VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. -- In a significant step toward prioritizing the health and bettering the quality of life for military women and female dependents, the 30th Medical Group at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., has unveiled a state-of-the-art women's health clinic.
With 20% of active-duty U.S. Department of the Air Force personnel being female, Vandenberg’s medical personnel realized the obstacle of not fully accessible healthcare options for women. Recognizing the need for change, the 30th MDG established the women's health clinic to bolster the health and quality of life for the installation’s females.
U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Miguel Morales, 30th MDG chief of staff, elaborates on how the creation and progression of the women’s health clinic transpired.
“The concept of this women’s health clinic has been considered for quite some time, but the planning was able to start in early 2022 with Space Launch Delta 30’s support for a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner contract position,” said Morales. “Now that we obtained that position, our focus throughout the process will continue to ensure that access to quality women’s health care remains a service we offer into the future.”
U.S. Air Force Maj. Cherry Arellano, 30th Medical Group Family Medicine flight commander, is leading this new initiative alongside approximately 15 personnel. Their goal with this clinic is to ensure comprehensive care, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment for all women residing on the installation.
Arellano vocalized how the clinic is aiding the adjustment of the continuously increasing female military population.
“In order to meet the needs of the growing population of women in service, Vandenberg created this clinic,” Arellano said. “Without waiting to be seen off base for women’s health, our clinic will decrease the wait time and prevent delay in care that can be detrimental to their health, therefore improving the quality of life for our military personnel.”
Furthermore, Morales touched on the main reasoning for the creation of this newly found clinic.
“The main impetus for creating the Women’s Health Clinic was to provide an additional resource for caring for our female population as health doctors can be limited at times for their unique needs,” said Morales.
As the clinic officially opens up to the installation, Arellano expressed her excitement and voiced the importance of having this clinic targeted toward females’ needs.
“This clinic is going to be a place where women can feel more comfortable in discussing their health needs,” Arellano said. “I think it’s so critical to have a clinic focused on women, as their health concerns go far past the basic scope of general needs.”
The clinic will offer a plethora of services, such as well women’s exams, cervical cancer screenings, contraceptive counselings, fertility evaluations, pregnancy testing, postpartum checks, and irregular menstrual cycle and menopause symptom management.
Clinic hours are Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Walk-in contraceptive services are available Mondays only, from 8 to 11:30 a.m. To schedule an appointment, call 805-606-2273.