UC Irvine Family Health Center-Anaheim has opened a new medical services facility for women and expectant mothers at 300 West Carl Karcher Way in Anaheim. The site expands on the gynecological and prenatal care services already offered at UC Irvine FHC-Anaheim to help ensure healthy pregnancies and births.

UC Irvine broke ground on the project in June 2007 and completed construction in August. The 4,350-square-foot modular building includes six exam rooms, a procedure room, two consultation rooms, and a large waiting area with modern accommodations for patients and families. Construction and equipment costs totaling $900,000 were paid for with a grant from the Children and Families Commission of Orange County. 

“The Commission supports the health and early education of young children and UC Irvine’s effort to improve access to prenatal care in our community,” said Michael M. Ruane, executive director of the Children and Families Commission of Orange County. “Regularly scheduled visits during pregnancy can help ensure that a child gets a healthy start to life, sustains good health, and is ready to learn when the child starts school.”

The new location for women’s services in Anaheim is now larger and better equipped to offer high quality care to women in the region. Working with the specially trained physicians and staff at UC Irvine Family Health Center-Santa Ana, the center in Anaheim hopes to become one of the main referral centers for high-risk pregnancies in North Orange County. Women with complicated maternal and fetal problems stemming from diabetes, hypertension, obesity and smoking, as well as those related to teen or late adulthood pregnancies, will be able to see a physician sooner and with greater ease than before. 

“The additional exam rooms and consultation rooms will allow the Family Health Center to make a greater impact in our community by providing prenatal care to those who need it most,” said Maureen Zehntner, interim chief executive officer of UC Irvine Medical Center.

Community need and accessibility were major factors behind UC Irvine’s decision to expand its gynecological and obstetric services in Anaheim. According to The Orange County Health Needs Assessment, the region has a disproportionate share of uninsured adults and children and is home to minority groups who are more likely to lack health care coverage.

“Hundreds of women in our local communities do not meet with medical professionals early enough in their pregnancy. This can increase the incidence of medical emergencies, including miscarriages and newborn mortality,” said Dr. Bich-Van Thi Tran, assistant clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology and medical director of the women’s health service.

The center’s women’s service expects to eventually see 400 patients per month, which is an increase from the 275 patients it saw each month before the new building opened. Patients who visit the center with young children also can make appointments with UC Irvine FHC-Anaheim’s pediatric services. The multidisciplinary healthcare team of nurses, therapists and social workers provide information on the birthing process, breast-feeding practices and nutrition.

“We designed the layout of the center with our patients’ needs in mind,” Tran said. “All members of the family are welcome, including spouses, children and grandparents.”

The primary focus of UC Irvine FHC-Anaheim is on family and preventive health. It receives nearly 24,000 outpatient visits annually and offers diagnostic and outpatient services for adults and children in internal medicine, pediatrics and gynecology and obstetrics. As part of the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine, resident physicians are trained at the center in primary care, general internal medicine, and general and adolescent pediatrics.

UC Irvine FHC-Anaheim is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Many forms of private insurance and publicly assisted health insurance programs such as Medi-Cal and Healthy Families are accepted and a culturally sensitive staff can answer questions in Spanish or Vietnamese. For more information or to make an appointment with a UC Irvine Healthcare provider, call 714-456-7002.

About University of California, Irvine Healthcare: UC Irvine Healthcare is a clinical entity comprising UC Irvine Medical Center and University Physicians & Surgeons, a faculty practice organization of more than 400 specialty and primary care physicians. UC Irvine Healthcare is committed to providing the highest quality care to Orange County and surrounding communities through UC Irvine Medical Center, a leading university medical center and Level I trauma center. UC Irvine Medical Center is ranked among the nation’s best hospitals by U.S. News & World Report’s annual listing of “America’s Best Hospitals.” For more about UC Irvine Healthcare, visit www.ucihealth.com

The Children and Families Commission of Orange County: The Children and Families Commission of Orange County was created by Proposition 10, the California Children and Families Act of 1998. The proposition added a 50-cent sales tax on tobacco products sold in California and requires that funds raised be used to support early education and health programs for children from the prenatal stage to age five. The Children and Families Commission of Orange County is responsible for overseeing the allocation of tobacco tax revenues received annually from the State Commission. For more information, please visit the Commission's Web site at www.occhildrenandfamilies.com

Susan Mancia
714-456-3640
smancia@uci.edu