Women's Health Clinic
Mission and Vision
Our mission is to provide safe, timely, compassionate and professional care to meet the obstetric and gynecological needs of Soldiers serving at Fort Irwin as well as their families.
Our vision is to provide the best possible care for women with kindness and compassion.
About Women's Health Clinic
Women’s Health plays a vital role in the overall readiness of the Army. WACH Women’s Health Clinic (WHC) supports women’s health in many ways through obstetrics and gynecology care, breast cancer screening and nutrition counseling, just to name a few. Your physical, mental emotional and spiritual health are our priorities.
Your staff at WHC is committed to providing you exceptional care to meet your specific needs. We cannot possibly list all of the services we offer but some of our services include: a complete Well Woman Exam, Pap Smear, Sexually Transmitted Disease diagnosis and treatment, Birth Control and Birth Control Pills, Nexplanon, Nuva-Ring, Intra-uterine Devices, Mirena, Paraguard, Depo Provera Injection, management of Endometriosis, Fibroids, Menopause, Heavy/Painful Periods, Ovarian Cysts, Urinary Incontinence, Pelvic Pain, Hysteroscopy, Hysterectomy, Tubal Ligation and Initial Infertility Workups
Your primary care provider can assist you with these services and should be your initial point of contact. If they feel you require more in-depth gynecology care, they will place a referral to our clinic and we will be more than happy to care for you.
Things to Know
- A Well Woman Exam is typically handled by Primary Care.
- All GYN patients must obtain a referral from their Primary Care Providers to be seen in our clinic.
- Any female who thinks she may be pregnant may walk-in to the clinic on Mondays, Wednesday or Fridays from 8 to 11 a.m. A military or dependent ID card must be presented in order to apply for a pregnancy test and obtain results after 2 p.m. (same day), again, by presenting a military or dependent ID card.
- If the pregnant patient has not been set up for care yet and they are having difficulties such as cramping or bleeding, they may call the on-call Triage Nurse at 760-383-5355 (Monday - Friday from 8 - 11:45 a.m. and 12:45 to 4 p.m.
Making Appointments
We know your time is valuable and we are committed to making the appointment process as easy as possible. We are a referral-only clinic, which means that for non-OB related issues, patients must first see their primary care provider, who will then refer them, if needed, to the WHC clinic. After you have received a routine referral from your PCM, please allow 48 hours before calling the WHC appointment line. If you have received an ASAP referral, you may call the WHC appointment line the following business day.
All patients are asked to report to the clinic 15 minutes prior to your appointment time. This allows the nursing staff time to check you in and screen you in preparation for your visit with the provider. This also ensures that you and your provider have the maximum amount of time to address any issues or concerns.
TRICARE Covered Services
TRICARE covers well-woman exams annually for women under age 65 with no cost-share or copayment. TRICARE offers coverage for many women’s health services, including:
For women who are age 65 and older and using TRICARE For Life, you can still get women’s preventive screenings. Get more information about these and other TRICARE covered services at: https://tricare.mil/coveredservices/isitcovered/.
Our No-Show Policy
We want to ensure that you and your provider have as much time as possible to properly discuss your individual concerns or issues. If you cannot make your appointment, we ask that you give us a call AT LEAST 24 hours in advance, to cancel and reschedule your appointment. Hospital policy states that persons showing up 10 minutes or later past their allotted appointment time will be considered a no-show and will need to re-schedule.
Network Referrals
If care from a civilian provider is necessary, a referral request will be sent to Tri-Care’s United Health Care. The request will be processed in 7-10 business days. An authorization letter will be sent to you along with instructions on how to schedule that appointment. Please ensure your contact information is up to date in our system. If you know a referral to an outside care provider has been submitted and you have not received anything in the mail after 14 business days, please contact the clinic so we can help you investigate where your referral is.
Patient Education
We offer a variety of educational opportunities to include Expectant Parenting Class, Lactation Orientation, and Breast Feeding Support. Please contact the clinic for dates, times, and locations.
New Parent Support Program
We are dedicated to ensuring you and your family have the resources needed to ensure a healthy start for your child. Contact the Army Community Service’s New Parent Support Program at 760-380-4021 to learn about infant care classes, play groups, and other programs of interest.
Boosting Nutrition During Pregnancy
Nutrition needs during pregnancy change to support the development and health of your growing baby. Mother and baby have extra needs, and a general healthy diet with ensure a balanced mix of important nutrients.
An expecting mother’s diet is very important during pregnancy as this decides the healthiness of the baby, and when born should have a minimum of approximately 25 pounds during birth. Other nutritional foods required for a healthy pregnancy will include protein, iron and calcium rich foods and avoiding drugs such as caffeine, alcohol and nicotine.
If you are interested in learning more about nutrition during your pregnancy - or have questions - mothers are encouraged to contact the WACH Nutrition Care Division and speak with a registered dietitian at (760) 380-3178. We're happy help!
Quick Tips
- Eating a healthy balanced diet will help you and your baby get the nutrition you need.
- By eating a variety of healthy foods, you should be able to get all the nutrients you need for pregnancy from food and prenatal vitamins.
- Taking your vitamins with a small meal or snack will help you better tolerate and absorb them.
- Extra calories should be from nutritious foods, such as lean meats, low-fat or fat-free dairy products, fruits, vegetables, and whole grain breads and cereals. An additional 300 calories a day is needed during the second and third trimester.
- Drink approximately 12 (8-fluid-ounce) cups of water or other beverages (caffeine-free or 100% fruit juice) throughout the day.
- Have at least 3 cups of low-fat or fat-free dairy foods for adequate calcium and vitamin D intake.
- Eat at least 3 cups of vegetables (including at least 1 cup of dark-green or orange vegetables that are high in vitamin C).
- Have at least 2 cups of fruit. Limit juice to 100% fruit juice and only 1 cup a day.
- Eat at least 5 to 7 ounces of grains such as whole grain bread, cereal, or pasta. At least half your grains should come from whole grains.
- Choose cereals and bread products that are fortified with iron. These, along with your prenatal vitamin, will meet your iron needs during pregnancy.
- Eat at least 5 to 6 ounces of protein such as lean meat, fish, or poultry. If you do not eat meat, try similar amounts of other foods with protein, such as cooked dried beans or lentils, tofu or soy, eggs, nuts, or peanut butter.