The month of October has become synonymous with breast cancer awareness. Yet Westside Family Health Center remains focused year-round on educating and servicing its patients about the second most common cancer in American women.
Last year WFHC celebrated its 50th anniversary. The Federally Qualified Health Center offers services to 13,000-plus patients spread throughout 170 zip codes in Los Angeles.
"The service that we provide is a screening mammogram," said Felicia Osborn, Medical Director of Reproductive Health and Prenatal Programs. "Some are coming for the first time when they turn 40, and others are continuing their health maintenance. They have had mammograms in the past and either had abnormal ones and are returning for a screening mammogram or they're continuing their screening mammograms for prevention purposes to detect cancer."
Osborn has spent her entire career practicing in community health centers.
"Since I decided to become a nurse practitioner, that has always been my goal, my mission and my passion," Osborn said. "I never wanted to work in a private practice because I prefer community-based clinics. Maybe because of my upbringing, my goal has been to serve my community or communities that were similar to mine and provide access to quality healthcare. I consider myself to be a quality healthcare provider. I think there are a lot of people who believe that community clinics don't have great providers. I chose to be a great provider and to make sure that all people have equal access to healthcare, regardless of their insurance or ability to pay. The only way that will happen is if providers who are well-educated and trained make a commitment to serve their community."
"I started this career when I was very young," she continued, "and I was able to start serving people from the time that they were young till pregnancy all the way through menopause. I've grown personally and professionally with my patients."
From mammogram imaging to evaluation, WFHC sticks by each patient's side, educating and informing them of their options and next steps. MediCal covers the mammogram for most of WFHC's patients, and for those without MediCal, a program called Every Woman Counts covers the service for women up to 250% of the Federal Poverty Level.
Osborn has worked as a women's health nurse practitioner since 1997. Her most valuable advice is to find a provider that you trust.
"It is important to establish a relationship with your provider," she shared. "Choose a provider that you feel comfortable speaking with and that you feel comfortable with the way they speak with you. I say with you and not to you. There will be times that you may want something that a provider may not be able to do for you or you may not even agree with, but you can still respect your provider and the provider should still be able to respect you -- so just finding that balance of someone that you're comfortable with."
Before Osborn began working full-time at WFHC, she was training and teaching as a consultant and volunteering at WFHC. Over the years, her commitment to and enthusiasm for WFHC has remained steadfast.
"What I love the most about Westside Family Health Center is that we provide such a wide array of services," said Osborn. "Patients don't have to go multiple places. That's something that's unique about WFHC. All our services are under one roof, and we can coordinate with the providers because all our providers know one another."
WFHC services include reproductive health, prenatal, pediatrics, adolescent health, family practice, mental health, oral health and community outreach and education.
"I teach child preparation," Julie Kirk, WFHC's Chief Community and Patient Engagement Officer, added, joining the conversation. "A patient asked for a doula, so I went to Felicia, because she's in charge of our prenatal program, and I asked for her help. Felicia connected her to the prenatal coordinator. Then the same patient wanted to meet her pediatrician, and Felicia said, 'Yeah, let's coordinate that.'"
Osborn added that WFHC can often even arrange transportation for patients to and from appointments.
"That's why all of us gravitate here," Kirk said. "Because we have worked at other places that don't have all these services. WFHC is everything we want a health center to be."
On the first Thursday of each month, WFHC partners with Alinea Health to offer free mammograms at its main site on Sepulveda Boulevard in Culver City. Alinea brings the mammogram machine, technician and assistant to the clinic.
For more information, visit wfhcenter.org.