Comprehensive Care for Women of All Ages

NCHS offers comprehensive care for the healthcare needs of women of all ages. At most of our sites, basic women's services, including annual exams, pap smears, breast exams and contraceptive counseling and methods are offered by physicians, nurse midwives, nurse practitioners and physicians' assistants. We accept many types of insurances, as well as Medi-Cal, Family Pact and specialized state programs for cancer detection and breast care.

Specialized Gynecological Care

At three of our sites--Encinitas Women's and Children's Center, Mission-Mesa in Oceanside and in San Marcos--our services also include care by board-certified Obstetrician-Gynecologists who provide a full-scope of specialized, comprehensive care for women. Our dedicated physicians have long been committed to providing universal access to affordable, cost-efficient and high-quality care for women. This encompasses routine annual care, as well as more complex gynecological problems that may require specialized procedures or surgery.

If You Are Pregnant

Pregnancy is an exciting time of transition and growth for you and your family. We are here to assist you and provide personalized care that will help you give birth with trust and confidence. For the majority of women, pregnancy is a normal and healthy time. Our focus for prenatal and childbirth care is always the wellbeing of mother and baby with individualized attention and education at each visit. In the event of complications, consultation with an obstetrician is always readily available. The collaboration of Certified Nurse-Midwives and Obstetricians, along with social workers, nutritionists, and childbirth educators, allows us to provide a team approach that affords the best possible comprehensive care for expectant families. This team based approach is the basis of our gestational diabetes program. As an affiliate of the California Diabetes in Pregnancy Sweet Success program we offer state of the art care and superior outcomes for women and their families experiencing this common complication of pregnancy. Nurse-Midwives are specialists in normal pregnancy and birth, providing comprehensive, safe and individualized care in a positive, supportive environment. Women appreciate the extra time and attention they receive from midwives, and research has shown that this holistic philosophy provides an excellent quality of care with superb outcomes. In addition, you and your family are recognized as important contributors to your own healthcare decision-making. This collaborative model of care ensures safe, satisfying and personalized attention. Our Ramona and two San Marcos sites offer care with Nurse-Midwives from Palomar Hospital in Escondido. They provide comprehensive maternity care throughout the pregnancy and birthing care for you at Palomar Hospital in conjunction with Obstetrician-Gynecologists on staff at Palomar. After the birth, you will receive a postpartum home visit from the Palomar Welcome Home Baby program.  Our coastal team of Nurse-Midwives and Obstetricians provide full-scope maternity care at our Encinitas Women's Center, Mission-Mesa Women's Center and Oceanside-Loma Alta sites. They collaborate closely to provide midwife-attended birth at Scripps Memorial Hospital in Encinitas and physician-attended birth at Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside.  Midwife attended birth will soon be offered at Tri-City Medical Center (early 2011).  We have assisted the birth of more than 9,000 babies at Scripps-Encinitas since 1999. We provide active labor support and our cesarean-section rate averages 12-15%. We support women who are pursuing a Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC) if they are a medically appropriate candidate.  After the birth, you will receive a postpartum home visit from one of our Nurse-Midwives. We will assist with breastfeeding, examine you and your baby and answer your questions without you having to leave your home! Additionally, the Nurse-Midwives in Encinitas, Oceanside and at Grand Avenue Family Medicine-San Marcos, provide "well-woman" care for non-pregnant women, including annual examinations, pap smears, breast exams and all forms of contraceptive care.

Suggested Links:

• www.mymidwife.org (info on midwives from American College of Nurse-Midwives)
• www.childbirthconnection.org/home.asp?Visitor=Woman (info on pregnancy/childbirth)
• www.gotmom.org (Breastfeeding Information by the ACNM)
• www.lalecheleague.org (La Leche League International)