Paving the Way in Women’s Health

Gretchen Fish once described how she wanted patients to feel in the Gretchen S. and Edward A. Fish Center for Women’s Health: when a patient walked through the door, she would feel that arms were around her and that her whole self was taken care of.

“That image speaks to the essence of our mission to improve the health of women and transform their care,” Paula Johnson, MD, MPH, chief of the Division of Women’s Health and executive director of the Connors Center for Women’s Health and Gender Biology, said during the dedication of the Fish Center in May.

BWH trustees, leaders, staff and friends came together at the ceremony, celebrating the $3 million gift of Edward and Gretchen Fish—both members of the Board of Trustees—that made the center and its integrated approach to women’s health possible. At the Fish Center, women have access to a variety of specialties, including primary care services, OB/GYN, cardiology, endocrinology, diabetes, gastroenterology, dermatology, thoracics, orthopedics, rheumatology, nutrition, mental health, rehabilitation and radiology, in addition to the clinical resources available at the Francis Street campus.

“We now have a health facility that brings together experts from various disciplines who are dedicated to addressing the very special, comprehensive health needs of each woman,” BWH President Gary Gottlieb, MD, MBA, said at the dedication. “When we improve the health of women—our mothers, sisters and daughters—we improve the health of the entire community.”