With the addition of three OB-GYN physicians to its staff, the St. Charles Center for Women’s Health is improving access to reproductive health care for all women.
The three physicians – Michal Montana, MD, Nicole Berrigan, MD and Amy Yuan, DO – join the center’s robust group of providers, including nurse midwives, behavioral health experts, nurse practitioners and doctors. With many providers accepting new patients, it’s easier than ever to get in to see someone.
“Our patients love our providers, and they tell their friends who tell their friends. The word is out, and that has kept our schedules very full in recent months,” said Tricia Clay, administrative director of Women’s and Pediatric Services for St. Charles. “With these arrivals, we’re expecting wait times for appointments to see our providers to significantly decrease.”
The center offers an array of services, including routine and preventive women’s care; obstetrics from preconception through postpartum; gynecology and gynecologic surgery; and pelvic floor therapy and procedures for overactive bladder/urinary retention. Providers see patients in Bend, Prineville, Redmond and Sisters and they perform surgeries in Bend and Redmond.
The new physicians will also bring new options for care to the practice, Clay said.
“One in three women experience bladder leakage during their lifetime. This is known as urinary incontinence, and it often worsens with age,” Clay said. “We are excited to bring new, minimally invasive procedures to our practice that will offer women more treatment options for their bladder symptoms.”
Dr. Michal Montana
Dr. Michal Montana completed residency training at Loma Linda University Medical Center and prior to that she attended medical school at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine in Michigan. She lives in Bend with her husband, two daughters and dog. Together, they love exploring the region’s natural beauty.
“My interest in women’s health came from a desire to incorporate a passion for hands-on care with lifelong patient relationships,” she said. “I look forward to serving the women of Central Oregon throughout some of the most special, vulnerable and difficult times of their lives.”
Dr. Nicole Berrigan
Prior to joining St. Charles, Dr. Nicole Berrigan worked in private practice for three years in the Willamette Valley. She completed her OB-GYN residency through the University of North Carolina and medical school at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in her hometown of Omaha, Neb. She and her husband love trail running, mountain biking, skiing and paddle boarding, and they’re excited to do those things in Central Oregon.
Berrigan practices the full spectrum of obstetrics and gynecology with special interest in surgery including robotic hysterectomies and pelvic floor repair. She also received a degree in studio art and has a special interest in integrating art into her practice.
“Having a piece of art to focus on during an exam or playing music during a procedure has been shown to decrease patient anxiety and pain,” Berrigan said. “I am looking forward to integrating art into our practice.”
Dr. Amy Yuan
Board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist Dr. Amy Yuan completed her OB-GYN residency in Cincinnati, Ohio and then was in private practice in Colorado before moving to Oregon to join St. Charles. She loves spending time with her family, traveling, camping, mountain biking, snowboarding and skiing, and she is thrilled to move to the area.
Yuan enjoys all aspects of women’s health, including helping people through high-risk pregnancies, infertility, urinary incontinence, pelvic pain, sexual dysfunction, menopause, and minimally invasive surgery, especially robotic assisted procedures.
“As an OB-GYN,” she said, “it is my goal to provide a comfortable and safe space to address sensitive and important issues for people in Central Oregon.”
