Centegra Health System conducted its first Women’s Health Event May 20 to help reduce a Family Health Partnership Clinic (FHPC) waiting list of 200 women in the community who needed a pap and breast exam.  In a few hours, three Centegra Primary Care (CPC) doctors screened 45 patients.The clinic serves those in the community without health insurance and operates with  24 volunteer physicians, two staff nurse practitioners and a mix of volunteer and paid staff.  It provides more than $2 million  in  services each year and is funded through private grants, foundations and community fundraising. It receives no state or federal funding. In November of 2009, it opened its first satellite clinic on the Centegra Hospital-McHenry campus. In fiscal year 2010, Centegra Primary Care physicians volunteered more than 500 hours at the clinic. For more information on the Family Health Partnership Clinic, visit the website at www.hpclinic.org or call 815-334-8987, Ext. 10.During a routine quarterly staff meeting including Dr. Dudley Brown, Dr. Yvonne Yao, Dr. Alissa Erogbogbo and Dr. Carlos Mendez, the Woodstock and Huntley Centegra Primary Care operations team managers and nursing leads, it was suggested the team do something special (omit collaborate more than usual) with FHPC to help provide a much-needed service.Clinical staff  members readily volunteered their time to participate in the event from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Centegra Primary Care offices in Woodstock.The first patient of the day told Brown she had been on  a FHPC waiting list for nine months to have a pap test.”She was so happy that we offered this service  so she could finally have  this exam,”  Brown said. “Everyone was willing to participate and willing to readily volunteer their time for this event. There was so much positive energy and team excitement throughout the day, it truly was a rewarding event.” Brown added, “While Drs. Yao, Erogbogbo and myself saw the patients, Dr. Mendez made a big contribution by covering my on-call duties for a few hours and seeing our own CPC patients who needed to be seen. To see our clinical and reception teams happily and willingly volunteer their time to work and be a part of the event was so rewarding. I really appreciate everyone for making it all possible.  The next time will be even better.” Suzanne Hoban, director of Family Health Partnership Clinic, said, “It was an example of a tremendous community collaboration that benefited the uninsured women of McHenry County.  We are so appreciative of the physicians and nurses stepping forward and meeting this huge need.”Kathy Rauch, volunteer coordinator for Family Health Partnership Clinic said, “The success of this event speaks to the ongoing concern that Centegra has for all women of McHenry County. The fact that this idea came from the staff at Centegra speaks volumes of their entire health system’s concern for their community.” Centegra Primary Care includes more than 60 physicians practicing many different specialties at seven convenient locations throughout McHenry County. All the Centegra Primary Care facilities use electronic medical records that provide easier access for other members of the medical team and helps keep patient care plans moving forward. For more information on Centegra Primary Care, call 815-338-6600.Centegra Health System is committed to meeting the healthcare needs of the residents of greater McHenry County and to making services available in multiple and convenient locations, including hospitals in McHenry and Woodstock, Immediate and Primary Care Centers, Centegra Sage Cancer Center, Health Bridge Fitness Centers and more. As the region’s leading healthcare provider, Centegra Health System continues to bring the latest treatments and technology, along with the skills of nearly 4,000 medical professionals, to meet the needs of the growing McHenry County community. For more information on Centegra Health System visit centegra.org, search Centegra Health System on Facebook or Twitter or call 877-CENTEGRA (877-236-8347).