Women’s Health Initiative

Women’s Health Initiative provides comprehensive care to the women who call BVMI their medical home

Because you are there for us, we can be there for her!

The Women’s Health Initiative provides specialized healthcare services for over 600 women, who comprise two-thirds of BVMI’s patient census. When they come to BVMI seeking primary care, we find that many have never seen a gynecologist or women’s health practitioner. This program assures they have access to high-quality, compassionate women’s healthcare services.

Following a primary care visit, all new women patients at BVMI undergo a well-woman exam (repeated annually), which includes cancer screenings and other age-appropriate services. All women ages 40 and over who have not had a mammogram within the last 12 months are referred for out for the procedure. For women who require additional testing or procedures, BVMI assists them in receiving free diagnostic services and specialist care, with the support of a patient navigator who makes sure their medical needs are fully met.

The fact that BVMI offers both physical, mental health and case management services enables low-income women to receive comprehensive help as they seek to improve their health and quality of life.

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BVMI has also been able to provide safe space for women patients in emotional or psychological distress. As part of the intake process, all new BVMI patients complete a depression screening survey, with results indicating that 70% of women patients struggle with depression. BVMI social workers provide mental health counseling, the only source of free mental health support in Bergen County.

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Women account for nearly 80% of the visits to BVMI’s Case Manager, who helps connect them to partner agencies which aid them in obtaining food, rent and utility assistance, employment information, immigration and legal services, and other resources to help them provide for their families.

It takes a village…

We can’t do this alone! Thanks to our wonderful staff and volunteer providers, social workers and case manager, we are able to deliver the comprehensive care that is the hallmark of the Women’s Health Initiative. They work tirelessly to provide our female patients with the best possible care. Read below for a few of their stories…

Patient Story

Lee: Breast Cancer

Lee became a BVMI patient in 2019.

At her first wellness visit, she told the BVMI clinician that she has a family history of breast cancer, but she had not had a mammogram in many years because she could not afford health insurance.

Women’s Health Initiative