January 17, 2004
Fremont Center Offers New Services, Alternative Care
Plastic Surgery, Lactation Program Among New Services Added
The Palo Alto Medical Foundation's (PAMF) Fremont Center is offering several new services to improve care and convenience for East Bay patients, including reconstructive and cosmetic surgery, and a lactation program for new mothers. The Center also offers a fully staffed Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology with three certified nurse-midwives who work with physicians to provide complementary and alternative care.
Mats Hagstrom, M.D., has been hired by the Palo Alto Clinic's Department of Plastic Surgery to provide full-service reconstructive and cosmetic surgery procedures at PAMF's Fremont Center five days a week. Dr. Hagstrom, who joined PAMF in November 2004 from private practice in Orange County, specializes in all aspects of general plastic surgery. He has a strong interest in reconstructive surgery, such as breast reconstruction or hand replantation, and cosmetic surgery, from liposuction to facial contouring and skin rejuvenation.
"We have provided the highest-quality, state-of-the-art care to patients for 40 years and we are happy to have the opportunity to provide care to East Bay patients," said Roy Hong, M.D., chair of the department, who continues to see patients at the Fremont Center, along with plastic surgeon Benjamin Maser, M.D., on Fridays.
The Fremont Center has also hired Lactation Consultant Gail Fiock, R.N., IBCLC, to launch a new lactation consulting service modeled after the Palo Alto Clinic's lactation program. Fiock, who was previously an advice nurse at the Palo Alto Clinic for three years and has been an R.N. for 18 years, will be available to see patients noon to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 1 to 5 p.m. on Fridays.
Patients can set up an appointment for an individual, 1-hour consult and two follow-up visits for a $130 fee, or call the Department of Pediatrics for more information. (The fee may be waived based on individual financial need.) New moms can also come to a shared medical appointment at the Fremont Center or participate in the breastfeeding support group offered at the Palo Alto Clinic. Fiock hopes to establish a similar support group at the Fremont Center this year.
"I work with new moms to make sure their latch is OK, to improve their milk flow and ensure they are not in pain or experiencing nipple damage," said Fiock. She can also help moms reduce breast engorgement, help their baby gain weight while breastfeeding, ensure their baby is getting enough milk and use breast pumps, among other topics.
Patients at the Fremont Center also benefit from a fully staffed Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, which offers a wide range of services including high-risk obstetrics, infertility treatments, minimally invasive surgery, hysteroscopy, laparoscopy, thermal balloon ablation, and urogynecological services, among others.
The department offers three full-time certified nurse-midwives who work in conjunction with the physicians to provide obstetric care, as well as annual health maintenance exams. Proximity to primary care departments, such as internal medicine and pediatrics, is convenient for patients looking for one-stop shopping for their families, according to Savitha Krishnan, M.D. She added that department staff members speak many languages to serve its culturally and ethnically diverse patient population.
According to Mary Ann Sarda-Maduro, M.D., chair of the department, patients can be seen very quickly by a physician or certified nurse-midwife, often in the same day. "We are able to offer patients appointments very quickly."
For more information on reconstructive or cosmetic procedures, please call the Department of Plastic Surgery at (650) 853-2916 or visit www.pamf.org/plasticsurgery. For breastfeeding advice, please call Gail Fiock directly at (510) 498-2146. To schedule a consult, please call the Fremont Center's Department of Pediatrics at (510) 490-1222. For more information on the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, please call 510-490-1222 or visit http://www.pamf.org/obgyn/fr.html.
The Palo Alto Medical Foundation for Health Care, Research and Education is a not-for-profit health care organization that is a pioneer in both multispecialty group practice of medicine and outpatient medicine. The foundation has three divisions: the Palo Alto Division, the Camino Division and the Santa Cruz Division. The Palo Alto Division, staffed by 290 physicians of the Palo Alto Medical Clinic, has provided a full range of care for Peninsula residents since it was founded in 1930. It operates satellite clinics in Fremont, Los Altos, Redwood Shores and Portola Valley. PAMF is part of the Sutter Health family of not-for-profit hospitals, medical foundations and physician organizations that share resources and expertise to advance health care quality. Serving more than 100 communities in Northern California, Sutter Health is a regional leader in cardiac care as well as care of women and children, and is a pioneer in advanced patient safety technology. For more information, visit www.pamf.org.