave, the next time you’ll be back is for the surgery.”
The center offers non-surgical options when possible for patients who do not want surgery.
Columbia resident and patient Kay Hake said it's a one-stop shop.
“You don’t have to go to the gynecologist to fix one thing and a urologist for another, which, if you’re busy, that makes all the difference,” she said.
The new building was built to fit the system, Foster said. He worked with architects to build an efficient layout.
The center is located in Suite 306 of the Keene Medical Building, 500 N. Keene St. in Columbia.