Centra, Centra Medical Group

Forest Women's Center

Forest Women's Center was established in 1997 and joined the Centra Medical Group in 2009. The Certified Nurse-Midwives and Nurse Practitioners at Forest Women's Center are committed to providing the highest quality obstetrical and gynecological care to women of all ages. Patients are seen for routine appointments at our office, conveniently located in Forest and births are attended at The Birth Center at Virginia Baptist Hospital.

What is a Certified Nurse-Midwife?

A certified nurse-midwife is educated in nursing and midwifery. Most hold master's degrees and are licensed by the state in which they are practicing. They can attend births at hospitals, birth centers, and at home and can write prescriptions as dictated by their state regulations.

Nurse-midwives believe in each individual woman's freedom to experience pregnancy and birth in a safe, satisfying, non-interventive, and supportive environment. It is the hope and philosophy of nurse-midwives to provide personal, loving, educated, and competent obstetric and gynecological care to all women through their lifetime.

Appointments

Appointments are required for routine annual well-woman visit and obstetrical care. When you call for an appointment, tell us the reason for your visit and the name of your primary physician so we can schedule you appropriately. Please call our office to cancel 24 hours in advance of your scheduled appointment to avoid a $25.00 missed appointment fee.

New Patients

Due to the amount of time it takes to do an initial assessment, new obstetric or gynecologic patients are seen for the first time by appointment only. We request that all new patients bring the following:

• All current medications
• A photo ID
• All current insurance cards
• Any beneficial previous medical records

Transfer Patients

Pregnant patients who have established care elsewhere and wish to be seen at our office must provide complete copies of their prenatal records prior to making their first appointment for approval. Please contact your current provider to sign the required release forms and have them sent to us at least 2 weeks prior to needing your next prenatal appointment.

Fees

Co-payments, deductibles and any other self-payment balances are due at the time of service. If you have a medical emergency and cannot pay, we request that you talk with our patient account specialist to work out payment arrangements. When calling our office about your bill, please ask to speak with our patient account specialist.

Insurance

In order to create and file insurance claims, you must provide the office with complete and accurate insurance policy information, along with presenting the card(s) to our office upon receiving them. Although we will gladly file your claims to your insurance company, you are ultimately responsible for any unpaid or denied amounts that your insurance company has determined to be the patient's responsibility.

For a list of current insurance companies that the practice participates with, please contact our office and ask to speak with a patient account specialist.

Telephone Calls

Calls received during office hours will be directed to leave a message and a practitioner or nurse will return your call within 24 hours. If you think you may be in labor or have an urgent pregnancy-related question, please indicate so to our receptionist. After hours calls should be directed to the Midwife on Call at 434.401.9784. In case of a life-threatening emergency and you cannot contact a practitioner immediately, go directly to the emergency department, or call 9-1-1.

Medication and Prescription Refills

Contact your pharmacy to request your prescription(s) to be refilled, the pharmacy will then submit a request to our office. If your prescription requires physician approval, you must make a request for a refill BEFORE your prescription runs out. We cannot guarantee refills on prescriptions and your practitioner may also request that you be seen by appointment before a prescription can be refilled. Routine prescriptions will not be refilled on weekends or after hours.

Forest Women's Center Services

• Well Woman Annual Exams inclusive of Pap Smears
• Comprehensive Prenatal Care
• Centering Pregnancy Program
• Labor & Post-partum Support
• Deliveries at The Birth Center at Virginia Baptist Hospital
• Social Support for Cesarean Delivery
• All Family Planning Methods
• STD Testing and Counseling
• Preconception Counseling
• Mammogram Referral
• Osteoporosis Evaluation and Counseling
• Diagnosis and Treatment of Vaginitis
• Menopausal Care
• 24/7 MD Consultation and Collaboration

Our Providers