Cape Fear Valley Health held a ribbon cutting ceremony today, Jan. 9, to celebrate the opening of the new OB/GYN & Midwifery Clinic at 1201 Walter Reed Road in Fayetteville. 

“The opening of the OB/GYN & Midwifery Clinic is especially meaningful because it reflects our commitment to meeting women where they are and supporting them through every stage of life,” said Tasia McClain, service line director for women’s health, in a press release. “This space was designed with intention to provide compassionate, high-quality care that honors choice, promotes continuity and expands access to comprehensive women’s health services within our community.”

Cape Fear Valley OB/GYN & Midwifery offers a full range of women’s health services, including obstetric and gynecologic care, midwifery services and preventive care, all designed to support patients through every phase of life.

“When you come in to see a physician, your appointments typically are very brief, and we [doctors] rely a lot on our staff, our nurses, our medical assistants, to do the teaching. It's a much briefer visit when you see a physician. When you see a midwife, the visits are longer, there's more teaching, there's more of a personal touch in midwifery care, which is why a lot of women seek out midwifery care instead of a traditional obstetrician. Many of the midwives have taken additional training on patient centered type things, as opposed to doctors who do more medical interventions,” shared Dr. David Schutzer. 

The clinic includes six exam rooms, an ultrasound room, laboratory services and a community gathering area to accommodate group appointments and classes. Insurance coverage is available for these services, ensuring accessibility for a wide range of patients.

One of the midwives providing services at the new clinic is Kelsey Smith. Smith graduated from midwifery school in 2019 and has been working for CFVH since then. 

“I think we definitely need it [the clinic]. With the closing of several other private practices…pretty much everybody in the community, with the exception of Women's Wellness and Dr. Michael Jones, is a Cape Fear Valley patient,” shared Smith. “We've always had midwives on labor and delivery, but we never really worked in the clinic, so this actually brings it full circle. So [now] we're able to take care of women throughout their whole pregnancy and through delivery…and then see them back here for their postpartum visit.”

The clinic will officially begin seeing patients on Monday, Jan. 12. Its operating hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Fridays. The clinic will be closed for lunch daily from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

For more information about Cape Fear Valley OB/GYN & Midwifery, visit www.capefearvalley.com.